November 7, 2024 • 6 mins
A BUFFS FAN GETS A DREAM FULFILLED Riley Rhoades, a 72-year-old lifelong University of Colorado Buffalo fan from Loveland, Colorado will be granted his ultimate wish: to return to a CU Buffs game at Folsom Field. This is due to Jeremy Bloom’s Wish of a Lifetime, a charitable affiliate of AARP that grants life-changing wishes to older adults and inspires people to redefine aging in America. Riley Rhoades is known for his quiet demeanor and generous nature. Despite facing significant challenges, including a diagnosis of End Stage Renal Failure that requires frequent treatment and a lifelong battle with spina bifida, Riley is committed to spreading happiness in his assisted living community. Though he doesn’t hold an official title, he has embraced the role of resident jokester, routinely posting funny cartoons and sharing stories to brighten others’ days. Riley's resilience and indomitable spirit shine through, as he continues to uplift those around him. The Colorado Buffaloes have gotten Riley through all of his hardships. Riley’s love for the Buffs began in childhood and blossomed when he moved to Fort Collins in 1976. For nearly three decades, he was a devoted season ticket holder, witnessing the golden eras of the team, including Heisman Trophy winners and championship titles. Although he hasn’t attended a game at Folsom Field since 2004, Riley’s passion for the Colorado Buffaloes remains strong. Remembering the feeling of the roar of the crowd, the excitement of the game, and the camaraderie of fellow fans from years before, Riley asked Wish of a Lifetime from AARP to help his dream become reality, and it is finally coming true. After 20 years, he will be attending a game on November 16th. I'm talking to Riley and the woman who nominated him, Tammi Lehto today at 1. Nominate someone in your life here.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
My next guest is a man who has been a
life long CU Buffs fan, dedicated fan. He was a
ticket holder season ticket holder from nineteen seventy seven to
two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now Riley Rhodes needs a little bit more help.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So he is in a long term care facility and
he has just been granted a Wish of a lifetime.
Now we interview Jerry Bloom Jeremy Bloom here fairly recently
about Wish of a Lifetime. What is now a charitable
affiliate of AARP. What they do is grant life changing
wishes to older adults and they want to inspire people
(00:37):
to redefine aging in America. Riley joins us now to
talk about his big adventure coming up very soon at CU.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Riley, It's great to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
That's great to see you too, Mandy.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So tell me a little bit about how you became
a CU Buffs fan.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
What happened there?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Well, I just uh uh through junior high school and
high school and just follow them all they could.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
You know, they're game on TV and their bowl games
and all that. So I was just I was a
lifetime fan of them.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So when you found out that coach Prime was coming
to see you because they had some rough years there, Rightley,
I don't need to tell you they had some rough years.
When you found out coach Prime was coming to say,
what did you think?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I was so excited.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I just started watching the videos of him on there
from the very beginning I hired. He was actually so
him riding his bike around the Champions Center there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So, yeah, now you're going to get to You're going
to get to meet him as part of this adventure,
are you not?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I would hope so, I think.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So what are you most looking forward to as a
as a season ticket holder? You've probably seen a lot
of football games, but now you're gonna get it kind of.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
An inside view.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
You're supposed to meet some players and a coach the
day before and then get to go to the game.
Have you ever had the opportunity to go behind the
scenes before?
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Not really, No, I've been kind of there at the
game ballstander when they marching band march through to see them,
you know, but they have be going to meet the
band on Friday afternoon, so I'll give you that. When
they march down Pearl Street.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Are you going to get to march down with him?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Well? More or less. I think you know you carry
the big drum band marching band, so I like that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
What did you play in marching band?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, I played the French arm But in the marching
band I played the altonium is like a small baritone?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
What wait a minute, what is that again?
Speaker 3 (03:01):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
A small baritone? Of what?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Altonia is a smaller size baritone?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
I don't know what a baritone is, Riley. I'm not
a musical person, and I certainly can't play an instrument.
