10,000 votes needed to make young girls dream come true!

Dreams For Kids Network, Inc. would like to lend our support to a local 10 year old girl with Down Syndrome in the Grand Junction area. The Grand Junction community is revved up over a custom NASCAR racer designed by a 10-year-old Niki Lester and we are asking that you join us in helping Niki with her dream.

Niki's NASCAR design features pictures of her friends and family, and calls attention to Down Syndrome, a disorder with which Niki lives.  The winning design will be determined by online voting and it will be replicated on the pace car for the upcoming NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Niki has 6 days left to make the top 10. After April 1, a new round of voting will begin.

The winner of the contest will get an all expense paid trip to Charlotte, NC to attend the race, and will get to ride shot-gun in the pace car. This would definitely be a dream come true! Please help Niki by voting for "Niki's Ride!"once from each computer daily. 

Find out more information about Niki at www.nikisride.com/about. Thank you for your support!

Got Dreams?

Dreams for Kids network is implementing the "Got Dreams?" campaign into Mesa County School District 51. Posters will soon be hanging in all of the local schools to remind students of the Dreams For Kids program and to encourage students to tell their school counselors and school resource officers about their dreams. The counselors and SRO's will bring the dreams to the attention of our board of directors and we will do our best to make these dreams come true. Our message to kids is to "Do your best in school, at home, and in the community. We will do our best to make your dreams come true." 

We are here for kids

I received an e-mail from a young man asking for help to make his dream come true.  His dream was for his family.  He described his family as homeless, having to live in a motel room with three other siblings.  His mom had cancer and could seldom work to provide a weeklong motel stay with sufficient food and clothing.  His dream was to have a home for his family.  We worked with the Housing authority and other community members including a local bank president who wrote a personal check for over $900.00 to get this family a key to their first real home.  Dreams For Kids is about our community giving hope to kids.

I continue to learn as an educator that we should never underestimate the capabilities and qualities of our kids.  Any student can submit a dream request for just about anything for himself, but about half of them request things that will bring joy to someone else.  Their dreams are often for a family member, a friend or acquaintance that is ill, or someone they know that is in greater need.  There are times that the simplest request pulls on a heart string because it is something that most of us take for granted, while some, more than we can imagine, need it to survive.  

Dreams for kids uses community resources, connections, and donations to help over three hundred children’s dreams come true annually.  We make the seemingly impossible possible such as meeting the President of the United States, a famous athlete, or author.  We have helped a student replace an arm he lost in an accident, another to have two front teeth replaced, and still another to meet his real dad for the first time.

We want those of you who have children or work with them daily to know that we are here for them.  When you become aware of a child’s dream and need our help, Please send us a note or contact your school counselor.  Also let us know if you can help make a dream reality or can provide a donation.  A minute of your time could make a lifelong difference for one of our children.

Rudy F. Malesich, President/CEO