On June 10, the Victoria-based Help Fill a Dream Foundation celebrated 35 years … and will announce its 3,500th dream-come-true this fall.
You can help them make the impossible possible, and potentially win BIG in the process – go to Help Fill A Dream to find out how!
One Dream at a time
More than simply filling dreams, Help Fill a Dream Foundation supports families how and when they need it – providing everything from gas cards to get to medical treatments to the construction of a ramp to access their home.
“Each time we work with a family, it changes,” Smith says. “It’s whatever that family needs at that time.”
One critical piece is trying to shift thinking of Dream trips as ‘vacations.’
“It’s so much more. It’s a reprieve, a chance to not have to think about doctors, to reconnect, to give kids a chance to be kids,” Smith says. “At the end of the day, we simply help kids live their lives as kids.”
Since 1986, the Foundation has supported those families from Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands whose lives have suddenly changed due to their child’s diagnosis with a life-threatening/critical condition.
Support can come from the Family Assistance program, helping with practical and financial support, and, when the time is right, Help Fill A Dream children can have their Dream filled.
Over their 35 years, the Foundation team has had a lot of time to reflect on what it means to support local families and help make dreams come true during some of the most difficult times in families’ lives.
“We’ve impacted the lives of thousands of Island children. To see those kids go on to live fulfilling lives, and to see the photos of their graduations and marriages and even the births of their own children, it’s just been so remarkable,” Smith says. “When our donors choose to support us financially, the money is helping kids right here.”
Help local families today!
The Help Fill a Dream raffle is just one way the vital community organization is celebrating its 35th anniversary. A new documentary about helping Island families is also in the works, and Smith is looking forward to a fun, COVID-friendly late-summer launch. Watch the trailer for a sampling of what’s to come!
Learn more about the Foundation at helpfilladream.com
