Help us fill all the squares this month!

The Dream Factory is pleased to announce we're now utilizing #GivingGrid and are looking to raise an additional $10,000 from this new platform to help grant more dreams during the month of November!

After all, November is the month for giving, so help us grant more dreams by supporting the cause. Claim a square for $10, $25, $50, $75, $100 or $500 and replace it with your picture. Help us fill all the squares this month!

 Click here to claim your square TODAY!!!

Iowa Chapter completes 1st dream!

We love opening new chapters to help increase the presence of the Dream Factory so we can grant more dreams. But what do we love equally as much? When that newly-established chapter grants its very first dream!

Our Iowa Chapter, with the assistance of the Lake of the Ozarks Chapter, recently sent Myles and his family on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Orlando. Myles stayed a night in Chicago then traveled to the amazing Give Kids the World in Orlando for a seven-day stay at the village. While there, he also visited Cocoa Beach, Kennedy Space Center, Universal Studios, Epcot and Disney.

Check out a few of the pictures from the trip:

Natasha, the Iowa Chapter's area coordinator, said she is "officially addicted" to the Dream Factory! Congratulations and great job on your first dream.

Jewelry In Candles

We're super excited of the launch of our very-own Dream Factory candle! The special-design candle with a cherry blossom scent was available starting Oct. 6.

Every purchase of this candle or tart results in 20% going directly to the Dream Factory. It's Jewelry In Candle's very-first Give Back program, where they align themselves with a nonprofit. And with each purchase, you'll receive the candle or tart, a piece a jewelry, an exclusive Dream Factory pin and a note from the Dream Factory. Click here for more information. Make sure to watch the awesome video by clicking the Dream Factory Video on the link. A big thank you goes to Jewelry In Candles for all the support!

Update: As of the morning of Oct. 29, we are up to $9,086.56 in donations!

NATIONAL CONVENTION

The 2015 Dream Factory National Convention in Orlando was awesome! Thank you to all the chapters who were represented, so many of our wonderful volunteers who joined us for the three days, to the Holiday Inn Resort for being the host hotel, Give Kids the World village for allowing us the privilege to use their amazing facility for so many of our meetings, and to all of our supporters who helped make the weekend so special.

WE LOVE GIVE KIDS!

We've been granting dreams since 1980 and are looking forward to a great year in 2016!

Highlights from the weekend were welcoming families that were part of mAAgic Flight into Orlando on Friday and spending time with those same families at a party at the village on Saturday night. It's why we do what we do, and was great to be able to interact with Dream Factory families on their actual trip. All of our volunteers loved it! Another highlight from the weekend was the awards ceremony on Friday night.

Following are a list of our 2015 winners:

Outstanding Fundraising Event Raising Under $10,000

BaconFest - Northwest Missouri Chapter

Outstanding Fundraising Event Raising Over $10,000

Boulevard of Dreams - Kansas City Chapter

Most Unusual Dream

Christmas Horse - Memphis Chapter

Best In-Kind Dream

Wegmans - Rochester Chapter

Outstanding Special Project

Rocky Mount High School - North Carolina Chapter

Volunteer of the Year

Janet Ellis - Northwest Missouri Chapter

President's Award

Dalton Cyr - Dream Factory National Ambassador

Special Thanks Award

The Something mAAgic Foundation

Give Kids the World

Our mid-year March meetings will be held in Louisville and next year's National Convention will be hosted by our Lexington Chapter in September.

It's a big week for the Dream Factory!

September is a busy month for the Dream Factory, culminating with mAAgic Flight and our National Convention, both starting this Friday! It also marks a start to a new fiscal year. It's a "good" busy as it gives us the opportunity to look back on a great year, look ahead to granting many more dreams in the next one, welcome numerous families into Orlando as part of an always-exciting mAAgic Flight, and discuss ideas to strengthen our organization.

mAAgic Flight, the annual marquee event of the Something mAAgic Foundation, starts this Friday and lasts until the following Thursday. Children from wish-granting organizations all over the country converge to Give Kids the World in Orlando for seven days. The Dream Factory has 13 children participating this year: Liam and Madysen from our Pennsylvania Chapter, Justin, Taylor and Allison from our Central Illinois Chapter, Seaylee from our San Antonio Chapter, Gabriela and Maya from our Arizona Chapter, Bailey and Lazarus from our Rochester Chapter, Jonathan and Noah from our North Carolina Chapter, and Ashley from Los Angeles. We look forward to welcoming these dream children at the Orlando MCO Airport on Friday!

