Walt Disney - A Dreamer

Right now, our second 2012 dream kiddo Jamie and her family are in Disney Land. Since we are sending a few kiddos there this year we thought it would be fun to share a little information on the man that started the Disney Empire, Walt Disney.

Walt Disney was born December 5, 1901.Walt always had strong interests in art and drawing. During the fall of 1918 he tried to enlist in the military, but because he was only 16 he wasn’t allowed. Instead he joined the Red Cross and was sent to France. He spent a year there driving an ambulance and being a driver for Red Cross officials. His ambulance was unlike the rest- instead of being painted the standard camouflage his was covered in Disney cartoons. When he returned from France he tried his hand in commercial art. He started a small company but it soon went bankrupt. After it failed, he packed his suitcase and took $20 to do what every person that wants to try to make it big does. He moved to Hollywood.

Walt’s first success was called “Alice Comedies” and because of it he became of recognized Hollywood figure. In 1932 he won one of his first Academy Awards. It was for his movie called “Flowers and Trees”, which also happens to be the first color cartoon. December 21, 1937 was the original release date of a movie we all know and love. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs premiered at the Carthay Theater in Los Angeles. The total price of production for the movie was $1,499,000 which was a totally unheard of price at that point in the Depression. During the next five year Walt released other full length classic such as Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi.

Not only was Walt Disney one of the greatest animators of all time, he was also the original mind behind creating a clean, organized amusement park. That dream of his came true in 1955 when Disneyland Park opened.

It’s pretty cool to think that everything that the Disney industry has become came from the dreams of one man. It really shows what can happen if you dream big!

Our First Dream of 2012

Spring seems like a great time to start granting dreams! Our first dream kid of 2012 is Brandon, a little boy who is deaf from Loveland. Last year Brandon used an iPad in school and it helped him a lot. His teacher said he loved it and it was very useful for him. Unfortunately due to financial struggles at home his family can’t afford to buy him one. His mom says when asked what his dream was at first he wants to own a monster truck. Then he said he wants an iPad. She also said that Brandon has always been six months or more behind on his milestones and this would be a great way for him to catch up. Brandon’s dream of getting an iPad will come true sometime in April!

We also have a new great way to help make local kids dreams come true. There is a new website launching at the beginning of April that we are very excited to be a part of and want to tell you about. http://www.communityfunded.com/ is designed to empower the world with connected communities. Their mission is to create tool that enable individuals and organizations to connect with the necessary resources to achieve their objectives. The site works around a concept called ‘crowd funding’. Essentially, everyone gives a little and we can raise a lot. The site is going to have its full launch the first week in April but there is a sneak peek available now for registered users. We have submitted two projects asking for funding to make some dreams come true and we need your support. Here is how you can help:
1. Please go to www.communityfunded.com
2. Register as a user
3. Login
4. Find our two projects (Brandon and Jamie's Dream) and 'favorite' them by clicking the heart in the upper left hand corner of the project card.

Kick off to our Biggest Week this year!

Just in case you forgot - but why would anyone forget – our Celebrity Bartending Event is TONIGHT from 7-9 at The Boot Grill in Loveland! We are super excited to have Adam Carriker from the Washington Redskins bartending our event for us. Not only is Adam bartending for us, we will also be hosting a live auction with so great sports memorabilia. Items include an autographed Carlos Gonzalez bat, a NY Giants collage from Super Bowl XLVI and even an autographed Tim Tebow ball! And that’s just the beginning!

We love having celebrities helping us out like Adam is. Our dream kids love it too! Cade is a great kiddo who has to deal with diabetes. This is a daily struggle that his family and he have to combat, almost on a minute to minute basis. Throughout all of these challenges, Cade has remained a happy and upbeat kiddo who loves the San Diego Chargers, particularly their star running back, LaDainian Tomlinson. His dream of meeting Mr. Tomlinson came true on November 22 at the Denver/Chargers game. He had a great time meeting his hero, and was sure to tell him that he thought the quarter back should pass to LT more often. As he left, he told us it was the best day of his life. It’s a great to see how much joy these celebrities bring to our kids!

This upcoming Saturday is our much awaited 6th Annual Mardi Gras Fashion Show! It’s hard to believe it’s already that soon! Both events are going to be a ton of fun. Do you have your tickets to the Fashion Show yet? There is only a handful left so you better hurry! Call Katie at (970) 667-6119 to get yours now!

A real live football player in Loveland!

Adam Carriker, Defensive End for the Washington Redskins. 124 career tackles.9 sacks. 3 recovered fumbles.11 stuffs. 1 kick blocked.

What do football stats have to do with A Child’s Dream, you’re asking? Well, we are super excited to announce that Adam recently decided to donate his time to us twice in March. The first time will be at our Celebrity Bartending Event, March 5th at The Boot in Loveland. If you don’t have any plans that night come out and see him there from 7-9. Tips from that night and an auction will benefit the agency.

That’s just the pre-game for the big event - our Mardi Gras Fashion Show coming up on March 10th from 6-11 pm at the Drake Centre. As if bartending for us wasn’t enough Adam has offered to be sold in our live auction for a personal 1 hour football lesson as well as a jersey, helmet, gloves and cleats!

Call (970)667-6119 to get your tickets to the Mardi Gras Fashion Show today – they are going fast!

February is the month for love! Why not share the love and help make a child's dream come true? Help support this worthy cause by coming to our 6th Annual Mardi Gras Fashion Show, on March 10. Tickets are $65 per person or $600 a table. Tickets include dinner, two beverages, and a goodie bag. There will also be live and silent auctions as well as a purse raffle. Items in the auctions include but are not limited to four tickets to the Fort Collins Symphony, a free night and $100 food gift certificate at the Lodge Casino, a trip to Disneyland and even a puppy! Get your tickets today by calling 970-667-6119.
Can't make it to the event but still wanna support the cause? Go to
https://www.givingfirst.org/AChildsDream/overview to donate now!

Emily’s Dream to Disneyland – heaven!

Emily, a little girl from Wellington, dreamed of going to Disneyland with her family. When she was asked if she could do anything in the world, the answer always came back that she would love to go to Disney.

On December 22 that dream came true for this deserving little girl and her family! Her mom, dad, and three siblings were all part of the fun that made sure the 4 days at Disneyland were magical.

When we talked to Mom after they got back she could hardly contain the excitement the kids had experienced. She said the kids smiled and laughed the entire time, and they couldn’t believe their eyes at all the fun things they were doing.

All of the kids said that the trip was heaven, and the entire family is so grateful for the opportunity they couldn’t have had without us.

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