A Dream Come True!

David's Dream Came True on Sunday!

David's dream came true on Sunday when he was taken to the Denver Broncos vs. New England Patriots game in Denver. He had an amazing day, and our chaperone and board member, Eric Kidd, puts it best:

"Being able to accompany David and his grandmother and sister on Sunday's dream was an absolutely wonderful adventure. From the limo ride to the game to dinner afterwards, you could truly tell that David and his family were soaking in every part of the experience. While David and I watched the game intently, his grandmother and sister were watching every move of the cheerleaders (not to mention everyone's surprise when we watched the halftime entertainment - monkeys riding dogs that were wrangling sheep!) As the day came to a close, Mary pulled me aside at dinner, "You know, you've really made his dream come true." She continued, "He's been so excited leading up to today and I can tell he had a great time."

As I put my arm around her and pulled her in close for a hug, I whispered the only thing that came to mind, "that's what we're here for..."

In this case, the name of our organization and it's tagline became all the more moving to me. This truly was A Child's Dream... Fulfilled."

Thank you for all you have done to make his dream a reality. We couldn't do this great work without you.

Sincerely,

Katie Reiff

Colorado Gives Day - a huge success!

Colorado Gives Day was this past Tuesday, December 6, and we are so excited by the response of our wonderful supporters. In 2010 we participated in the state-wide campaign to increase philanthropy in our beautiful state, and we were happy to raise just over $500.

This year was a different story. The Colorado Gives Day organizers saw an increase from $8 million to $12 million. We are excited to report that we saw an increase from $500 to $5,505! It was an exciting day to watch the donations pour in, and we couldn't be more thankful for all of the gifts that help make children's dreams come true.

We are excited to let you know that some of the funding from Colorado Gives Day will be used this year to fulfill our remaining two dreams - a trip to Disneyland for Emily and a trip to Denver for the Broncos vs. Patriots game on December 18 for David. It is a beautiful thing to see a child's dream come true, and we are grateful to have the community support to continue our mission.

Thank you if you were one of our gracious donors on Colorado Gives Day. Did you miss the opportunity to make a donation? No worries! You can still go to GivingFirst.org, look up A Child's Dream, and make a secure donation to help us as the year wraps up.

Have a wonderful holiday season, and may they be filled with lots of love, light, and hope.

Sincerely,
Katie Reiff
Executive Director

Happy News to Start Your September!

We have had an exciting year, and we really appreciate all of your support. We are currently working on two big projects to make sure we're setting a great stage for 2012 and granting more dreams.

The first project is our application period. We are actively looking for children to receive dreams. We grant dreams to children and youth who are terminally or chronically ill, injured or low income in Larimer County. Do you know any kids between the ages of 2 and 18 who fit those requirements? If so, don't delay! The deadline for applications is September 15, 2011. Applications can be found at our website: www.achildsdreamfulfilled.org. If you have any questions, please contact Gregg Seebohm at gregg@dblegl.com. A great big thank you to our Dream Team who has been working very hard to make sure people know that we're looking for kids!

The second project is our wine tasting. We are in the process of finalizing the invitations to this great event. Last year we raised $15,000, and this year we're hoping to raise $20,000. Our event committee is working very hard to pull together the details, and we really appreciate their help. This year the event is set for October 22 at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $75 per person or $135 per couple. We will be featuring a "Dream Auction" which includes a trip to New Orleans for a jazz and dining experience as well as a trip to Chicago's Wrigley Field Rooftop. Tickets can be purchased by calling the office at (970)667-6119.

T
hanks again for all your support, and we hope you will consider helping us with both of these projects. Enjoy the end of summer, and we look forward to continuing our relationship with you into the fall.