Meanwhile, the annual Dream Factory National Convention will be hosted in Orlando at the same time. The two-day event starts on Friday with a lengthy schedule of events, finishing with an Awards Ceremony that evening. Our Board Meeting is on Saturday.

Check out our dream children participating in mAAgic Flight this year:

Allison

Ashley

Bailey

Gabriela

Jonathan

Lazarus

Liam

Justin

Madysen

Maya

Noah

Seaylee

Taylor

#DreamFactory #mAAgicFlight #GKTW #GrantingDreams

National Convention in Orlando

The Dream Factory's 2015 National Convention will be in Orlando, Fla., in just two months! It'll be hosted at the Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista on Sept. 24-27.

Holiday Inn Resort Lake Buena Vista

Registration opens on Thursday, Sept. 24. The following day will be the Executive Committee meeting, dinner with a few of our dream families at the always-wonderful Give Kids The World village, culminating with our awards program. Part of Friday will also be spent at the Sunshine Foundation village and at the MCO airport, where we'll welcome Dream Factory families arriving as part of mAAgic Flight. Then, on Saturday, our Board of Directors meeting will start at 9 a.m., followed by meetings throughout the day, highlighted by a picnic and party at GKTW.

We're super excited for all of our volunteers to gather to share ideas and plan for the year ahead during a packed weekend of activities.

Give Kids The World

Sunshine Foundation

'Best day ever'

Those were the words from recent dream recipient John after he traveled to California from Portland, Maine June 22-27. Following the trip, John's mother reported that he had an awesome experience. John's highlights were:

1. Backstage tour of the studios and to see the many props used in a lot of his favorite shows thanks to the VIP passes.

2. Being able to walk to the front of the line ahead of everyone else. He felt like a real VIP at Universal Studios.

3. Flying! The last time John flew he was a small boy so he couldn't wait to fly.

4. A gorgeous room at the Millennium Biltmore and he loved the valet parking and his door being opened for him every time. "It's nice to be the rich boy," John said.

5. "Drooling" over the houses on Sunset Blvd, along with the many other streets.

6. Walking the Hollywood Walk, trying on hats and taking many pictures with the hands and footprints from celebrities with signatures.

7. Stopping by a cool antique car dealership.

8. Eating at some awesome restaurants.

9. Driving in CRAZY traffic.

10. Riding in a jet ski in the ocean WITH SHARKS for over two hours. The family did not know they could do such a thing!

"I thank you for ALL of this," John's mother said. "Thank you for the wonderful opportunity you gave my son and the wonderful memories we will have forever. Thank you Dream Factory for all that you do for the children and their dreams!"

Ask Alfred Campaign

MILLENNIUM HOTELS AND RESORTS CELEBRATES ASK ALFRED’S FIRST BIRTHDAY AND EXPANDS AWARD-WINNING CHILDREN’S PROGRAM

Summer Program Features Complimentary Breakfast and “I © Alfred” Placemat Contest

NEW YORK (June 30, 2015) – More than ever, kids are taking a larger role in planning family vacations, and Millennium Hotels and Resorts North America fuels these young guests’ wanderlust wishes with the award-winning Ask Alfred children’s program. Since its launch on July 10 - National Teddy Bear Picnic Day - last year, the program’s star namesake Alfred the bear has brought smiles to youngsters’ faces across the country.  From July 10 through September 30, 2015, Ask Alfred’s first birthday will be celebrated at each of the brand’s 14 hotels with a complimentary kids’ breakfast menu and “I © Alfred” coloring contest featuring the chance to win a two-night hotel stay for the entire family, airfare included.

Alfred the bear is part of a $15 custom-designed child’s amenity kit in partnership with leading toy company Melissa & Doug^® and organic candy maker Surf Sweets^®.  Families staying at any of the hotels can surprise little ones with an exclusive cinch bag featuring a cuddly Alfred Teddy Bear, Surf Sweets^® Gummy Bears, a crayon activity set by Melissa & Doug^®, Alfred’s Lovable Stickables and a dozen collectible Color Me postcards.

