Community Corner

Operation Dreamlift: The Adventure of a Lifetime

347 photos and nearly 35 minutes worth of video give you a detailed look at the fun and excitement that was had on the Mercer County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation's annual Operation Dreamlift, which took 98 special-needs children to Disney World.

It was a few seconds before we plunged toward the earth and my stomach did what felt like an Olympic-caliber somersault that I thought to myself: I really shouldn’t be doing this. I’m a professional journalist. I need to remain objective.

But those doubts (along with the terror I felt from plummeting more than 50 feet) were gone in an instant when gravity returned and, looking over, I saw Ernest Scott’s smile. The glow on the face of that 14-year-old boy from Trenton – who I’d only met a few minutes before we hopped into one of the Splash Mountain “logs” together  – made it clear to me that to properly tell the story of Operation Dreamlift I needed to be an active participant rather than a neutral bystander.

“It was nice. I got wet,” Ernest said as he and I walked to where two other Dreamlift children and their chaperone were waiting for us in the Frontierland section of the Magic Kingdom. The other kids hadn’t wanted to go on the ride so I had volunteered to accompany Ernest. Given the choice of sitting on the left side or the right of our log, Ernest had opted for the latter – a decision that, luckily for me, resulted in my escaping the popular water attraction almost entirely dry.

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That was just one of the many wonderful memories I have from Tuesday (May 3), when I traveled to Florida to witness the excitement and wonder of nearly 100 children with special needs spending a day of fun in the sun at Disney World thanks to the all-volunteer Mercer County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation. (Check out the video section above for footage of our thrilling ride on Splash Mountain and other memorable moments from the Dreamlift.)

A non-profit organization founded in 1976 by Philadelphia Police Officer Bill Sample, the Sunshine Foundation seeks “to answer the dreams of chronically-ill, seriously-ill, physically-challenged and abused children whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to the financial strain that child's illness may cause.” There are over a dozen chapters in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia, Florida and Colorado, with the Mercer County group being the largest.

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Working under the leadership of their president, Cathy DiCostanzo, the dedicated volunteers of the Mercer County chapter spend the entire year holding fundraisers to generate the money – about $165,000 this year – needed to send a plane-full of deserving children to Walt Disney World Resort’s Magic Kingdom for a day. The annual trip between Trenton-Mercer Airport and Orlando, Fla., is appropriately called “Operation Dreamlift.”

On Tuesday 98 children with a variety of special needs – from Down syndrome and autism to cancer and other illnesses that “would break your heart,” as DiCostanzo noted – made the all-expenses-paid journey accompanied by 72 chaperones. Initially, 106 children were slated to go, but there were some last minute cancellations.

I tagged along to document the trip for Patch with stories, photos and videos. Along the way, however, I couldn’t help but get caught up in the emotion of the day.

Now in my 20th year as a volunteer firefighter in Lawrence Township, I had been to many Dreamlifts before – one of the hundreds of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel, military and other well-wishers on hand to cheer the kids on as the embarked on what, for many, is the journey of a lifetime and to welcome them home later in the night.

But this was my first Dreamlift since becoming a parent. My son, James, is 4. I am not a religious person by any means, but as I interacted with the Dreamlift children and heard some of their stories, I could not help but say a silent pray of thanks that my son is healthy; that he has not had to face the pain some of these children have endured in their young lives; and that my wife and I have not had to anguish over the many difficult decisions that these kids’ parents have had to face.

While strolling through Liberty Square at the Magic Kingdom, I came upon young Samuel Hornikel of Egg Harbor. At the tender age of 2, he was diagnosed with a rare, fast-moving form of bladder and prostate cancer. He underwent two surgeries and a year’s worth of chemotherapy. Now 5, he still faces reconstructive surgery but he’s been free of the chemo for over a year and there is hope for his future, according to his mom, Erin Hornikel, a New Jersey state police detective.

Watching Sam smile as he and his mother took turns trying out the stocks in the Liberty Square courtyard, snapping photos of each other, was heartwarming. A boy who was once so close to death was now full of life. It was a great moment.

When asked what he had enjoyed at the Magic Kingdom up to that point, Sam answered that he had liked meeting Mickey Mouse, Tigger and Pluto, and also going on the Space Mountain and Haunted Mansion rides. The latter attraction was particularly memorable, as he recounted how a ghost had gotten into their car. “He took our heads off and put mine on mommy and mommy’s on mine,” he said with a smile.