Don Brown - a board member with a heart for kids!
Don with Allen at Allen's dream of meeting Taylor Swift

If you've been receiving our newsletters for a while, you know that we enjoy highlighting a board member per month and like to find out what their dreams were as a child, what their dream is now, and why they are invovled with A Child's Dream. This month we're highlighting Don Brown, a dedicated board member who has been with the agency since its inception. We are grateful to have his leadership and passion on the board. If you want to catch the fever of granting dreams, be sure to talk to this man! He will light a fire, show what a difference our work does, and make you want to get involved! Here are his answers to our questions:

My Dream as a Child was to become a Professional Bull Rider. We grew up on a farm near Hudson, CO. After I told my Dad that at the age of 14 he made us move to the City so I could get some sense in Me! LOL!
My Dream Now is To Grow old With My Wife Anita and our Kids and Touch as many lives along the way by giving back through a Child's Dream and, making Kids Lives better than they were before!

We love Kids! We raised our two Biological kids(Matt 26 and Jonna 24) and Adopted Kylie out of China when she was 10 months old. She is Now 5! The Kids are our Future and they need to know that people care about them no matter who they are or what their dealing with!

Thanks again for all you do to help make A Child's Dream successful! May your fall be filled with lots of exciting, fun and wonderful things. Maybe even a dream come true!

Sincerely,

Katie Reiff, Executive Director

Monday Fun Day! Get Your Smiles Here

Kids are honest little people who say things sometimes in the most innocent yet hilarious way that can brighten even the worst day. The stories and pictures here WILL make you chuckle and hopefully inspire you to brighten a child's day! You can share the power of a dream! A Child's Dream is now accepting applications for the 2012 year. With only 19 days left to submit applications, we need your help finding kids who need their dreams to come true!

Kids Explain Love

HOW CAN YOU TELL IF TWO ADULTS EATING DINNER AT A RESTAURANT ARE IN LOVE?

"See if the man has lipstick on his face."

- Sandra, age 7

"It is love if they order one of those desserts that are on fire. They like to order those because it's just like how their hearts are -- on fire!"

- Christine, age 9

HOW IMPORTANT IS LOVE?

"Love is the most important thing in the whole world, but baseball is pretty good too."

- Greg, age 8

More information on how you can help and where applications can be downloaded you can visit:

http://www.macdonaldfamilycharity.org/index.cfm/0/0/16-Applications.html
Remember the application deadline is September 15th, 2011.

We hope you can help brighten a child's day as we have birghtened yours!

-Megan

Send us dream kids!

The dog days of summer are upon us. It's hot, school's about to start, and people are wrapping up their vacations. Are you reaching the end of this fun season wishing you'd spent more time in the pool? Or maybe you're planning on squeezing one last camping getaway into the remaining weekends. Whatever your plans are, we hope you have a very happy end to this summer.

The end of the summer at A Child's Dream symbolizes an exciting time for our staff and volunteers. We're working very hard to publicize two very exciting things. This blog post is going to highlight one of those - our application period. We're currently in the midst of an application period where we actively look for dream kids.

What does that mean; to actively look for dream kids? Thanks to our dedicated volunteers on the Dream Team, we're working hard to make sure all the schools in Larimer County know about the deadline of September 15. We also have volunteers approaching the other nonprofits that work with the same demographic of kids. Getting the word out through the local media has also been started. Hopefully you'll hear all about our agency and the dreams we grant in the next month and a half.

From there, the volunteers on the Dream Team will begin to conduct phone interviews and review the applications. This is a tough process to undergo. Their hardest task is to figure out if this truly is the child's dream. These people aren't afraid to ask, "If this child could do anything in the world, what would it be?"

The applications are then reviewed in a group setting, and the Dream Team decides who will receive an in-person interview. The in-person interview is pretty tricky because we don't want to tell the kids why we're there. However, we want to make sure we hear their stories and their dreams.

From there, the Dream Team meets one more time to send their final recommendations on to the board. This entire process from promotion to recommendations takes about 12 weeks. This is a marathon of emotions, time, and energy. We couldn't find deserving kids if it weren't for this wonderful team of volunteers. We're very excited to have added new members and know they will do a great job.