This summer, Millennium Hotels continues its commitment to The Dream Factory, the second largest wish-granting organization in the United States, which grants the dreams of critically and chronically ill children.  Millennium will donate $2 from each amenity sold, with the mission to match all proceeds to the organization at summer’s end. This pledge follows a $5,000 donation to The Dream Factory earlier this year.

For young guests aged 12 and under, Millennium’s complimentary breakfast menu offers a selection of favorites including Scrambled Eggs and French Toast with Maple Syrup. While dining, kids are invited to decorate their placemat depicting Alfred celebrating his first birthday and are also encouraged to continue their role as “vacation planner” by drawing their favorite summer activity. Families can submit the completed drawing to the hotel for a chance to win a return stay to Millennium in 2016.

Guests can take advantage of Ask Alfred by adding it on to the Summer FREEdom package, available through September 7, with 15 percent off accommodations, up to $50 food and beverage credit, and complimentary Internet.

No purchase necessary for contest. Runs from July 10 through 12:00 PM ET September 30. Winners will be selected via a random drawing, taking place at or about 2:00 PM Eastern Time October 30, 2015 from all eligible entries received.  Limit one prize per person.  Winners will be notified by phone and/or email. 

Watch Dalton Cyr's new show on Amazon!

Dream Factory National Ambassador Dalton Cyr's new show, A History of Radness, has premiered on Amazon and is currently available to view for free! Make sure to watch it, rate it, comment and take the survey, and please SHARE with others.

Click HERE to watch and help support our National Ambassador and The Dream Factory.

'Your organization is truly making a difference'

From Abby's mother, Jan, following Abby's dream: 
"The trip was fantastic and went off as smoothly as it could have gone! It was so awesome to have everything down to the last detail taken care of for us! We were totally overwhelmed from the start; but the extras that Stacie (volunteer from the Louisville Chapter) brought by the night before we left were the icing on the cake! We wore our Dream Factory shirts and our buttons and pins a lot and helped spread the word about your fantastic organization.

"I can't tell you what an amazing thing you are doing for children like Abby and families like ours.  While Abby certainly suffers the most from her disease, it is so nice that you all remember that her diagnosis affects each and every member of the family. From the thousands and thousands of dollars for her medication and hospital visits that Michael and I deal with to the simple fact that for the last three years, Matthew has had to sometimes take a 'backseat' when Abby was ill and her needs just had to come first. Life with a chronic illness is so hard in so many ways. What you all are doing is fantastic because it gives the sick child as well as the rest of the family the opportunity to put all that aside, if only for a few days, and focus on fun family time together. 

"I heard Abby say more than once on our trip: 'You know, we wouldn't be on this trip if it weren't for me!' It was so nice for her to be the center of attention for the 'right' reasons! She is one of the strongest children I know and is definitely my hero. It is unbelievable to me the grace with which she handles what she must endure.

"Please know how much we appreciate what you did for Abby and our family. Your organization is truly making a difference in the lives of children who deserve to have something positive be centered around them. We are so very humbled by what all you did for us and sincerely thank you again from the bottom of our hearts."

Message from our National Director and President

The following is a message from Dream Factory National Director Todd Fairbanks and President Daniel Forrest as it appears on page 2 of our 2014 Annual Report. Click here to view the entire Annual Report.

It is a privilege to write this letter as the new National Director/CEO of The Dream Factory, Inc. I started my relationship with The Dream Factory’s group of wonderful volunteers in 2009 when I was Executive Director of Something mAAgic Foundation, a nonprofit foundation made up of American Airlines employees. Ten Dream Factory chapters participated in “mAAgicflight”, the marquee event of the foundation in which 10 seriously ill children and their families each experienced an unforgettable vacation in Orlando, Florida. Over the following number of years, I learned about the hard work and dedication the volunteers at our chapter level invest daily to fulfill the dreams of children with critical and chronic illnesses.

When I found out that Anne Bunger, past National Director/CEO, announced her retirement, I was able to pursue a dream of my own - to be associated with a national organization that does great things for seriously ill children and their families.

