Crossroads Hospice has an incredible program called Gift of a Day, where they grant a wish to a patient in their care. Marion Roberts, a 95-year-old patient, has just one dream – to see the Budweiser Clydesdales at their home in Warm Springs Ranch and to “rub noses with them.” Roberts is an equestrian herself, having received her first pony at 7. As a teenager, she was a trick rider for rodeos. Crossroad Hospice knew they had to grant her final wish as part of their Gift of a Day Program.
“We’ve had the Gift of a Day program in place for over 10 years, Mary Krause a representative of Crossroads told iHeartHorses. “It is inspired by Jim Stovall’s book The Ultimate Gift, and we try to give all of our patients one perfect day. Each one is as unique as our patients – from special family dinners to musical performances to fishing trips.”
Warm Springs Ranch is located in Boonville, Missouri and is the main farm where the famous Budweiser Clydesdales are foaled, raised and trained for their jobs as mascots for the beverage company. They have over 70 horses in their care currently.
While the public can tour the ranch, it normally isn’t open this early in the year. The company made a gracious exception for Roberts to come and visit, giving her a once in a life time one-on-one tour of the farm, with plenty of time to kiss and pet the magnificent steeds.
Crossroads Hospice works hard to make all of the wishes they receive come true, but they couldn’t do it without the help of the companies that are sometimes involved, like Anheuser-Busch.
“Some of them don’t require much in terms of donations,” Krause said. “For others, we have been very blessed to have generous companies and individuals volunteer their time, talents and facilities for our patients.”
Crossroads has centers in Georgia, Missouri, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Kansas. To learn more about the Crossroads Hospice Gift of a Day program, call them at 1-888-564-3405.
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