So, that brings us to you. What can you do to help us? Why not recommend a child to receive a dream? Maybe you have a neighbor whose child is sick. Maybe your child has a chronic illness that they battle every day. Maybe there are kids at the agency you volunteer with that are low income and could use an opportunity to see that life isn't going to be surviving meal to meal for the rest of their lives. You'd be surprised how many kids qualify for dreams, and yet how few applications we end up receiving. We are opening our doors, and we want them to be blow off.

What makes a good application? The more information the Dream Team has, the better and more informed decision they can make as to whether or not to send the application along in the process. The applications are six pages long for a reason. It takes time and thought to make a great application, and we take time and energy to read every single one and make a tough decision. When all of the applications say the dream is to go to Disney, we have a hard time discerning how and why this would benefit the child. Tell a story and feel free to use extra paper.

We want to make dreams come true. Help us by sending us children - we're excited for a 2012 dream granting. Help make a dream come true!

July 1st - the Start of Make a Difference for Children Month!

July is officially here, and along with it the mid-summer fun of pool parties, barbecues, celebrations of our independence, and vacations.

Why not make it about one more thing - making a difference for kids in your community? A grassroots initiative has started with just that goal. Their 4 key areas they want people to get involved are:

1. Pick an event or activity to do with a kid!
2. Support agencies that work with kids. (A Child's Dream qualifies! :) Make donations here.)
3. Tell your policy makers to support initiatives that are good for kids.
4. Tell other people about the OTHER significance of July and this campaign!

Want to read more? Click here for more information on things you can do to support Make a Difference for Children Month!

Thanks for your continued support of A Child's Dream, www.achildsdreamfulfilled.org.

Great Dreams Make Great Photos!

Here are some of the beautiful photos we've received from the dreams that happened this last month - enjoy!

This is from Jennifer's notification. We had just told her that her dream of walking into Cinderella's castle was coming true, and she was so excited! She's second from the left. Right after this photo was taken she showed us the amazing accomplishment she has been working on for the past year - she walked! Jennifer went through extensive surgery last year in order to have her legs support her and walking. It was all worth it when we saw how proud she was as she walked around the living room. We know she's having a great time at Disney World. She and her family left on Monday. We can't wait to hear all about it when they get back!

The grins in this photo are awesome! On the right is Travis. Travis' dream was to go to Disneyland, and the first full week of June that happened. Travis and his brother, David, had an amazing week playing, enjoying time with their family, and being kids. The smiles in their photos were genuine. They were making memories they will never forget!

This photo is of Mariah. Mariah dreams of someday owning her own horse ranch. A wonderful Loveland horse ranch owner, Lance (on the left), has graciously agreed to host Mariah every Monday afternoon through the summer. She'll be cleaning stalls, helping groom, and get a horse experience like none other. We also sent her to Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch to go on trail rides and enjoy a different ranch experience with her family.

To help with Mariah's experience, Lance's daughter, Kate, will be showing Mariah the ropes. Here's Kate introducing Mariah to one of the 32 horses at the ranch. They are going to have a great summer together.

Goofy poses here with Kaylie and Freddy. This family spent the last week of May in Disneyland and had a great time. It was just the break everyone needed from their current economic struggles. They rode the rides, ate with the characters, and made sure to get lots of great souvenirs to help remember their trip.

This photo captures the great time Kaylie had at Disneyland. Let's go ride the teacups right now!

Look what's going on this month at A Child's Dream!

Summer's Upon Us - Enjoy Our Happy News!

Each month for our newsletter we highlight a special board member that helps provide the direction for our agency, and this month we're excited to share the story of our board secretary, Gregg Seebohm.

