Dreaming Up a Way to Connect

A group of colleagues volunteering at East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in the 1980s realized something. Kids they saw in hospital beds every day talked about what they wanted to do when they got better – go on trips with their families, meet celebrities, visit fanciful locales. But most of these children’s families had poured all their resources into the medical treatments required by the devastating illnesses their little ones were dealing with – so there was precious little leftover for entertainment or fun.

The volunteers were so moved by these dreams that they thought someone should try to make them happen. What they realized was that the “someone” they were looking for was themselves.

Keeping it 100

Since then, others joined in. We conscientiously follow their example by keeping our organization 100% volunteer-based and focusing on fulfilling the dreams of kids aged 3 to 18 diagnosed with conditions like cerebral palsy, cancer, muscular dystrophy and other life-altering conditions.

Our board of directors, advisory board and all who help us are volunteers. We have no brick-and-mortar offices or other overhead expenses. That’s how we continue to ensure that 100% of all donations go directly to fulfilling children’s dreams.*

Our passionate volunteers donate their time, raise money and collect in-kind gifts from local sponsors to transform children’s dreams into reality. For incidental expenses – like post office box rentals, printing supplies, postage and credit card transaction fees – our volunteer board members and the local firms they represent provide direct grant funding.