Very few of people make it to their 60th class reunion but, for Robert O’Donnell this was his greatest dream. Robert grew up in Beatrice, NE and attended kindergarten through high school with, pretty much, the same group of kids. Like most of us, Bob, as he likes to be called, married and moved on after high school; yet for 60 years he has stayed in contact with many of his old buddies from school.
In 2010 Bob was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and has undergone some pretty aggressive treatments. Due to medical bills and his wife leaving her job to care for Bob money has become an issue. Making ends meet on a monthly basis is a stretch so, having the extra funds to take even a short trip was out of the question. Bob’s social worker attended a presentation about the Dreamweaver Foundation and knew immediately she wanted to nominate the couple for this wonderful dream.
On a beautiful fall day in October, a group of volunteers from The Dreamweaver Foundation met Bob and Shirley at the Westroads Mall to buy new outfits for their trip. The couple was pampered and fussed over as they selected just the right clothes for the dinner and other social events of the weekend. Shirley commented that she had never been treated so special in her entire life and couldn’t believe all the fuss. “All we hoped for was gas money and maybe enough to cover a hotel room for a night. This is overwhelming, I can’t believe we are so blessed,” Shirley shared with the group over lunch.
Once the big day arrived Shirley called to say they were on their way and promised to take lots of pictures. She said Bob was so excited and that she hadn’t seen him this happy or full of life in a long, long time.
Following the weekend festivities of the 60th Class Reunion,Shirley couldn’t wait to share the stories of visiting with old friends and how everyone commented on how sharp Bob looked in his new suit. Shirley was in tears as she reminisced the weekend and her incredible gratitude to The Dreamweaver Foundation for making Bob’s dream of seeing his old classmates and friends one more time a reality.