Gregg has been passionate about volunteering and helping others for a long time and we are lucky to have such a compassionate person with us! Gregg and his wife Cindy have been long time Colorado residents and have devoted much of there time to helping people here in Larimer County. He is a great example of the volunteers here in Colorado who want to give back to the people who have made this state so wonderful. Gregg started developing his love for helping others when he was just a kid, working with a disabled family friend, and then when he first moved to Colorado and worked as an orderly at a Nursing home that provided care for developmentally disabled adults. Since then he has taken time out of raising two children and working in the construction industry to volunteer, he has done everything from helping kids with baseball to building them playgrounds.

When he was a kid his dream was to become a New York Yankee and now he dreams of seeing his grandson become a Yankee. In the meantime he goes to Rockies and Colorado State games, hopefully he would be happy if his grandson played with the Rockies, we can always use a great player to cheer for! When asked why he is involved with Macdonald Family Charity he said he wanted to give back to the people of Larimer County, especially the kids who have been less fortunate then his family has been.

It should be obvious by now how lucky these kids are to have someone with so much experience and kindness working towards making life better for them. His dedication to volunteering has made him a hero to so many. Over the years his heart has grown to include so many special people; A Child’s Dream is truly lucky to have him.

Pictured above is Brigit and Freddy with their mom. These two sweet kids have dreamed of going to Disneyland where they can enjoy life without the stress of financial woes. They wanted to spend time with their mom and just have fun! On Memorial Day I drove them to the airport for their first flight (for all 3!) and watched their excited faces as they went off to experience their dream. The family has enjoyed a week long trip and flies home today. We're excited to hear about it when they get back.

Upcoming Dreams

June is going to be a busy month for granting dreams, and we couldn't be happier! On Wednesday we went and told Travis that his dream of going to Disneyland was going to come true. He was so excited, but this sweet little boy wanted to make sure we were granting dreams for other kids as well. I assured him we were hard at work. He leaves next Monday to go to California. On June 9 we will have Mariah going on her dream to a horse ranch. Sylvan Dale is working with us to create an amazing getaway for this sweet girl. She will then have an ongoing relationship with a generous horse owner in Loveland that's going to allow her to come out and shadow his ranch hands. She dreams of someday owning her own ranch - this will be great practice! On June 20 Jennifer flies to Florida with her family to walk into Cinderella's castle. She has undergone extensive surgery to be able to walk again, and this will be an incredible closing chapter to a long journey for this little girl. She will be very excited to know it's coming true!

Thanks to all of you who gave to our summer dream kids. We couldn't do these dreams without your continued support. If you haven't given, it's not too late! Simply click here to make a donation and know that you're changing the life of a child forever.

Why do you donate?

This week has been an exciting one as we gear up for our role at the Realities Poker Run over Memorial Day weekend. We will be in Old Town Square in downtown Fort Collins offering virtual motorcycle racing. It's $5 per race you race, and the winner with the best time over the weekend will receive $250 AND tickets to a real motorcycle race in Colorado Springs.

People's generosity has been overwhelming - we're working with Best Buy, and they are providing a game that's not on the market yet along with all of our tv/gaming equipment. Realities is also helping us raise money by providing us a booth space along with offering the opportunity for participants to pay $5 and potentially win $25,000 in a dice game. The prize for best race time has been graciously provided by Center Partners, and we haven't even touched on the time and energy that goes into pulling something like this together by our volunteer, Joyce. Awesome generosity of time, connections, and money!

What makes you take the step to donate your talents or treasure? Is it an appreciation for how blessed you and your family are? Do you do it because your parents told you to? Is is something that's indescribable?

Whatever the reason you give may be, please know that the impact your donations have on the children in our program of granting dreams is something we can only attempt to describe. Their smiles tell only a small tip of the iceberg of impact you have on their lives. Thank you!

Way to go!

You helped us reach amazing goals in 2010 and the start of 2011!

Like graduating Kindergarten, our agency moved from being a kid to becoming a young adult. We couldn't have done it without you, and we are extremely grateful! Did you know that in 2010 we raised over $100,000 and fulfilled 22 dreams for deserving children? Amazing! We couldn't have done it without you and your help!

