Athlete launches Colo. nonprofit for seniors

SUMMIT COUNTY — Coloradan athlete Jeremy Bloom recently started the Donna Wheeler Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to fulfill lifelong dreams of senior citizens.

“(Jeremy) named it after his living grandmother,” Char Bloom, his mother and local outdoors enthusiast, said. “ ... He thought he focused on himself so much, his athletics, and he just really felt that it was time to do something with his life besides athletics and make a contribution that would last. It’s going to start out as a Colorado foundation, but it’s definitely going to become a national foundation.”

Jeremy Bloom, a well-known freestyle mogul skier, World Champion, two-time Olympian and now a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ football squad, conceived the idea for the Donna Wheeler Foundation four years ago because his now 82-year- old grandmother has been such an inspirational person in his life.

“We seek out lower income senior citizens and provide a platform to make their wishes come true,” Jeremy Bloom said. “ ... My focus is on Colorado now because the community has supported me for many years.”

“The Donna Wheeler Foundation is built on the premise that senior citizens should be respected, honored and aided in our society,” Jeremy Bloom said on his nonprofit’s website. “They have given a lifetime of service, wisdom and, most of all, love to their community and families. It's not hard to see the challenges that seniors face on a daily basis. ”

The foundation is currently building its infrastructure and working to gain community support. Its first fundraising event will be held in April.

For more information about Jeremy Bloom’s Donna Wheeler Foundation, visit www.donnawheeler

foundation.org.