FERGUS SCOTTISH FESTIVAL & HIGHLAND GAMES
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Great-great-grandmother to answer the call of the bagpipes
Thanks to Chartwell Retirement Residences and Wish Of A Lifetime Canada, Lillian Burden doesn’t have a Scottish bone in her body – but she’s held the song of the bagpipes in her heart throughout her nearly 100 year life.
“I can’t explain it - when I hear it, my heart goes ‘Boom! Boom! Boom!’” says Lillian, 97, a resident of Chartwell Gibson Long Term Care Residence in North York.
On Saturday, Aug. 10, Lillian will realize her dream of attending a Massed Bands event for the first time in decades as an honoured guest of the Fergus Scottish Festival & Highland Games in Fergus, Ontario. Her wish is being fulfilled by Chartwell Retirement Residences and Wish Of A Lifetime Canada.
Since 2015, more than 100 deserving seniors have had their dearest desires fulfilled through this charitable partnership, which is open to all Canadian seniors. Attending Toronto’s Scottish parade was a childhood highlight each year for Lillian, one of 10 siblings in a family that sometimes relied on the Scott Mission to put food on the table. The parade was free – and thrilling.
“I’d go running just to hear the bagpipes,” she recalls. “I loved it when the leader with the big drum on his stomach would ‘Bang! Bang! Bang!’ My feet would go, my heart would go and I would be dancing.”
She was nominated for her wish by Chartwell Gibson Program & Support Services Manager Debbie McCance, who competed nationally as a Scottish dancer in her own childhood and wanted to do something special for the senior, who is known for her joy and kindness.
Lillian is a mother of two, grandmother of five, great-grandmother of 10 and great-great-grandmother of two and has spent her life repaying the generosity shown to her family all those years ago. She became a volunteer and supporter of the Scott Mission, fills shoeboxes every Christmas for a charity that supports children in developing countries and always includes a thought for others in the daily announcements she makes each morning over the residence’s
public address system.
“Lillian is just a kind soul,” Debbie says. “She always adds her own little spark. She often says a blessing for children in need and residents here who are not well and a short little prayer that is always so touching.
Lillian will attend the festival with residence receptionist Nancy Trollope, who is as Scottish as when she moved here in 1972. Nancy visits her home country often and recently brought Lillian back a tiny set of bagpipes that play Scotland The Brave.
“There’s so many people who came across here way back,” Nancy points out. “So I betcha if somebody looked back in Lillian’s family tree, there’s got to be Scottish in there somewhere!”
Wish Of A Lifetime Canada grants wishes in four categories: Commemorating Service, Fulfilling Lifelong Dreams, Reconnecting Loved Ones and Renewing and Celebrating Passions. From meeting Celine Dion in Las Vegas, to a reunion with a grandson in Thailand, to a WWII veteran’s overdue flight in a Lancaster warplane, the wishes have each been unique in nature and have been granted across the country.
"Through Wish of a Lifetime Canada, we are able to enrich the lives of older Canadians, help them overcome barriers to fulfil their dreams and feel a sense of inclusion," says Brent Binions, President and CEO, Chartwell Retirement Residences.
About Wish of a Lifetime Canada:
Wish of a Lifetime Canada’sTM mission is to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors’ dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. The U.S. charity Wish of a Lifetime was founded in 2008 by Colorado celebrity Jeremy Bloom, in living honour of his grandmother. Wish of a Lifetime Canada launched as an independent organization in Canada in September of 2015. The organization envisions a world in which society embraces aging and the inherent wisdom that accompanies it, where seniors are celebrated for their accomplishments and sacrifices, and where intergenerational connections are part of our daily lives.
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