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