The Magic of Being a
Dream Builder
Take a moment to remember your biggest Dream as a child. It may have been to experience the magic of Disney World, or to have the bedroom makeover of your dreams. Think about what it would have meant for that Dream to come true. Now imagine how it would feel knowing you helped create these feelings of hope, joy, and magic to a child struggling with a life-threatening illness.
As a Dream Builder, you know how important a Dream is to these children, and you’ve taken action to ensure their Dream will become a reality. You are a kind, caring, and generous member of our Dream Community.
And an incredibly easy, impactful, and affordable way to take action is to become a Dream Builder! As part of our monthly donor family, your monthly gift will help build the Dreams of sick children in our province. Your kindness and generosity will be the source of the smile on their face.
When you believe in the power of a Dream Come True and take action, you will build so much hope for Dream Kids here in Manitoba.
The average Dream costs over $15,000. In 2022 we made 44 Dreams come true. That’s over $660,000 in Dreams built.
Each Dream consists of smaller pieces. For Malachi’s bedroom makeover that means a new bed, a tv, and toys! For Emma’s backyard, that’s landscaping, a new playset, and beautiful flowers. For Aria’s Dream Trip, it was a plane ticket for her and each of her family members. And for Aysen’s Dream Camper, it’s camping supplies to enjoy the outdoors.
With your help, all the pieces of a Dream can be put together! If this sounds like you, consider becoming a Dream Builder today!
There are so many roles a Dream come true can play for a sick child and their family: it can be a symbol of hope, something to continue fighting for; it can be a celebration of a hard fought battle now behind them; or they can be about memories, creating special moments as a family that will last forever.
We continue to be inspired by the ability of kids to Dream. Whether it’s to become a princess or meet Spider-Man, to embark on adventures around the world, or spend more time with a favourite pastime or passion; a Dream come true lets kids focus on what’s most important; being kids.
But being a Dream Builder helps us do so much more than make Dreams come true.
Our goal is to capture the magic of a Dream come true with every interaction we have with a Dream Kid. From the moment we meet them and they’re welcomed with a special gift package, to the time they decide their Dream, and to long, long after that Dream comes true, your kindness is making a tremendous impact on these Dream Kids.
With the help of our incredible Dream Builders, The Dream Factory creates opportunities for families to make special memories together before and after their Dream comes true. Whenever new Dreams are coming true, we do our best to bring our community together by throwing a Dream Party connected to that child’s upcoming Dream. Of course, it wouldn’t be a party without presents, superheroes, princesses, and face paint!
Many of our Dream Kids and their families stay involved with the organization for years to come through our Beyond Dreams program. Dream Kids and their families are invited to one-of-a-kind community events where they can continue to make special memories together. Dream Kids have attended special meetings with the Blue Bombers and the Jets, spent a day on the race track with a professional race car driver, and have even taken over the local newspaper!
Your kindness helps support the families of these sick children as well. Upon meeting with each new Dream Family, we provide them with access to $3,000 in financial assistance to support with some of the many unexpected costs that come along with having a sick child. Whether it’s covering costs of hospital parking, childcare, groceries, or anything else they may need - it’s our small way of providing some immediate relief to local families living through some of their most difficult days.
You Belong Here.
What does being a Dream Builder mean to you?
Pictured: Brenda’s two grandchildren - one of the reasons she and her husband became monthly donors.
“Brad and I are parents of one daughter, we never thought we would have any children but we were blessed with at least one. Our ‘one’ changed our lives and made us a family. Our ‘one’ became the joy in our lives and our missing link. Our ‘one’ was growing in leaps and bounds into a little toddler. Happy, curious yet something wasn’t quite right with our ‘one’.”
I was home alone with her and she was bee-lining on her hands and knees down the hall and suddenly went limp and lethargic, she began vomiting and kept her eyes closed. I quickly grabbed her put her in her car seat and went to my neighbour to drive us to the hospital. She couldn’t stop vomiting. We waited our turn all the while she is still purging her tiny little stomach. They asked me why I would bring her in with a flu! This was no flu, you aren’t happy and laughing and then out flat in the middle of a stride when you have a flu. They sent us home, just a virus.
Our ‘one’ had the same ‘flu’ 5 weeks later, and again 5 weeks after that and every 5 weeks exactly after that for a year. On our third trip to the ER they finally admitted it can’t be a flu. They did a CT scan we spent the night and it was concluded that she had childhood migraines. Once again we were blessed with our ‘one’. We were preparing for the worst.
We were given tickets to one of the Gala events and we realized again how lucky we were. It was there that we heard the stories of these children who weren’t as lucky as our ‘one’. We cried tears for those who touched our hearts but we never met. We cried for the parents and prayed for their strength. We knew there was a importance to these kids with futures unknown to have a dream, to take their minds off their troubles for at least a little while.
Because of our ‘one’ we became monthly donors to help insure these children can have their dreams come true, to dream is to live and to live is to dream. The Dream Factory community is amazing, filled with all walks of life, all types of people with all kinds of reasons for doing what they do, but the common factor is the love and compassion for the children. These young lives need to dream. Our dream came true for our ‘one’….she grew out of her migraines once she had started kindergarten. Our ‘one’ also blessed us with ‘two’ beautiful grandchildren!! These ‘two’ are one of the reasons we will always donate to The Dream Factory, the other is the love of children's laughter.”
-Dream Builder, Brenda.
GOOD NEWS
As a Dream Builder, you will receive a monthly Building Report to keep you updated on the impact you are having on the Dreams of Dream Kids and how you are bringing a light to an otherwise dark time for them and their family.
The Building Report is a monthly email to remind you how much your contribution matters. We hope it will keep you smiling all month long!