We are excited at how the first four and a half months have gone with A Child's Dream. We have been working hard to make dreams come true for children and youth who are terminally or chronically ill, injured and low income in our community. From January to today we have made 6 dreams come true including a meet and greet with LeBron James and LeCrae, trips to Disneyland and Morgan's Wonderland, and a cruise. It's been exciting to see these dreams come together and the impact on the children's lives. Below are some of the great pictures from the dreams.

From top to bottom we have Jackson who went to Morgan's Wonderland, Jordan who met LeBron James, Casey who went to Disneyland and Jose who met LeCrae.

Without you, these dreams wouldn't have come true. Thank you for your past gifts and support! We hope you will consider making a donation (by clicking here) to help us fulfill our summer dreams.

Perhaps a donation isn't a option right now. That's ok! We have an exciting volunteer opportunity coming up this weekend. We will have a booth at the Realities for Children Poker Run in downtown Fort Collins starting on Saturday and going to Sunday. We have partnered with Best Buy to bring virtual motorcycle racing to the event. It will be a ton of fun. We are in need of volunteers to help man our booth on Saturday from noon to 6 p.m. (in 3 hour shifts) and Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. (in 3 and 4 hour shifts). Please let me know if you can help!

Thank you!

Katie

Give a gift just because!

If only hope could be wrapped in a box!

The normally sunny days of a Colorado springtime don't seem to be anywhere in sight. It's cloudy, dreary, and cold. Is this really May? I don't know about you, but I tend to get bummed out when I don't see the sun for a while. Where is our beautiful weather?
Instead of letting the weather get you down, why not take charge of the situation and give someone a gift to brighten their day? The gift I'm suggesting is hope. Yes, with us, it CAN be bought (but maybe not wrapped in a box)!
Did you know that generosity can impact your own mood and outlook? So, instead of depending on some happy Colorado sunshine, why not make yourself happy knowing that you're making a difference by giving to A Child's Dream? Your gift will go a long way to helping us achieve our mission of making children's dreams come true. Children like CJ.
CJ is a sweet young man who struggles with Cerebral Palsy and memory challenges. His is always ready to greet new people with a smile, and has an incredibly upbeat personality despite the struggles he has to endure on a daily basis. CJ dreamed of going to Disneyland, and on January 25, 2011 his dream came true! The entire family flew to Disneyland and spent the week hanging with the characters, riding the rides and seeing the shows. It was a very happy week for everyone in his family, and one he will remember forever.
I hope you'll consider making today a happy day; for you and deserving kids in northern Colorado! Donations can be made by simply clicking here.
Thank you for your continued support of our wonderful program!
Sincerely,
Katie Reiff
Executive Director

Donate today! Make a difference that lasts a lifetime!

Your gifts make a difference - one dollar at a time!

Did you know that your gifts allow us to continue to grow to serve the ever growing population of eligible children in Larimer County? The more money received, the more dreams we can make come true. It's a pretty amazing equation!
Each gift we receive is stewearded to have the biggest impact possible. With our relationships with service providers and your donations, dreams come alive for less than anticipated. The more gifts, the more dreams!
One really wonderful dream we have seen come true this year was Tabythia's.
Tabythia's smile says it all! On March 25 this sweet little girl went on her dream - a cruise to Mexico with her mom and two brothers. The family had a wonderful time away from the stress of life, and Tabythia got to enjoy paradise with that smile on her face the entire time. She is currently undergoing treatment for cancer in her eye, but cancer can't hide the twinkle!
You may think yes, this is a wonderful story. However, there is no way I can afford to send 4 people on a cruise. That's the great thing about what we do! Your generous donation pooled with other people's donations make it very doable!
Here are some of the ways a smaller donation may be put to use with A Child's Dream:

• $50 provides a dream recipient with a goody basket full of favorite foods, toys and memorabilia associated with their dream at their notification
• $150 provides 4 hours of limo service to a dream in fulfillment
• $500 provides tickets to an event the dream child wishes to attend (sporting events, concerts, etc.)
• $10000 provides airfare for a family to Disneyland

Want to make a dream come true this summer? Simply click here to donate now!