So you've lost me at that. Is it a saxophone
or is it its own instrument?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
There's a brass in inst event, you know?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So Riley, what are you looking forward to the most
out of this adventure?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Well, just the whole experience really, you know, I just
meet the team everything, watch them play in person now,
so yeah, that'd be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I'd like to ask Tammy a question because she is
one of the administrators at the senior living facility where
you are.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
She's the one that nominated you.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Tammy, what made Riley stand out that he would nominate
him for the Wish of a Lifetime with AARP.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Well, I've been here at Lubland Village for about two
and a half years, and over that time, I just
got to know Riley and we kind of each mutually
figured out that we had a big heart for the
CU Buffaloes and football in general. So it kind of
started off with, you know, Riley would kind of come
to my office and shared news articles about CU Buffs
(04:30):
and also other football teams. And then, you know, especially
during football season, you know, then usually every Monday we
had to catch up on the game and all the
great stuff that happened. And it became even more so
when Dion Sanders came to coach the Buffs. And so,
you know, over this course of time, I've just gotten
(04:51):
to know Riley better and I kind of discovered a
few things. You know, that he was almost a thirty
year season ticket holder for the Buffs, that it had
been twenty years since he's been able to be at
a football game and person at Folsom Field, and so
I just kind of thought, you know, boy, would I
be able to love to figure out a way to
get him to go to a game. And it was
right about that same time that I found out about
(05:13):
Wish of a Lifetime and so I thought, you know what,
maybe I'm going to submit Riley for a wish, And
so I did that over the summer and we found
out I think it was in August, Hey, Riley, that
his wish was being granted. So so yeah, so it's
been pretty exciting since then, and I'm so excited for
Riley for the experience that he's.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Going to have.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Well, Riley, I'm excited for you too. I'm going to
let you get rested up. You got your buffs Jersey.
Are you ready to get your buff skier on to
go to the game.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I bet they're going to give you some new gear
to wear as well too. Riley and Tammy, thank you
so much for making time for us today. I love
Wish of a Lifetime and I really am happy to
bring some more awareness of what that actually he does.
Because Tammy, what a great thing for you to be
able to give Riley a great wish and he's going
to have the opportunity to go watch his beloved Buffs
(06:08):
play and meet some players because of Wish of a Lifetime.
If you have an older person in your life that
has a wish to be granted, I would urge you
to look up wish of a lifetime and nominate them
as well. Riley, thank you so much for your time today. Yeah,
thank you, bus go Bobs, Thanks Riley and Dammy.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Appreciate you guys making time for us today. All right,
that is just a sweet story
My next guest is a man who has been a
life long CU Buffs fan, dedicated fan. He was a
ticket holder season ticket holder from nineteen seventy seven to
two thousand and four.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Now Riley Rhodes needs a little bit more help.
Speaker 1 (00:16):
So he is in a long term care facility and
he has just been granted a Wish of a lifetime.
Now we interview Jerry Bloom Jeremy Bloom here fairly recently
about Wish of a Lifetime. What is now a charitable
affiliate of AARP. What they do is grant life changing
wishes to older adults and they want to inspire people
(00:37):
to redefine aging in America. Riley joins us now to
talk about his big adventure coming up very soon at CU.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Riley, It's great to see you.
Speaker 3 (00:48):
That's great to see you too, Mandy.
Speaker 1 (00:52):
So tell me a little bit about how you became
a CU Buffs fan.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
What happened there?
Speaker 4 (00:59):
Well, I just uh uh through junior high school and
high school and just follow them all they could.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
You know, they're game on TV and their bowl games
and all that. So I was just I was a
lifetime fan of them.
Speaker 1 (01:17):
So when you found out that coach Prime was coming
to see you because they had some rough years there, Rightley,
I don't need to tell you they had some rough years.
When you found out coach Prime was coming to say,
what did you think?
Speaker 3 (01:30):
I was so excited.
Speaker 4 (01:32):
I just started watching the videos of him on there
from the very beginning I hired. He was actually so
him riding his bike around the Champions Center there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
So, yeah, now you're going to get to You're going
to get to meet him as part of this adventure,
are you not?
Speaker 3 (01:53):
I would hope so, I think.
