34 Seniors Get Free Trip To Reunite With Family In New Jersey

NEWARK, NJ — The coronavirus pandemic kept them apart for more than a year. But on Thursday, dozens of seniors living in Florida got a free trip to reunite with their family in the Tri-State area – and it was just as heartwarming as might be expected.

The celebration, which included an appearance from actor Neil Patrick Harris, was put together by technology platform CLEAR, which worked with United Airlines and Marriott Bonvoy on the effort.

The sojourn began Wednesday, when 34 fully-vaccinated Florida seniors took a United Airlines private charter flight from Fort Lauderdale to Newark, New Jersey. From there, they traveled across the Hudson River and spent the night at the Renaissance New York Chelsea: all at no charge.

The next day, the excited travelers returned to the Garden State and kicked off their reunion with a bang at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, meeting up with family members from New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

They included:

• A pair of sisters, Michele Wasserman of Coral Springs, Florida and Susan Weinberg of Pembroke Pines, Florida, reunited with each other and with their late brother’s family living in New Jersey
• The Zdaniewski family grandparents, Robert Broda and Peggy Broda of Massachusetts, who were able to see their family in New York City, including their first-ever visit with Shep Zdaniewski, their 8-month-old grandchild
• The Iglesias family of New York City reunited their grandparents, Carmen Iglesias and Julian Fernandez of Miami, with their 4-year-old grandson, Mateo Urena, for the first time since the start of the pandemic

The celebration, dubbed “A Day of Families,” was the latest effort from the CLEAR Connects campaign, which aims to safely bring people back together amid the pandemic.

Each traveler produced negative COVID-19 test results before the event, which were shared via the company’s Health Pass, spokespeople said.

After the families had a chance to catch up, they were treated to lunch and Broadway musical performances by Mandy Gonzalez, Kerry Butler and Seth Rudetsky. They also got a chance to say hello to Harris, who hosted the event.

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