By Mary Stadnyk | News Editor

Bright and early the morning of May 7, a flight departed from the National Guard Facility in Ewing with 173 very excited people on board who were heading for Disney World with the blessing of the Catholic community.

Like clockwork, the Mercer County Chapter of the Sunshine Foundation, a non-profit, allvolunteer agency that grants wishes and dreams to children who are chronically ill, terminally ill or have special needs, hosted its 24th annual Operation Dreamlift to Disney World, Fla., for 128 children ages 2 to 18 and 65 adult chaperones and support staff.

Travelers were given a festive sendoff complete with marching band music, and the appearence of Disney characters and popular local mascots, the Trenton Thunder’s “Boomer” and the Trenton Titan’s “Clash.”

Speakers included Cathy DiCostanzo, president of the Mercer County Sunshine Foundation and a member of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, Trenton, who expressed gratitude to the Sunshine Foundation’s many faithful supporters, and Father Jeffrey Lee, episcopal vicar of Mercer County and pastor of Our Lady of the Angels Parish, who offered the invocation and gave the passengers a blessing once on board the plane.

St. Ann School, Lawrenceville, continued its support for Operation Dreamlift by holding a special fundraiser to “buy seats” on the plane. This year, the students raised enough funds to cover the cost of seven seats. While Ginny Kulak, a teaching assistant and director of the school’s after-care program, is an adult supervisor of the fundraiser, two eighth grade students, Jenna McGrath and MacKenzie Johnson, have taken the lead in motivating their peers to support the cause.

Both McGrath and Johnson spoke of how happy it makes them to have St. Ann School help children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to visit Disney World. The girls, who will both attend Notre Dame High School, Lawrenceville, next year said they hope to they will be able to continue to help the Sunshine Foundation as high school students.

Joe Howarth, a Burlington County freeholder and member of St. Joan of Arc Parish, Marlton, was excited for his first opportunity to accompany 16year-old “Justin” to the Magic Kingdom.

Howarth commended the Sunshine Foundation for making it possible for young people with special needs to travel to Disney World. Then motioning to Justin, who was seated in a wheelchair beside him, he said, “Yesterday, I told my buddy here that we were going on a plane ride and then this morning, I told him where we were going.”

“He was so excited,” Howarth said. “Justin looked at me and said, ‘This is going to be a good day.’”