December 2020: Our 800th Dream, The Warrior Hot Chocolate, and a Dream Factory Tour!
While 2020 might have been a challenging year, there's no doubt that we ended it with an absolutely wonderful month. December kicked off with our Virtual Auction on December 1st, raising over $200,000 (a full debrief from the Virtual Auction can be found in the November Blog) - but that was just the start! Keep reading to find out what dreams came true in December, and how our incredible community made this month one of the high points of 2020!
2020 Year in Review: Stay tuned in the weeks to come for a full look back into all of the moments that made 2020 a special year at The Dream Factory. It was a tough one, but thanks to you we made many dreams come true - and that's something to celebrate!
The Dream Factory's Digital Tour is NOW OPEN!
Even though our doors may be closed to the public for now, we want you to know that our Factory is still buzzing! For that reason, we’re inviting you to @dreamfactorytour, a digital “tour” of The Dream Factory including some of our favourite stories, tidbits, and of course — dreams come true.
Normally these are the stories we would share when meeting with Dream Families for the first time; or when introducing The Dream Factory to members of our community who want to get involved. We’re excited to share them with you here in a fun and exciting way — right in the palm of your hand!
Whether this tour is your first introduction to The Dream Factory, or a reminder of the Dreams you have helped come true — we want to say thank you! Thank you for being here. We’re happy to have you and excited to make even more dreams come true.
During the tour, you’ll take a “scroll” through our community to see all of the incredibly fun ways generous Manitobans have brought dreams to life.
Then, you’ll meet your guide at the entrance to The Dream Factory! We’re excited to welcome you inside and give you a one-of-a-kind tour! You’ll learn all about the history of our special Factory, and the magical machinery (powered by hope, fun, and imagination) that makes dreams come true for kids battling life-threatening illnesses in Manitoba!
While inside The Factory - you’ll meet a few of our incredible DREAM KIDS. You’ll read stories written by their parents, and see some beautiful photos and videos of their dreams come true.
Finally, the tour concludes with a visit to the gift shop. Just kidding! We will share some examples of how you can help: by becoming a donor, hosting a fundraiser, becoming a volunteer, or referring a child in need. And of course, it wouldn’t be The Dream Factory without a few surprises!
We hope you have the BEST time on your tour through our Factory! Thank you for being part of our Dream Factory Family, and for believing in the magic of a dream come true! It’s because of you that dreams continue to come true for kids here in Manitoba fighting some incredibly difficult battles. We appreciate you!
Thank you to the INCREDIBLE team at Vantage Studios for bringing this magical tour to life. The Vantage team showed so much care and creativity in dreaming up this project with us - and it would not have been possible without their tremendous talent.
Dream Come True: Ethan's Bedroom Makeover!
We’re thrilled to wrap up 2020 by sharing a new Dream come true with you! Dream Kid Ethan is our 800th Dream Kid (!!!) - he is 13 years old and has been bravely fighting a brain tumour. For his dream come true, Ethan was dreaming of a brand new bedroom with a few football-themed touches that he and his twin brother Julian could share and enjoy for years to come. Today, we're sharing a few of the photos of the incredible final product!
This project would not have been possible without the tremendous work of our super talented friend Zoe at Zoe Henry Designs who designed and executed this magical transformation. We also have to thank artist Pat Lazo (for the very cool football mural!), Buhle Painting, Dustin Brown, Jake's Fancy Stairs, and Xandra Photography for their involvement in this project..
Note: If you'd like to help make a dream come true just like this one, consider making a donation to The Dream Factory today! You can visit our website or the link in our bio for more information. Every single dollar helps bring us closer to another special dream come true!
The Warrior Hot Chocolate in support of Travis’s Dream!
Travis's mom, Sarah, describes her son as nothing short of a warrior. Since February, he's faced a string of some pretty bad medical luck and undergone 6 surgeries. His doctors are still searching for answers.
Fortunately, this tough journey has not stopped Travis from dreaming big about the perfect bedroom space to relax and hang out in after the surgeries and appointments still to come. Thanks to some very special partners in our community, we are going to bring that dream to life!
Starting December 1st - the WARRIOR Hot Chocolate was safely available for take out at Park Line Coffee (685 Osborne). This special hot chocolate was created with Dream Kid Travis in mind as a way to provide encouragement during his hard fought battle and support his dream come true.
Over the month of December, between hot chocolates sales (nearly 900 sold!), online donations, and our generous matching gift donors - we have raised over $14,000 for Travis's Dream. To everyone who has supported the campaign in December, THANK YOU. This would not have been possible without your generosity, and because of you another Dream WILL come true next year!
We have to send a huge thanks to our incredible friends at Park Line Coffee who helped bring this idea to life and create the Warrior Hot Chocolate. They have been so generous with their time and energy in making this project a success during a challenging time.
We also want to give a special thank you to all of our matching donors: Amber Van Den Broek Realtor, Bonafide Carpentry, Lehigh Cement, MJ Roofing and one anonymous donor. Your support allowed this campaign to soar and ensure Travis's Dream can come true.
And finally we want to thank Travis and his family for being open to sharing his story, and welcoming our community to support him on this journey.
It takes a village to bring a dream to life — and we are so lucky to have so much wonderful support from our Dream Factory family. Thank you!
Black Market Provisions Makes The Holidays A Little Sweeter!
Our friends at Black Market Provisions wanted to do something extra special to make the holidays a little brighter for our Dream Kids. In December, they launched "LOCAL KIDS, LOCAL GIFTS" an initiative that allowed their customers to order a gift for a Dream Kid from a locally owned small business.
Over the course of December, $3000 was raised to make sure that so many of our Dream Kids could enjoy an extra special gift (and a few sweet treats!) this holiday season.
Thank you to the team at Black Market Provisions, and their wonderful customers for the very generous gifts, thoughtful messages, and outpouring of support during the holidays. Because of you, Dream Kids were all smiles opening their gifts - and it would not have been possible without you!
Pictured: Dream Kid Drea enjoys a special gift and some sweet treat courtesy of our friends at Black Market Provisions and their incredible customers!
Dine MB Restaurant Guide - Get It While You Can!
We just wanted to share a quick reminder that the Dine Manitoba Restaurant Guide is available now! You can support over 45 incredible local restaurants including Brazen Hall, Cibo, East India Company, Four Crowns, Nicolinos, Pauline, Shawarma Khan, Tommy's Pizzeria and so many more.
The guide is only $20 - and $5 from each sale supports The Dream Factory and our Dream Kids. There's no better way to start the New Year than with delicious local meals and dreams come true! The guides are selling fast - so click the button below to learn more or order yours today!
Meet Our Dream Makers:
Perfect Landscaping
This month we want to send an enormous thank you out to our friends at Perfect Landscaping for their incredible support of our Virtual Auction event last month. The generosity from the team at Perfect Landscaping will allow even more dreams to come true this year, and for that we are so grateful! Thank you!
Carla McLennan and RE/MAX One Group
This year has been like no other. Many occasions and events were postponed or cancelled. One of the fundraising events in support of Ethan's Dream, Spokes and Dreams, was no exception
But Ethan continued to Dream. And the event organizers knew they had to find a way to meet their fundraising goal and help make Ethan's Dream come true.
And that is exactly what they did! A big thank you to our dear friend and Spokes + Dreams creator Carla McLennan, the wonderful folks at RE/MAX One Group, supporters like Rose Church and Justin Pasco, and everyone who donated to Spokes + Dreams! Your incredible support has helped Ethan's Dream come true when it is safe to do so!