'Jeopardy!' mega-fan to meet Alex Trebek

Shirley Smallwood loves to play "Jeopardy!" She loves it so much that she runs her own weekly version of the game at the Grand Court assisted living apartment complex on Bayshore Boulevard.

"I make up my own questions from what I read and what I hear and I listen to the show on TV every night, taking notes," says Smallwood who has been blind since birth.

On Tuesday, the 84-year-old trivia buff is scheduled to meet "Jeopardy!" host Alex Trebek at a taping of an episode in Los Angeles.

"I'll probably be too excited to ask him any questions," Smallwood said. "But I may try to stump him with one of my questions, which I bet he can't answer."

Smallwood is getting this trip courtesy of Jeremy Bloom's Wish of a Lifetime Foundation, a Colorado-based organization that grants the wishes of senior citizens age 80 and older.

Bloom, a two-time Olympic skier, former NFL football player and Colorado native, founded the organization in 2008 in honor of his 82-year-old grandmother.

"Shirley is very deserving; she has such a good sense of humor," said Kimberly Wozunk, lifestyles director at Grand Court, which is operated by Brookdale Senior Living, Inc.

Brookdale, which has 53,000 residents nationwide, is one of the main sponsors of Bloom's foundation.

Wozunk, who will accompany Smallwood on the trip, says she helped Smallwood fill out the online application for to have awish granted.

"I was just joking about it at first, but now I'm glad I'm getting to go," said Smallwood, who has lived at Grand Court for 20 years.

Smallwood says she gets from six to 14 participants at her Saturday night "Jeopardy!" parties. She types out her questions in Braille, and after 10 years of these parties, she has a notebook filled with them.

"I may take a few pages to give to Alex Trebek," she said.

"I have never seen. I have been blind since birth and I get a lot of sympathy because of it," she said. "And I don't like it. What am I going to do about it? I have to live with it."

"Shirley Smallwood is a prime example that growing older doesn't mean you have to stop dreaming or enjoying life," Bloom said. "Her passion for 'Jeopardy!' not only delights her but engages others and it is through people like Shirley that we get closer to bringing about a change in this country's view of aging. We are thrilled to be able to introduce Shirley to the man who inspires her."

Bloom, 31, was a champion snow skier by age 15. He won more than a dozen gold medals in World Cup competition. A standout wide receiver and punt returner at the University of Colorado, Bloom played for the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers. He co-founded an Internet company in 2010.

Plans are under way to have Smallwood go on stage during the taping of "Jeopardy!" Afterward, she will get to spend some time with Trebek.

When Smallwood says she wants Trebek's autograph, Wozunk tells her that Trebek may want to get her autograph.

"I think he is going to be just as excited to meet you, Shirley," she said.

Learn more about Wish of a Lifetime at www.seniorwish.com