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.
“I see pictures of the memorials all the time in my VFW magazine, but to be there would give me closure, finally.” U.S. Army veteran Gary ‘Lou’ served in Motor Pool Operations in the 528th unit during Vietnam and dreamed of visiting the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington with his son and caretaker, Daniel, to pay respect to the close friends he lost in the war. Thanks to our Dreams for Veterans program and Stars & Stripes Honor Flight, Lou took a Stars & Stripes Honor Flight to Washington, D.C. where he visited a number of memorials. While at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Rep. Glenn Grothman’s (W1-06) Legislative Director, Ryan J. Croft presented Lou with a Vietnam War Commemoration Pin to recognize his courage and service to the nation. Lisa Pape, Deputy Chief Officer of Care Management, Chaplain and Social Work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, attended, along with Dream Foundation board member Vince Griffin.
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, fresh baked cookies, artisanal chocolates and cards to people in hospices, cancer centers and private homes. Each week, roughly 20 volunteers assemble 150 bouquets using donated flowers. In 2018, the Flower Empower program logged 3,535 volunteer hours and arranged 8,938 bouquets. Flower delivery referrals come from cancer centers, nurses, social workers, hospices, elder support organizations and the community at large.
“I was leaving my…oncology appointment…After enjoying a cup of tea on the sun deck, I left to go home. A lady on the first floor greeted me with a bouquet of flowers, compliments of the Dream Foundation and Flower Empower. Today I am still enjoying the lovely blooms, which have cheered me for the past week. What a lovely surprise! Thank you much!”
— GRATEFULLY, PAT
Dream Foundation Dreams touch not only the lives of Dream recipients, but also those of their families. Nearly 30 percent of Dream recipients have young children living at home. Each year, Dream Foundation’s Dream Toy Program reaches hundreds of children who are losing a loved one. With each unexpected gift, we provide an opportunity to create happy memories and smiles. In 2018, our dedicated volunteers logged over 2,077 hours to fill boxes with 1,884 hand-selected toys donated by Hasbro and Ty., Inc., and these were delivered to 628 children in 264 families across the country.
“What a blessing it was to have that experience and make those memories as a family that will last an entire lifetime! The greatest part for me was seeing the pure joy, delight, wonder and awe in my children’s eyes every day that week.”
— MATTHEW, Dream recipient whose children were sent toys through our Toy Program.