November Blog: Kid Police Chief, Santa Claus Parade, Local Makers, and a Movie Night!
The holiday season is here and we couldn’t be happier. Our Dreams come true feel even more magical during this time of year, and we’ve been taking a few moments to reflect on what a special year it’s been. That doesn’t mean it hasn’t been a busy month, check out what we’ve been up to!
Letter From A Parent of Two Dream Kids: Meet Sara and Nathan
Pictured: Sara and Nathan after their first meeting with The Dream Factory
Pictured: Nathan and Sara on a day where they both needed to be in the hospital battling their illnesses.
We shared a little bit about Sara’s dream come true last month, but there’s a whole lot more to her dream come true than we were able to share - including the fact that her brother Nathan also had a dream come true this year. We are so grateful that Sara and Nathan’s mom chose to share their story with us. Check out an excerpt below, and click here to read more:
2018 brought some difficult days for our family. Especially for Nathan and Sara, who had some very tough treatment days, missed an entire year of school, and had to spend so much time away from home, friends and family. In the midst of all of that darkness, The Dream Factory gave them a bright spot to focus on.
Brainstorming the BIG dreams and planning all the small details gave them a break from thinking about the next doctor’s appointment, treatment, procedure, or hospital stay. Instead, they were focused on something fun and exciting. We could not be more grateful to this amazing organization…
If you’d like to make more dreams come true for kids like Sara and Nathan, and support families like Anita’s, please consider making a donation this holiday season. Every single gift helps bring us closer to more dreams come true here in Manitoba. We could not be more appreciative for your support.
Chief Luc is on Duty! WPS Police Chief for The Day!
Dream Kid Luc had a very special experience at this year’s Santa Claus Parade when he was invited to become the Police Chief for the Day by our friends at the Winnipeg Police Service! Luc had the opportunity to meet Police Chief Danny Smyth, tour the police station (including a meet and greet with a police dog!), and then march alongside the WPS in the Santa Claus Parade. The march was compete with all of the lights and sirens you can imagine, so if you heard or saw the police at the Santa Claus Parade, that was Chief Luc at work!
Our friends at the WPS always go above and beyond to make the Santa Claus Parade a very special day for one of our Dream Kids, and it means the world to us. Our thanks to the WPS for all they do here in our community.
Made Here MB: Local Makers Raise $20,000 for Local Children’s Charities
Pictured: Recipients from The Dream Factory, and our friends at Art City, Snowflake Place, and Junior Achievement MB
Pictured: The Dream Factory Executive Director Howard Koks accepting a donation from Made Here from Vantage CEO and Dream Factory Board Member Kyle Romaniuk.
We were very proud to be one of four local kids charities to receive a donation from Made Here earlier this month. For the last year, Made Here has cultivated a beautiful space full of incredible local products, with a portion of every single sale supporting kids in Manitoba.
We are also so excited to share that Made Here is staying open! If you are trying to shop local this holiday season, Made Here has everything you could need, and you'll be helping make more dreams come true!
To our friends at Made Here and Vantage Studios - thank you for creating this space and for a very generous donation. We are so appreciative!
Beyond Dreams Movie Night @ The Park Theatre!
As part of our NEW Beyond Dreams program, we do our best to send our kids off on their Dream Trip adventures in style! Earlier this month we hosted a pizza party and movie night (complete with a few princess guests!) at The Park Theatre to celebrate some very exciting dreams upcoming come true.
A very special thanks to Greer Shenkarow and all of our generous donors who help make special celebrations like this possible! To learn more about our Beyond Dreams program and how you can get involved, visit www.thedreamfactory.ca/beyonddreams.
Deadlifts for Dreams is BACK!
This month we were SO excited to share that one of our favourite events from 2019 will be back bigger and better than ever in 2020! Deadlifts for Dreams 2 will be on March 28th, 2020 and you can sign up TODAY at www.deadliftsfordreams.ca
After raising an incredible $24,000 to make Maya’s dream come true, Deadlifts for Dreams is BACK to bring together some of Manitoba’s strongest to raise funds for Apollo’s dream come true. Apollo is a little boy in our community who knows the true meaning of strength… read more
Not a power lifter but want to get involved? It’s not too late to learn! Contact Dave at Midtown Barbell for more info. Or you can get involved as a sponsor, volunteer, spectator or support the event with a donation! Together, we will make another dream come true!
Video Flashback: Sobeys Pumpkin Carving + Blue Bombers Practice
We wanted to flashback to two fun events from earlier in the year and share some really fun videos with you.
First, our friends at Sobeys, Safeway, and IGA hosted the first annual Pumpkin Carving Party at the Sobeys Community Room in their Pembina location. We had 6 families join us for a fabulous party: delicious snacks, sweet treats, and some spooky pumpkins! Just check out some of these creations! Sobeys is a proud partner of The Dream Factory's Beyond Dreams program, and we couldn't be more appreciative!
Second, our Dream Kids were SO excited to cheer our friends at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to victory at this year's Grey Cup! Coach LaPolice and the entire Bombers organization have always been so good to us, and our families sent lots of love and good luck heading into the big game. Check out this awesome footage from earlier this summer to see how just how wonderful the Bombers are with our Dream Kids. Go Bombers!
Meet A Dream Maker: Jim Gauthier + Gauthier Automotive Group
Pictured: Mr. Jim Gauthier with The Dream Factory Executive Director, Howard Koks at the 2019 Dream Maker Auction
This month we wanted to send out congratulations to a very important member of The Dream Factory family, Mr. Jim Gauthier. Mr. Gauthier was recognized as the Outstanding Philanthropist of the Year at the AFP Manitoba Philanthropy Awards - an honour that is so deserved!
Jim has been an integral part of The Dream Factory's success from the very beginning, and has been directly responsible for many, many dreams come true here in Manitoba. Congratulations Jim, we are so proud to have worked with you all of these years, and cannot thank you enough for your incredible support!