August Blog: Hollywood Dreams, Honey Dill Chips, Spokes, Sports and More!
It’s safe to say that we made the most of the summer here at The Dream Factory! Last month was SO much fun and we can’t wait to tell you about it!
Kylie’s Got Talent! - A Special Dream Come True
One of 16-year-old Kylie’s favourite shows is America’s Got Talent, so she knew right away that her perfect dream come true would be a trip to Hollywood to take in a live taping of the show.
Kylie has been bravely battling acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. This dream come true was a chance for Kylie and her whole family to enjoy some time together as a family - and have a brand new adventure!
Not only did Kylie get to watch a taping of the show, she got to meet the judges and sit at the judges table during one of the rehearsals. It was an incredibly cool backstage experience, and a very special dream come true!
Pictured: Dream Kid Kylie has her dream to meet the judges from America’s Got Talent come true!
Pictured: The BDI Cloud Nine raised over $14,000 this summer thanks to support from our community!
Pictured: Dream Kid Grace enjoying the brand new Honey Dill chips from Ace Burpee and Co-op!
Treat Yourself: Special Snacks Bringing Dreams to Life
All summer long our friends at the Bridge Drive In have been selling the Cloud Nine in support of Drea’s Disney Dream Come True. When we checked in to see how things were going, we learned that the demand for the Cloud Nine Cone was so high that their cotton candy machine had enough!
We are so thrilled to share that the BDI Cloud Nine raised over $14,000 this summer - surpassing their goal and making sure more dreams can come true right here in our community!
Don’t fret! As the Cloud Nine cone winds down, there’s a new snack you can check out to support The Dream Factory!
Earlier this month our friend Ace Burpee, along with Virgin Radio 103.1 and Red River Co-op, launched a new CLASSIC potato chip flavour: Honey Dill! Manitobans were thrilled, with over 7000 bags sold in the first week alone. The best part? 25 cents from every bag will help make more dreams come true. You can find the chips at a Co-op food store or gas bar near you!
First Annual Spokes + Dreams Raises $5000!
August 25th was the first annual Spokes + Dreams event at St. Vital Park. Cyclists and supporters braved the elements to help reach the $5000 goal! Despite the rainy weather, participants enjoyed a community bbq and some magic tricks courtesy of Cary Tardi.
Thanks to Carla McLennan, and all of the sponsors and volunteers that helped the first annual Spokes + Dreams reach it’s goal! We can’t wait to see how the event grows next year.
A Sushi Dream Come True
All year long our friends at the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association have been committed to making Karmyn’s dream of visiting Japan come true. They hosted a hospitality night with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, encouraged their member restaurants to support the cause, and even introduced Karmyn to the head chef at Ichiban!
More importantly - they inspired our community to come together around a very special dream. Whether it was bake sales, dragon boating, t-shirt campaigns, or yoga classes, people did their part to help make sure this dream could come true.
And guess what? After the MRFA’s incredible golf tournament earlier this month, we are so excited to share that over $30,000 has been raised - enough for Karmyn’s dream come true.
To everyone who helped support this very special initiative - THANK YOU! This was a goal that took so many to accomplish, and every single donation helped. We cannot do what we do without you!
Beyond Dreams: Sports Teams + Cool Cars!
Our Beyond Dreams program is our way of reminding Dream Kids and their families that they are an important part of our Dream Factory family - before OR after their dream come true. The program includes all of the special moments, experiences, and gifts we try to create outside of the “big dream”.
Here are some ways we went beyond dreams this month:
Dream Kids Jaxx and Matthew enjoyed an incredible day at Gimli Motorsport Park with professional racecar driver David Richert. David took the kids around the course in a Slingshot, and brought out some very cool cars to take a look at. Matthew enjoyed chatting racing with David, while Jaxx let us know he now wanted to be a racecar driver when he grows up.
Our friends at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers invited us to join them for a special practice, where Dream Kids received autographs and played catch with their favourite players!
We also stopped by the Valour FC practice to meet the team and practice a few drills - check out this incredible video they put together to see what we got up to!
Finally, our Dream Kids enjoyed a visit to Hot Wheels Monster Trucks LIVE, where they got to check up the trucks up close, meet the drivers and enjoy the show!
Click here to learn more about how you can help us create more Beyond Dreams experience here in our community.
Meet A Dream Maker: AFIG Financial Services
Every month, we are going to recognize some of our incredible dream makers. These are members of our Dream Factory family who’s support is the reason dreams can come true for Manitoba Kids.
This month, we want to acknowledge our friends at AFIG, who have hosted a charity golf tournament for The Dream Factory every year since 2015. In that time, they have raised nearly $45,000 and made so many dreams come true.
We have so much love and appreciation for the incredible folks at AFIG for their continued support, and for believing in the power of a dream come true! Thank you!