Dream Program
Donated round-trip tickets are from Southwest Airlines and Alaska Airlines.
Donated airline miles are from United Airlines,Alaska Airlines and Southwest Airlines.
An average flight requires 44,795 miles per ticket.
Jacky, a 65-year-old U.S. Marine and Vietnam veteran, dreamed of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., to “spend time with Marines that didn’t come back with [him].” Dreams for Veterans provided Jacky and his sister, Betty, round-trip flights from Nashville to Washington, three nights accommodations, and money for trip expenses.
Guided by the chief operating officer of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, Jacky found on the wall names of friends he lost during the war. “I will never forget this trip with my brother,” says Betty. “Thank you so much for the memories and for making my brother so happy in his final days. Whenever anyone asks him about the trip, his face lights up.”
Flower Empower is a Santa Barbara-based, volunteer driven program. Since its inception in 1994, Flower Empower has served thousands of community members by providing more than 100,000 bouquets, cookies, artisanal chocolates and cards, hand made by school children and other groups and individuals to people in hospitals, hospices, cancer centers and private homes. Each week, 20 volunteers assemble 150 bouquets using donated flowers. In 2016, the Flower Empower program logged nearly 3,500 volunteer hours and arranged more than 7,000 bouquets. Flower delivery referrals come from cancer centers, nurses, doctors, hospices, elder support organizations and others.
“I get to meet some absolutely amazing people, a lot of them are not doing too well. I love cheering people up. I love seeing their face when I hand them the flowers and I tell them about the cookie and the beautiful card and they are totally surprised. That is the absolute joy. ”
— STEVE SHULEM, VOLUNTEER
Dream Foundation Dreams touch not only the lives of Dreamers, but also those of their families. Nearly 30 percent of Dreamers have young children living at home. Each year, Dream Foundation’s Dream Toy Program reaches hundreds of children who have a loved one with a life-limiting illness. With each gift, we provide an opportunity to create happy memories and smiles. In 2016, our dedicated volunteers donated more than 3,000 hours to fill boxes with nearly 3,200 hand-selected toys donated by Hasbro and Ty., Inc., and these were delivered to 1,200 children in nearly 500 families across the country.
“[The toys] came at a perfect time to bring a big smile to our son.
Love his smile. Thank you.”
— HEATHER,
MOTHER OF TOY RECIPIENT