December 2021: A Dream Book Update, Travis’s Dream Comes True, and The Great Skate is Back!
2022 is here! While we could not be more excited about the year ahead, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on a terrific December and end to 2021. Last month, we launched our first ever Dream Book, completed an incredible bedroom makeover, brought back one of our favourite outdoor community fundraising events, and were supported in some incredibly generous ways by folks in our community. Keep scrolling to read all about it!
The Dream Book Raises $110,000+ for More Dreams in 2022!
Dream Community, we are already so excited about 2022 - and there’s one big reason why: YOU! With you by our side, there’s nothing we can’t do for sick kids with BIG dreams.
The 2021 Dream Book (the first-ever Dream Factory Holiday Gift Guide) was filled with the dreams of children who, despite everything, still dream BIG. Inside there were so many gifts to choose from like a toy, a poster, a stuffed animal, a television, a picnic table, outdoor games, a family dinner, a backyard makeover, an outdoor playset, or even, a dream come true! These gifts mean the world to a child with a life-threatening illness, especially during the holiday season.
Over the holidays, you, and other generous supporters like you, raised over $80,000 through The Dream Book to help make the dreams of children with life-threatening illnesses come true. That’s incredible! YOU are incredible! What’s more, $30,000 of that has been MATCHED by our generous friends at Bonafide Construction Solutions. This means the impact of your special holiday gift is going even further right now - you've helped raise over $110,000 to bring more Dreams to life!
We are humbled by the depths of your love for children with life-threatening illnesses in Manitoba. Because of you, they have so much to look forward to in 2022. Thank you for being there for Dream Kids.
We’d also like to send out a huge, heartfelt thank you to our friends at Bonafide Constructions Solutions. They have been amazing friends to Dream Kids over the years. We are so grateful for their continued support as part of our Dream Community. THANK YOU, Bonafide Construction Solutions!
Dream Update: Travis’s Bedroom Makeover Dream Comes True!
Travis’s ultimate bedroom makeover is COMPLETE because of YOU, our incredible Dream Community! This makeover has been a year in the making! In December 2020 our amazing friends at Park Line Coffee were busy making the Warrior Hot Chocolate - nearly 900 cups, to be exact - in support of his dream. This raised an incredible $14,000 to help bring Travis’s Dream to life!
We also want to give a special thank you to all of the matching donors for the Warrior Hot Chocolate: Amber van den Broek & Associates - Re/max Executives Realty, Bonafide Construction Solutions, Lehigh Hanson, MJ Roofing, and one Anonymous Donor.
Finally, a massive thanks to Hilton Homes for building the perfect space for Travis to call his own. The Hilton Homes team did a wonderful job bringing Travis’s vision to life by creating a peaceful space to rest and unwind.
Each of your incredible support helped to ensure Travis's Dream could come true in 2021! A heartfelt thanks to all involved in making Travis’s Dream a reality! Below are some before and after photos of Travis’s bedroom, and you can read more about Travis’s story here.
The Great Skate is BACK!
The Great Skate is an outdoor race and community fundraising event that began in 2016 to get Winnipeggers out on the River Trail to take advantage of winter and show off their skating prowess.
Since 2020, The Great Skate has been raising funds to support The Dream Factory, and make more dreams come true for Manitoba kids battling life threatening illnesses. In that time, skaters have raised nearly $20,000 to make Dreams come true; and we are hoping that this year will be the biggest skate yet!
Every year, the event has grown in popularity and we have seen our Great Skaters come out on days colder than -40C to participate. The Great Skate community is a hardy bunch, and has intentionally chosen the coldest weekend of the year to host their annual race. We will be dressing for the weather and lacing up, even on the coldest of days!
This year's Great Skate is in support of Dream Kid Rylyn. Rylyn is 12-years-old and is an avid hockey fan (and therefore, a fellow Great Skater!).
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rylyn was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia - a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Her treatment lasted 6 months, and included four cycles of intesive chemotherapy. At one point, she lost so much weight that she had to use a feeding tube to ensure she was recieving proper nourishment.
While undergoing treatment in the hospital, Rylyn had the opportunity to regularly participate in music therapy and took an immediate liking to the ukulele. When the current travel restrictions are lifted and it is safe to travel, Rylyn’s dream is to visit Hawaii, play an authentic Hawaiian ukulele, and go zip lining through the Hawaiian jungle.
With your support, we will be able to make Rylyn's dream of visiting Hawaii (as soon as it's safe to do so, of course!) with her family a reality. Please consider joining us for this year's Great Skate and raising funds to help make dreams come true for kids like Rylyn right here in our community fihgting life-threatning illnesses.
December Community Thank You’s
Our new friend Miley stopped by with an incredible gift for Dream Kids! This young philanthropist won a Halloween costume contest hosted by @thezettergrengroup and generously chose to donate her winnings ($500!) to help make more Dreams come true! Thank you Miley and @christiejones_ for visiting us here at The Dream Factory and for joining our Dream Factory family! We are so grateful you are in our Dream Kid's corner!
Our incredible friends at Manitoba Young Brokers Network hosted a Comedy Night at Rumor’s Comedy Club in support of our Dream Kids and it was a smashing success! They sold 160 tickets that resulted in a $1,620 donation to The Dream Factory! Thank you Manitoba Young Brokers Network for being wonderful friends to Dream Kids in Manitoba!
A big thank you to our friends Princess Auto! Their fantastic team delivered a big box of holiday goodies for our Dream Kids and put a big smile on many faces! Thank you to the Princess Auto team for being such a fabulous part of our Dream Community!
In December our friends at Fairmont Winnipeg brought back their Santa Lounge for photos with Santa in support of The Dream Factory! Thank you to Fairmont Winnipeg for being a part of our Dream Community and helping make dreams come true!
Dream Kids and their families were treated to a private screening of the new Spider-Man movie thanks to our friends Endeavour Wealth Management. They were able to take in a show, enjoy some delicious snacks, and some quality family time. Thank you Grant and the whole team at Endeavour Wealth Management for giving Dream Kids the VIP treatment! We are so grateful you are part of our Dream Community!
