It was her actual 94th birthday on the day of the jump.
by Mike Macke, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing Cypress Place Senior Living
Have you ever had a dream? Winifred “Winnie” Lester did. Winnie is a resident at Cypress Place Senior Living in Ventura. She resides in their Independent Living community, a specially designed community for active seniors.
One of the signature programs at the community is called Livin’ The Dream, the purpose being to provide residents with the opportunity to accomplish a goal or dream that they have always wanted to do.
Just shy of her 94th birthday, Winnie shared that her dream was to go skydiving. Asked why she wanted to skydive she replied, “When I was 80 I saw that George Bush Sr. jumped when he turned 90. If he can do it, I can do it,” she said.
When Cypress Place Senior Living Vibrant Life Director, Kathy Vernon-Cole, got wind of Winnie’s dream, Kathy and the staff at Cypress Place went to work to fulfill that dream. With the help of Winnie’s granddaughter, Christi Lester, and the staff at Skydive Coastal Camarillo Winnie made her first skydive, at the tender age of 94!
Since it was her actual 94th birthday on the day of the jump, residents and staff from Cypress Place, along with a large contingent of family and friends, were waiting for Winnie at the landing site with a birthday cake and candles, and monumental cheers.
“I loved it, I loved it, I loved it,” enthused Winnie in between trying to regain her equilibrium once on solid ground.
The adventure was nothing short of incredible according to Winnie. And having her family and friends, and neighbors from Cypress Place, there to greet here when she landed truly made it a memory-making, adventure of a lifetime for Winnie.
Cypress Place Senior Living is at 1200/1220 Cypress Point Lane. To learn more about Cypress Place Senior Living of Ventura, visit their web site at www.cypressplaceseniorliving.com.