Thank you for helping our mission of making dreams a reality for these struggling kids!

What a beginning - let's keep it up!

2011 has been an exciting time to launch our name change. We have been "A Child's Dream" for 4 months now, and we are loving it. With meeting our goal of funds raised at the fashion show as well as making 6 dreams come true, it has been busy and wonderful. Thank you for the role you play in making it so!

As you know, the school year is wrapping up, and summer vacations are on everyone's minds. Where are you going this summer? Perhaps to visit relatives or the beach? Maybe even Disneyland or World? Fun times are ahead - there's no doubt about it!

For some of the kids in our community the summer doesn't look as exciting. Kids like Travis. Travis is a little boy from Loveland who is from an extremely low income family. He hears his friends at school ask each other where their families are going this summer, and this sweet little boy knows that his family can't afford to go anywhere. His dad was in an accident at work that left him with a brain injury and without one leg. His mom does what she can, but she is unable to leave the home to get a job to support the family because Travis and his sibling can't be left alone with dad because of the injuries. It's a vicious cycle, and unfortunately, Travis is one of the people suffering the most. He would love to be able to be as excited as his school friends about summer and brag about a trip to Disneyland - somewhere he's dreamed of going for the longest time.

This is just one of the stories of the children whose dreams we are hoping to fulfill this summer. However, we can't do it alone. Over the course of May, we hope you will consider giving a donation to A Child's Dream to help us fulfill the summer dreams. Dreams like Travis' of going to Disneyland! It's easy to make a donation - simply click here.

Thank you for all of your support in the past. Your gifts, time and support have helped us fulfill 6 dreams already in 2011. Did you know that since we were founded, A Child's Dream has made over 40 dreams a reality? That's in less than 3 1/2 years! We can't do it alone, and we thank you for what you do!

Sincerely,

Katie

Katie Reiff
Executive Director
A Child's Dream

Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Buy A Ticket to the Fashion Show!

1. You've always wanted to wear a bright mask and get your picture taken.

2. You have yet to find a reason to wear those cute heels you bought.

3. You really like to drink hurricanes (two included with each ticket!!).

4. Your kids get spring break in March, why shouldn't you?

5. You can buy your summer vacation and get a tax write off for it!

6. You haven't ever won anything but you're feeling good about the purse raffle and winning $500.

7. Your last girl's night was in

2002.

8. You don't remember what a girl's night is.

9. Your last fashion inspiration happened at that girl's night.

10. You've always wanted to make a child's dream come true!

A Great Beginning!

Wow! We're just beginning Febuary and what a year it's already been! Jordon got the awesome oportunity to meet LeBron James in January, after that we sent CJ on a dream week in Disneyland and on Thurday we are sending Casey to Disneyland! We are so excited to have started the year in such a way!

Things have definately been busy here at the charity! We're getting ready to have our 5th Annual Mardi Gras Fashion Show on March 5th which will be an incredible evening of Big Easy Style frivolity, fashion, and fun as we raise aweareness and dollars for A Child's Dream. If you haven't bought your ticket yet we encourage you to jump on that - they're going fast! There is going to be a great fashion show displaying many wonderful companies: Tula, Satin Camisole, Biyazzi, Prima, Sole Mates, and Designs. Also there will be a live auction you don't want to miss out on - it includes diamonds and fantastic trips! Follow us on our facebook page: Mardi Gras Fashion Show (http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/#!/pages/Mardi-Gras-Fashion-Show/210250676951).

Jordan is a foster child who hasn't had many strong male role models in his life. He has latched on to LeBron James as a positive person to look up to. On January 13, 2011, A Child's Dream was able to step in and help this young man meet his hero. Jordan spent a brief time with this mentor but the effects will be felt for years to come!

We're so glad you took time to read our blog and hope your week is starting out well!