A visit to the circus as a young child secured Brenda Kennedy’s love for elephants some 75 years ago, but she never thought she would be able to see them up close and personal in a natural habitat.

“I remember seeing the elephants in chains at the circus in Los Angeles,” the 83-year-old Danville resident recalled. “They used to chain them to the spikes outside the tent and keep them there, and I was very upset that they were chained. My dad told me that this is a new town and they don’t want them to get lost.”

Years later, Kennedy would head to the zoo, making a beeline to the elephant exhibits to watch the highly intelligent pachyderms, each time noting the differences among them.

“God made us all different, and he made them different, too,” she said. “You stand by one and say, my gosh, it is different from this guy.”

But it wasn’t until recent weeks that her wish would come true to visit with the highly sensitive and caring creatures when a friend surprised her by submitting a request to do just that through the East Contra Costa-based Elderly Wish Foundation.

“I don’t drive anymore,” Kennedy said. “And I thought, how am I ever going to get to see an elephant to pet one?”

But Kennedy mentioned it during a church group luncheon one day and Clare McKee was listening. So McKee took to the Internet to see if she could arrange such a trip and found out about PAWS, a Performing Animal Welfare Society sanctuary in San Andreas that rescues abused, neglected, retired and needy captive wildlife. But at $400 a visit – money that goes toward the animals’ care – her next challenge would be figuring out how to raise such money.

“I asked if they would consider waiving the fee because Brenda has many health issues,” McKee said, noting that the organization graciously agreed to waive the fee for her and her caregiver, and half-off for the driver.

But there was still the challenge of finding a driver and renting a wheelchair as her friend couldn’t walk very far. Home to elephants, bears and big cats, the San Andreas PAWS sanctuary measures some 2,300 acres of grasses, trees, lakes and hillsides, part of which visitors tour by car, and part by foot.

Another chance internet search by McKee for a church friend’s phone number revealed a newspaper story about Elderly Wish Foundation, an organization that granted wishes for those with chronic illnesses or diseases.

“Elderly Wish Foundation had granted her mother a wish, and everything that went along with it, and so this is sheer coincidence or divine intervention (to discover the group),” McKee said. “So I found this and a light bulb went on.”

McKee contacted Elderly Wish Foundation, filled out forms and provided some documents, and in no time, Kennedy became the group’s seventh recipient of year, and, according to organizers, the most unusual of wishes they had ever granted.

Volunteer Nora von Ubin of Elderly Wish does much of the legwork to arrange wishes mainly in East Contra Costa County – other board members do it closer to where they live. She said they receive requests from caregivers, hospice workers, family members and friends. Wishes range from trips to Disneyland to arranging for family members to visit, enjoying dinners together, purchasing needed ambulatory equipment like scooters and even cleaning one’s house.

“It can be as common or something out-of-the-blue,” she said. “But this one is the most unusual wish for sure,” she said. “I had never even heard of this place.”

Founded by Rebecca Crowder 23 years ago, Elderly Wish grants wishes for recipients 50 or older who have a chronic condition, disease or illness. So far, they’ve granted some 250 wishes, according to organizers.

Crowder founded the group after seeing how happy her own elderly mother was when she granted her a wish to go play the slot machines one more time, von Ubin said, noting Crowder has since retired, leaving friend Mary Chapman in charge.

Ten board members now volunteer to keep the group going, meeting monthly to organize fundraisers, discuss ideas and make arrangements. Their biggest fundraiser is in the spring, the annual Heart to Heart Ball, while each fall they host a raffle fundraiser.

“We all try to help out in any way we can,” von Ubin said.

In the most recent wish, the volunteers arranged for transportation, a driver and a wheelchair to take Kennedy on her trip of a lifetime earlier this month.

And what did Kennedy think of the trip?

“It was an absolutely fabulous day,” she said, noting she enjoyed watching the elephants interact in the wide open spaces.

Kennedy said her group of 20 or so drove through the preserve and walked around a bit, and she was so mesmerized by the elephants she barely noticed the bears and big cats – including a large tiger – lounging on the preserve.

The highlight?

“This one little elephant, he kind of walked back and forth,” she said. “You know, he was just happy, wagging his little tail, and I just reached over the little fence and I petted him and that was really a nice feeling.”

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A PAWS advocate since she learned about the organization a few years ago, Kennedy said every mother and child 5 years or older should visit when they get a chance as the sanctuary provides education about the rescued animals.

“There’s something about an elephant,” she said, noting the anticipation was great before the trip. “I didn’t want to be disappointed, but it exceeded my expectations.”

For more information on the Elderly Wish Foundation, go to www.elderlywish.org or call925-978-1883.

For more on PAWS, go to www.pawsweb.org or call 209-745-2606.