The enthusiasm of the Dreamlift chaperones was contagious. For part of the day, I tagged along with Pam Hernandez, Carla Duncan and Stacey VanMetre, all teachers at Ben Franklin Elementary School in Lawrence. They were chaperoning five boys from Lawrence: Vareesh Allam, 4; Zaiid Abubakhar, 4; Gabdiel Soto-Mercado, 5; Michael Johnson, 5; and Justin Tucker, 8. Justin is a third-grader, while the other boys are in the pre-K and kindergarten programs at Ben Franklin.

Hernandez, a learning disabilities teacher at Ben Franklin, was on her first Dreamlift. She was charged with taking care of Gabdiel, whose family recently moved to Lawrence Township from Puerto Rico, and Justin. During the brief ferryboat ride across the Seven Seas Lagoon from the Disney World Resort transportation center to the Magic Kingdom, Hernandez said she was looking forward to seeing “two of my favorite guys have the best time of their lives.”

The three teachers seemed to have limitless energy as they carried the boys or pushed them in strollers throughout the park. First on their agenda for the boys as soon as they entered the park was meeting Mickey and Minnie Mouse. After a brief wait, the boys were face-to-face with the Disney icons, getting hugs and autographs and posing for photos. A steady lineup of rides then followed, such as Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and the Mad Tea Party teacup ride.  

“It was an absolutely beautiful day,” VanMetre, who teachers pre-K, said later that afternoon as the Dreamlift visit to the Magic Kingdom was drawing to a close.  It was her second Dreamlift, having previously gone as a chaperone last year. “It is so special to bring these kids down here and see their joy going on the rides, seeing Mickey Mouse… It was all-around a fantastic day; [I’m] so lucky to get to be a part of it and we thank everybody from the Sunshine Foundation and everybody who put these kids in Disney World. We’re exhausted, we’re tired, but we are very happy.”

Duncan, also a pre-K teacher at Ben Franklin, agreed. “The kids had an absolutely amazing time. They went on a lot of different rides and they got to meet Mickey and Minnie.”  It was her second Dreamlift as well and she said her reward for volunteering was “seeing the kids happy and having a good time.”

 “I loved Space Mountain – it was about space. It was so amazing,” said Nick Finn, 12, of East Windsor. His list of park highlights also included the Haunted Mansion and the Buzz Lightyear ride.

Jonathan Fisher, 7, who attends Yardville Heights Elementary School in Hamilton Township, said his favorite part of the day was riding Splash Mountain. As a souvenir of the trip, he brought home an R2-D2 figure whose head spins around and makes noises.

Natalie Boyle, 14, of Pennington and Alice Blackman, 17, of Trenton agreed that the rides were the best part of their visit to the Magic Kingdom. Natalie preferred the Magic Carpets of Aladdin ride in Adventureland, while Alice said the Pirates of the Caribbean was her favorite.

“I went on Splash Mountain, I went on Space Mountain, I went on runaway train, I went on Pirates of the Caribbean and then I went to the stores,” said 8-year-old Dylan Cherry of Trenton.

The weather in Florida on Tuesday could not have been better. There was not a cloud in the sky. While it was warm – a high of 90 – the humidity was not a factor.

It certainly was a long day. Getting up at 4 a.m. the morning, I arrived at the National Guard facility at Trenton-Mercer Airport in Ewing Township around 5 a.m. to find it already abuzz with activity as volunteers prepared for the lavish send-off celebration that was held before the Dreamlift departed for Florida.

With dawn just beginning to break, fire trucks from Ewing Township’s Prospect Heights Fire Co. and Lawrence Township’s Lawrenceville Fire Co. raised their ladders to support a banner welcoming the Dreamlift kids. Dozens of other fire apparatus and police vehicles from throughout Mercer County were positioned nearby.

“Today is for the kids. It’s a huge celebration. I’m just trying to show my support, along with everybody else,” Mike Filando, one of the Lawrenceville Fire Co. volunteers, said in explaining why he woke up at 4 a.m. to be there. 

As the children arrived and checked in, they were greeted by several characters from Disney movies and the Star Wars films like Mickey, Minnie, Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, Snow White, Capt. Jack Sparrow and Imperial Stormtroppers. Children danced and posed for photos with their parents and grandparents, while music played and refreshments were served by Signal 22, the volunteer fire and police canteen unit based in Trenton.