The last seven months have been a whirlwind of activities. I have been able to meet some great people with huge hearts and look forward to working with them as we move The Dream Factory into its next phase of development.

Thank you for your interest in this wonderful organization and please stay tuned as we grow this organization so we may help more children with critical and chronic illnesses.

I am excited about the future of the Dream Factory, and I hope you are as well.

Best regards,

Todd Fairbanks, National Director/CEO

This has been a remarkable year and I would like to share what an honor it is to serve as the President of the Board for the Dream Factory, Inc.  We are the preeminent, all-volunteer powered, dream granting organization in the world.  As we move from one fiscal year to another we do so with a huge milestone of transitioning our National Director.  After 25 years of service, our previous National Director, Anne Bunger, retired - but not before assisting us in recruiting our new National Director, Todd Fairbanks.  We are very fortunate to have Todd join our team after a detailed national search. He comes as no stranger.  During the past 6 years, The Dream Factory has been privileged to be part of “mAAgic Flight” and get to know Todd in his roll with the Something mAAgic Foundation.  We welcome Todd to our Dream Factory family.

In 2014 we celebrate several major accomplishments.  We established a great partnership with Millennium Hotels and Resorts.  The partnership is part of the award winning Ask Alfred children’s program launched last summer across 14 Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties in North America.  Since last year, we have increased our revenue by 13% allowing us to increase our total dreams by 12% (272 dreams).  We saw a large boost in our social media footprint by almost 40%.  For the third consecutive year we have maintained our excellent 4-star rating with Charity Navigator, the largest evaluator of charities in North America.   Last, but certainly not least, in September 2014 we saw the formation of The Dream Factory Foundation, Inc., a public foundation, established exclusively for the purpose of supporting the programs and mission of The Dream Factory and its local chapters.   While they are a separate 501(c)3 organization, we look forward to partnering with them as we take our strategic planning to the next level.

We greet the coming year with a great sense of optimism, as we continue the life changing work of granting dreams to critically and chronically ill children across the US.  We look forward to the formation of new chapters, recruitment of new volunteers and continuing to serve our children and their families.

Respectfully yours,

Daniel Forrest, President

Update to our 2014 Annual Report

Click here to look inside our 2014 Annual Report!!!

#DreamFactory

Welcome our two newest chapters

We're excited to recently announce our two newest chapters to The Dream Factory family! Both of these chapters also give us a presence in two new states, as well.

The Iowa Chapter started in March of this year and hit the ground running, having a representative at our mid-year March Meetings in Louisville. They are located in Cedar Rapids. The contact information for our Iowa Chapter is PO Box 1133, Cedar Rapids, IA 52401; 319-775-0794; iowa@dreamfactoryinc.org. Their chapter website is dreamfactoryinciowa.org.

The Nebraska Chapter started earlier this month (in May) and already has a strong board. They are located in Lincoln. The contact information for this chapter is PO Box 5672, Lincoln, NE 68505; nebraska@dreamfactoryinc.org. Their chapter website is dreamfactoryincneb.org.

With the formation of these two chapters, the Dream Factory now has 34 chapters and is represented in 19 states! Welcome to the Dream Factory our two newest chapters!!!

2014 Annual Report

This is the cover to our 2014 Annual Report...

And inside, you'll be able to find...

The entire Annual Report will be revealed soon!

#DreamFactory

24-Hour and Marathon/Half events announced

The Dream Factory is pleased to announce that two running events will be held in 2015. The second annual 24-Hour Run for Dreams is Aug. 7-8 and Louisville's Dream Factory Marathon and Half is Oct. 4.

The 24-Hour Run For Dreams will be at Red Orchard Park in Shelbyville, KY starting on Friday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m. It will last until the following day at 8 p.m. There will also be two 12-hour options: Friday at 8 p.m. until Saturday at 8 a.m., and Saturday at 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. The course consist of a two-mile scenic loop of trails and grass. Our goal this year is to create a fun, festive atmosphere. Camping space is provided for all participants and family/friends.

Start of the 2013 Marathon/Half

The first annual Louisville's Dream Factory Marathon and Half was hosted in 2013. The event was canceled last year due to bridge construction in downtown Louisville, but will be back on in 2015! The new date is Sunday, Oct. 4, with both races starting at 8 a.m. The race starts/finishes at  American Turners off River Road. It's a fast, fast course and a Boston Qualifier.


