February 2020: Bomber Basketball, Ice Cream Sundaes, and a Great Skate!
Spring is just around the corner - and we couldn't be more excited! That doesn't mean that we haven't had a ton of fun in February making Dreams Come True, raising funds, and creating more memories here in Manitoba. Keep reading to see we got up to this month!
Pictured: Karsen celebrating his upcoming Dream Come True with a party at Crock-A-Doodle!
Pictured: Karsen is ready to travel in style with his new Dream Factory swag!
Karsen’s Disney Dream Come True
This month we were thrilled to celebrate Karsen's dream come true! Karsen has been bravely battling stage 5 kidney disease, and in 2018 received a kidney transplant from his dad to help him in his fight. His big dream was to visit Disney World with his family and enjoy all of the rides, characters, and treats - of course!
As part of our Beyond Dreams program, we held a party for Karsen and his family at Crock A Doodle to celebrate their upcoming dream come true. It was a blast!
Then, just a few weeks ago Karsen's dream come true! He and his family enjoyed trips to Disney, Sea World, and stayed at Give Kids the World Village. Karsen even celebrated his 4th birthday on his dream come true! Happy Birthday Karsen!
Dragon boat Registration is Now live!
The change in weather means that Dragon Boat season is coming! You can now register for the 2020 River City Dragon Boat Festival on June 5th and 6th at the Manitoba Canoe and Kayak Centre.
We have some exciting changes to share with you this year and we cannot wait - follow along on social media for more details!
Meet Sophie
More importantly, this year's festival is raising funds for Dream Kid Sophie. Sophie has got to be the kindest, cheeriest, most mature little 9 year old that you will ever meet. She loves to run and play with her friends, bake, paint and always puts 110 % effort into anything she does.
Sophie is battling Osteosarcoma - and we need your help to make her dream come true! Click here to learn more about Sophie and her incredible story, or get involved with the River City Dragon Boat Festival to help make her dream come true!
Registration is now LIVE at www.dreamdragonboat.ca
Pictured: All funds raised at the River City Dragon Boat Festival will support Sophie’s dream come true - click here to learn more about her journey and her dream!
A Great day: $5800 raised at the great skate
What a GREAT morning! We could not believe the energy, enthusiasm and SPEED that some Great Skaters brought to The Great Skate event on February 2nd.
It was our first year being involved with this very unique event, and we had such a great experience. Dream Kid Jaxx and his family even came out to skate and enjoy the day!
What’s more - this incredible group DOUBLED their fundraising goal, raising nearly $5800 to make more dreams come true. Congrats to all of the racers on a truly wonderful morning and thank you for your hard work fundraising this past few weeks!
Thanks also to Derek Page and the entire November Project Winnipeg community for all of their work making this event possible. Few others could have made this skate so great - especially on a year with no river trail. We appreciate your commitment to making an impact, and having fun while you’re doing it!
Basketball + blue bombers!
Earlier this month we had the opportunity to be a part of an AWESOME basketball game at Bruce Middle School between our new friends at Manitoba Justice and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
This is part of an exciting new partnership between Manitoba Justice, The Dream Factory, and schools in our community to help make more dreams come true, and have fun while we are doing it!
The game was fantastic, but the real heroes of the day were the students at Bruce Middle School who raised $1000 to support more dreams come true here in Manitoba! Thanks to everyone who came out to support and raise funds for kids in Manitoba battling life-threatening illnesses!
ice cream for breakfast day with black market provisions
February started out on the right foot with Ice Cream for Breakfast Day on February 1st! Our dear friends at Black Market Provisions (if you haven’t been - it’s a must!) hosted a special promotion and sold these adorable and delicious ice cream cups, with all proceeds supporting The Dream Factory and more dreams come true.
This was such a fun way to make a difference, and were blown away to learn that nearly $1100 was raised on Saturday morning. Our sincere thanks to the wonderful team at Black Market, and to everyone who stopped to celebrate!
Meet Enabled Outdoors!
We are so excited to announce that we have partnered with Enabled Outdoors to make more dreams come true, and ensure more kids have access to adventures outdoors.
Enabled Outdoors aims to provide kids with mental or physical disabilities or life-threatening diseases as well as kids who are less fortunate the opportunity to go out fishing, hunting, camping, ATV’ing and any other outdoor activities.
In 2020, we will be working with Enabled Outdoors to ensure our Dream Kids have access to more outdoor adventures, and help make more dreams come true for kids in Manitoba.
We made the exciting announcement at The Manitoba Outdoors Show, where Jason Dyck (TV Host, Canada Hunts) unveiled our new partnership to fellow outdoors enthusiasts alongside his wonderful family. Thank you, Jason, for all you do in the community. You are truly making dreams come true with Enabled Outdoors and we are so thrilled to be working together!
dream maker workshop - Made Here + Small Jane!
This month was the first of a brand new series of workshops hosted by our friends Made Here to connect local makers with the Dream Families they are supporting through their participation in the Made Here store.
We had families come out to DIY Craft Bar (which is an incredible space for crafting!) and work with the incredibly talented Small Jane on a very fun craft! The kids used recycled materials to create their favourite animals and couldn't have been more creative! This would not have been possible without Made Here and the generosity of some really wonderful local makers.
If you haven't had an opportunity to stop by Made Here, you are missing out! There are beautiful local products, and 10% of every sale supports The Dream Factory and more dreams come true. Check it out!
meet a dream maker: karmyn’s sushi krew
With dragon boat season quickly approaching, we wanted to celebrate one of our most incredible fundraising teams from last year's festivals - Karmyn's Sushi Krew.
Our top fundraising team of 2019, Karmyn’s Sushi Krew is an incredible group of family, friends, and staff from Johnston Group. The Sushi Krew came together in support of Karmyn’s dream come true, inspired by her resilience and determined to ensure her dream could come true.
The Sushi Krew raised nearly $13,000 to support Karmyn's dream and we are truly so grateful for all of the hard work and care you put into making a difference for a family in need. Thank you Sushi Krew!
Pictured: Karmyn’s Sushi Krew at a bake sale that they held to raise funds to support their fundraising goal and help bring Karmyn’s dream to life!