James Walentukonis of New Egypt was there to see his grandson, Christian Griswald, 7, off on the Dreamlift. “This is fantastic. We can’t afford this,” he said, fighting back tears.

Another tearful moment came while I was talking to retired Lawrence Township Detective Dave Burns Sr. Burns and his partner, Detective Joe Lech III (also now retired), started the Mercer County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation in the 1980s along with Capt. Harry Masterson of the Ewing Township Police Department.

“It’s a great thing” that the Mercer County chapter is still thriving after all these years, he said. “I wish we could shut down tomorrow. But if we shut down tomorrow that means there are no more sick kids. That’s not going to happen. I pray we could, but that’s just not going to happen. As long as there are children around to be helped, we’ll do the best we can and continue on.”

His sons, Dave Jr. and Scott, followed in his footsteps in more ways than one. Dave Jr. is a detective for Lawrence police and Scott works for the U.S. Secret Service. With Scott helping out, Dave Jr. and Lech’s son, Joe Lech IV (also a detective with Lawrence police), serve as the co-chairmen of the Mercer County Chapter’s annual Dreamlift.

Asked how he feels about his sons taking leadership roles in the Sunshine Foundation, the elder Burns teared-up – which in turn prompted me to do the same as I immediately thought of my own father, who died that very day, May 3, in 2005 and whose 40-year service as a volunteer firefighter in Metuchen inspired me to join the fire service. As I noted earlier, it was an emotional day.

Pat Colavita, former Lawrence Township major who now serves as the chairman of the Mercer County Board of Chosen Freeholders, was among the many Dreamlift chaperones.

“It’s truly a day of magic,” he said prior to the send-off celebration. “This is my 10th year. I’ve taken, up to date, about 36 children, and every child that I take has a very special story. And what I’ve learned is that when these boys and girls get on the plane, some of them are petrified because they’ve never been on a plane before. But by the end of the day and by the time we step foot in the Magic Kingdom, something beautiful and mysterious and magical happens to these kids – a solemn face turns into a bright smile. It is probably the best gift that I’ve ever experienced – to be able to take a child and experience this wonderful, wonderful gift with them.”

By the end of the day, Colavita was tired but smiling, with a mass of colored confetti cover the top of his head. (I never did get a chance to ask him for the story behind that…)

Past Mercer County Sheriff Gil Lugossy served as the master of ceremonies for the send-off celebration at Trenton-Mercer Airport, a role he described as a “privilege” and “a lot of fun.”

The day is “all for the children,” he said. “For some of them it may be their one and only opportunity to get down to Disney and have a great time in Florida. It’s a lot of excitement and that’s what I enjoy – just watching the kids. Everybody participates. The volunteers work all year round to raise the funds to make this trip happen. It’s a great organization. It really is for the kids. It’s a special day for all of them and their families and their chaperones.”

Ewing Township Mayor Bert Steinmann called the Dreamlift “an adventure of a lifetime’ for the children.

“It is a great day when we can celebrate so many children getting their wishes come true,” Mercer County Executive Brian Hughes said. “I am always amazed throughout the year how giving and how gracious and how generous a county Mercer County is, but never more than on this day. Year in and year out, Mercer County [residents are] willing to open up their hearts and their pocketbooks for these children who need so desperately to have a good day in their lives, Each and every springtime I see it in their faces when they’re on their way out and when they’re on the way back – the joy that they have given to them by the Sunshine Foundation.” 

A little before 7:30 a.m., the children and their chaperones boarded the Miami Air Boeing 737-800. Most of the children were able to make their own way onto the aircraft, but a few were carried about by state troopers. A little later, cheers and clapping filled the cabin as the plane was airborne. Upon arriving in Florida about two hours later, the plane was met by the firefighters of Orlando International Airport.

Everyone then transferred to Disney buses for the ride to the Disney World Resort transportation center. A short ferryboat ride later and we were walking through the gates of the Magic Kingdom. The children, accompanied by their chaperones, had about six hours to explore the park’s many attractions before having to meet back up on Main Street USA for roll-call. During the flight back to New Jersey, each child was given a set of Mickey Mouse ears as one final souvenir of their great adventure.

When I finally got home about 11 p.m. Tuesday, I was exhausted. But it was a good kind of exhaustion. This was one story I will never forget covering.         

Additional Coverage:

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