Speaker 1 (01:56):
So what are you most looking forward to as a
as a season ticket holder? You've probably seen a lot
of football games, but now you're gonna get it kind of.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
An inside view.
Speaker 1 (02:04):
You're supposed to meet some players and a coach the
day before and then get to go to the game.
Have you ever had the opportunity to go behind the
scenes before?
Speaker 4 (02:14):
Not really, No, I've been kind of there at the
game ballstander when they marching band march through to see them,
you know, but they have be going to meet the
band on Friday afternoon, so I'll give you that. When
they march down Pearl Street.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Are you going to get to march down with him?
Speaker 3 (02:39):
Well? More or less. I think you know you carry
the big drum band marching band, so I like that.
Speaker 2 (02:48):
What did you play in marching band?
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Well, I played the French arm But in the marching
band I played the altonium is like a small baritone?
Speaker 2 (02:59):
What wait a minute, what is that again?
Speaker 3 (03:01):
What is that?
Speaker 2 (03:02):
A small baritone? Of what?
Speaker 3 (03:06):
Altonia is a smaller size baritone?
Speaker 1 (03:12):
I don't know what a baritone is, Riley. I'm not
a musical person, and I certainly can't play an instrument.
So you've lost me at that. Is it a saxophone
or is it its own instrument?
Speaker 2 (03:21):
What is it?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
There's a brass in inst event, you know?
Speaker 2 (03:26):
All right?
Speaker 1 (03:28):
So Riley, what are you looking forward to the most
out of this adventure?
Speaker 4 (03:37):
Well, just the whole experience really, you know, I just
meet the team everything, watch them play in person now,
so yeah, that'd be really exciting.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
I'd like to ask Tammy a question because she is
one of the administrators at the senior living facility where
you are.
Speaker 2 (03:55):
She's the one that nominated you.
Speaker 1 (03:56):
Tammy, what made Riley stand out that he would nominate
him for the Wish of a Lifetime with AARP.
Speaker 5 (04:06):
Well, I've been here at Lubland Village for about two
and a half years, and over that time, I just
got to know Riley and we kind of each mutually
figured out that we had a big heart for the
CU Buffaloes and football in general. So it kind of
started off with, you know, Riley would kind of come
to my office and shared news articles about CU Buffs
(04:30):
and also other football teams. And then, you know, especially
during football season, you know, then usually every Monday we
had to catch up on the game and all the
great stuff that happened. And it became even more so
when Dion Sanders came to coach the Buffs. And so,
you know, over this course of time, I've just gotten
(04:51):
to know Riley better and I kind of discovered a
few things. You know, that he was almost a thirty
year season ticket holder for the Buffs, that it had
been twenty years since he's been able to be at
a football game and person at Folsom Field, and so
I just kind of thought, you know, boy, would I
be able to love to figure out a way to
get him to go to a game. And it was
right about that same time that I found out about
(05:13):
Wish of a Lifetime and so I thought, you know what,
maybe I'm going to submit Riley for a wish, And
so I did that over the summer and we found
out I think it was in August, Hey, Riley, that
his wish was being granted. So so yeah, so it's
been pretty exciting since then, and I'm so excited for
Riley for the experience that he's.
Speaker 3 (05:32):
Going to have.
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Well, Riley, I'm excited for you too. I'm going to
let you get rested up. You got your buffs Jersey.
Are you ready to get your buff skier on to
go to the game.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:47):
I bet they're going to give you some new gear
to wear as well too. Riley and Tammy, thank you
so much for making time for us today. I love
Wish of a Lifetime and I really am happy to
bring some more awareness of what that actually he does.
Because Tammy, what a great thing for you to be
able to give Riley a great wish and he's going
to have the opportunity to go watch his beloved Buffs
(06:08):
play and meet some players because of Wish of a Lifetime.
If you have an older person in your life that
has a wish to be granted, I would urge you
to look up wish of a lifetime and nominate them
as well. Riley, thank you so much for your time today. Yeah,
thank you, bus go Bobs, Thanks Riley and Dammy.
Speaker 2 (06:30):
Appreciate you guys making time for us today. All right,
that is just a sweet story
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