More information about these two events, including registration details, to be announced soon. Please share with family/friends/runners to help spread the word!!! Email tommie.kendall@dreamfactoryinc.org with any questions.

#RunForDreams

Dream child: 'This is the best day of my life'

Nadia, a six-year-old girl from our North Carolina Chapter, recently went on her dream trip to Orlando, Florida, where she stayed at the Sunshine Foundation Village and visited the Walt Disney World theme parks, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. The following words were from her mother to the Dream Factory after the dream:

"Nadia enjoyed the entire trip. Each day was a new experience and dream come true. This trip was a lot of first things Nadia has ever experienced and done: flying in an airplane; coming to Florida; Walt Disney; SeaWorld; Universal Studios; Animal Kingdom; her wonderful spaceship moon (bed). Nadia enjoyed all. Each had their own unique experience."

"It is a wonderful experience and memory in her mind that she will never forget. We have a lot of wonderful pictures and most of all, great experience and family time that we all will cherish for years to come."

"It allowed her not to think about her illness or pain for periods of time. This trip and experience definitely allowed her to explore and see and do new things. This dream for Nadia was very special and dear to her heart. While at the amusement park, Nadia said, 'this is the best day of my life.'"

"This experience was definitely a blessing. Nadia has been through a lot in her six years of life. To see Nadia explore and do other things in her life, filled our hearts with joy and happiness. This experience allowed all of us to be less stressful and relax for a week of wonderful experiences and memories."

Congratulations to our North Carolina Chapter for creating another dream and we're so happy to hear Nadia had the time of her life. That's what it's all about!

Board of Directors mid-year meeting complete

A big thank you to everyone who was present at our mid-year Board of Directors meetings in Louisville, Ky, on March 13-14. We were happy to show off our new office space at 410 W. Chestnut St., Suite 530, too!

Mark your calendars for our annual National Convention, which will be held in Orlando, FL, the weekend of Sept. 25-26.

#33 Dream Factory car

Our National Ambassador, Alex Kennedy, is driving the #33 Dream Factory car in Phoenix today! Make sure to check him out!!! What an awesome car and driver!!! 

HQ moves to new office! Board meeting this week!

The Dream Factory national headquarters is excited to announce that we have moved offices and will host an open house this Friday (March 13) at 4:30-6:30 p.m. in conjunction with our board meetings. The new address is 410 W. Chestnut St., Suite 530, Louisville, KY 40202. Our phone and fax numbers, along with emails, have not changed.

Our mid-year board meetings will be held Friday and Saturday. Below is the schedule of events:

Friday, March 13
@ Dream Factory HQ offices
1:00-3:30 Executive Committee meeting
3:30-4:30 Mentoring Committee meeting
4:30-6:30 open house

Saturday, March 14
@ Courtyard Marriott Louisville Airport
9:00-noon Board of Directors meeting
12:00-1:30 lunch
1:30-4:00 Long Range Planning update

January 2015 updates

From the entire Dream Factory family: WELCOME TO 2015!!! It's a start to making many more dreams come true, continuing a mission that began with a single dream thirty-five years ago in 1980. As we enter another year, following are a few updates:

Our mid-year meetings will be held at our National Headquarters in Louisville, Ky, on Saturday, March 15. And our annual National Convention will be in Orlando, Florida, the weekend of September 25 in conjunction with mAAgic Flight. We always appreciate the opportunity for all the chapters to gather for these two meetings with a lot to discuss.

We're excited to announce that we have a new interactive form on our website that makes referring a dream child much easier. You can see the form at the direct link: www.dreamfactoryinc.org/referral-form/. A person filling out this form answers a few simple questions, provides contact information, details about the child, and selects the nearest chapter from a pull-down menu. The form is then emailed directly to the corresponding chapter email. Our entire multi-page application is much more extensive so this one-page form will be used as an initial contact between families-chapters before proceeding.

We're also excited to announce that we'll be working with the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas to grant six trips during the next year. These are always amazing dreams and we appreciate the support Atlantis has provided to us.

As always, thanks for the support YOU have given to the Dream Factory and we look forward to the rest of 2015 and the many, many more dreams we will grant!