Heritage at The Plains, Sloan’s Make Rita’s Dream a Reality

ONEONTA—You know when a dream comes true—when the recipient cries tears of happiness and surprise—that you did it right. And that is exactly how a special lady by the name of Rita felt on Saturday, October 28 when Heather Anderson convinced her to go to a luncheon with her, as her guest. Little did Rita know that she was the guest of honor and that 18 of her family members were waiting for her behind closed doors.

Welcome to the Tree of Dreams program at Heritage at The Plains, where residents are asked if they could dream of anything in the world to do, what would it be? Their wishes are recorded and the staff begins to work on making those dreams come true. Every quarter, a Tree of Dreams recipient is chosen. As for Rita, it was her turn, but she had no idea at all until she saw her family waiting for her once the door was opened.

All Rita wanted was to enjoy a homestyle-cooked meal with her family—all in one room, as many of them live quite a distance away and cannot visit often. Just to have them all together for one meal, just once, was Rita’s dream. So the dream makers got busy to see how they could make this happen for a woman who never asks for anything for herself and is always watching out for others.

Rita’s dream could not have become a reality without the assistance of Sloan’s NY Grill, as they prepared a meal that even Rita said she could not have done any better. The pot roast with all of the fixings and apple pie a la mode was just what Rita wanted to share with her family.

“Sloan’s was so accommodating and so understanding of this special occasion that we were trying to make happen. I could not have worked with a better partner,” said Anderson, who is the Magnolia Trails director at Heritage at the Plains.

“I had several last-minute changes, and they were so accommodating,” Anderson added. “Thanks also goes to The Second Wind organization who, through their funding sources, were able to pick up the entire bill for the event.

“And lastly, a special thank you has to be extended to Rita’s family, who kept this secret for many weeks and made the day extra special for Rita—a dream come true, with memories that will last a lifetime for many, especially for Rita as she looks back on her pictures from that day,” Anderson said.