GUEST POST: Andrew's 2019 Year in Review
NOTE: Andrew Kussy is the Development Manager with The Dream Factory. He looks after many of the partnerships and projects that help raise funds to bring more dreams to life. If you’d like to get involved with The Dream Factory in 2020, please don’t hesitate to contact him directly!
Production SOARS as kids dream BIGGER: The Dream Factory 2019 Year In Review
FACTORY UPDATE: Reports from the floor of The Dream Factory suggest that production outputs have soared in 2019 as a result of implementing best practices around imagination output, synergies in having fun and buy-in from all Dream Kids to focus less on action items, and more on action heroes!
...Okay, so The Dream Factory isn't a real factory. But if it were, our shareholder report would sound something like that. Last year, I wrote an article that recapped my first year at The Dream Factory. I wanted to something similar for 2019, and highlight a few of the things I'm really excited to have been a part of this year.
As a quick refresher - The Dream Factory makes dreams come true for Manitoba kids battling life-threatening illnesses. It's that simple. We have brought nearly 800 dreams to life for Manitoba families, and each and every dollar we raise allows us to support families here in our community during some pretty tough times.
2019 has been such a blast, and I feel lucky to have got to work on some incredibly fun projects outside of our signature fundraising events like the Dream Maker Auction, our Dragon Boat Festivals, and the EIC Golf Fundraiser with Josh Morrissey. Here are some of my personal favourites:
January
We started 2019 by celebrating the wrap-up of Pizza Hotline's "Arianna Pizza" campaign. Pizza Hotline let Dream Kid Arianna design her very own pizza, and then they put it on the menu in each and every one of their franchise locations. It was an instant hit - and they raised $15,000 to ensure that her Disney Dream could come true. All you need to do is check out the video to see how much fun we had with this one.
February
February was an exciting month for us as we launched our Beyond Dreams program. We do our best to make each Dream as special as we can, but wanted to do more for our families here at home. Beyond Dreams captures all of the fun events, activities, and memories that we make with our families outside of their big dream. Check out Azariah's Princess Party as an example of what it looks like when we go Beyond Dreams:
March
March was home to one of my favourite events of the year - Deadlifts for Dreams. Who ever would have thought that bringing Winnipeg's powerlifting community together could create such an incredible impact. Nearly $30,000 was raised to bring Maya's dream to life! We can't thank Dave Beakley enough for his vision and hard work to make this event such a hit (it even made the national news!). We can't wait for Deadlifts 2 this March!
May
One thing I never thought I would be doing is working with the folks at Bridge Drive In to create an ice cream cone to help make a dream come true. In May, we were so excited to launch the Cloud Nine cone in support of Dream Kid Drea - who is such a special kid. The Cloud Nine cone is a kid's dream come true: cotton candy syrup, vanilla ice cream, a ring of cotton candy, and sprinkles of course! Over the course of the summer, the Cloud Nine raised $15,000 and I could not believe the community response. The team at the BDI were so, so great to us, and we were very proud to work with them on something so fun.
June
Hands down one of the absolute highlights of 2019 for me personally is when Dream Kids took over the Winnipeg Free Press on June 12th. These kids came in with a mission: to make the news more fun - and I think they accomplished that goal. This was such a tremendous project, and would never have been possible if Michele and the team at the Winnipeg Free Press weren't so good at what they do. We love them. A huge shoutout also has to go to Mayor Brian Bowman for getting in on the fun. I promise, these videos are a must watch.
August
August was a very busy month at The Dream Factory - first, our friends at the Manitoba Food and Restaurant Association (MRFA) wrapped up their fundraising campaign to bring one of our biggest dreams ever to life. Karmyn's dream is to visit Japan to try the very best of her favourite food: sushi, and MRFA delivered! In addition to their golf tournament, they hosted a sushi making lesson at Ichiban and inspired a fundraising campaign at Karmyn's favourite restaurant: Sushi Cushi. Our friends at MRFA have become near and dear to us this year, and we can't thank them enough for all of the work they put into this campaign.
This month was also the first ever Spokes + Dreams event in St. Vital Park. Carla McLennan stepped up to host her first ever fundraising event and raised over $5,000 towards a dream come true. We can't wait for Spokes 2 in 2020!
Finally, August took Winnipeg by storm when Red River Co-op and our good friend Ace Burpee unveiled the NEW Honey Dill Chips in support of The Dream Factory. Response to these chips was absolutely incredible, and 25 cents from every bag helps to make more dreams come true. Thanks again to Ace and Red River Co-op for ALL that they do for The Dream Factory.
September
We kept the food theme going in September with the first annual Pie Party hosted by our friends at Exchange District Pharmacy. This one was so much fun. After learning that Dream Kid Zachary's favourite food was "anything in pie format", restaurants from throughout the Exchange District each put together a signature pie and we held a good old community bake sale. None of us could have predicted how popular the pie party would be, and that it would raise nearly $9000 for Zachary's dream come true! Shoutout to Chosabi who was voted "Best Pie!" at this year's party. This is one event you won't want to miss next year!
October
Our friends at Sobeys, Safeway, and IGA were a big part of our 2019. Earlier in the year, they pledged $10,000 in gift certificates to ensure every Dream Factory family has just a little bit of extra support on their next trip to the grocery store. They also hosted a number of events including a fruit and water station at our September Dragon Boat Festival and a Pumpkin Carving Party at their Pembina location. It was the best, just look at some of these costumes and pumpkins:
November
Last month we celebrated one year with our friends at Made Here. If you haven't yet had a chance to stop by Made Here - it's a must, especially with the holidays fast approaching. It's a fantastic space filled with beautiful locally made products, and 10% of every purchase supports The Dream Factory. The best part is that Made Here will be remaining open in 2020, helping make even more dreams come true.
December
This holiday season, we are back with our friends at Fairmont Winnipeg hosting two Brunch with Santa events (one coming up on December 15th!). They have been such an incredible partner to us over the last few years: participating in our events, raising funds, and always going above and beyond when our out of town families need a place to stay. There are so many good people on the Fairmont Winnipeg team, and we're very lucky to call them friends.
A Year of dreams
It's hard to believe that it's already been a year - and that all of these fun projects took place in the last 12 months. We are immensely proud of a lot of this work, but have also had so much fun doing it. At The Dream Factory, we are so proud to work with some incredible folks in our community who believe in the power of a dream come true, and dedicate their time, energy, and care to make some pretty incredible things possible.
To everyone who supported The Dream Factory this year - in ways big or small - thank you. We truly believe that we get to work with some of Winnipeg's best, and appreciate all that you do to make dreams come true.
Experts are forecasting that the Factory is going to be a pretty busy place in 2020, and we invite you to come join us on the assembly line to help build even more dreams: as a donor, a volunteer, or by referring a family in need. It's easier than you think to make a dream come true.