Everyone has a dream. Some dream of a better financial situation; a job; a house; a car; or a trip to an exotic destination. Dreams can have an underlying power that is often overlooked. They provide us with purpose, optimism, and the determination to persevere during some of our worst days. There are moments when it’s difficult to hold on to your dream. This is especially true for children who are battling a life-threatening condition such as cancer.
For more than 30 years, the Reach for a Dream Foundation has helped children fight life-threatening illnesses by helping to fulfil their dreams. These compassionate acts go a long way toward instilling hope in the children and motivating them to fight for a brighter future, under the circumstances. Their dreams range from physical items such as a PlayStation, clothing, a laptop, a smartphone, or a toy to intangible items such as a theme park experience, meeting a local hero, or taking a trip. Different.org have worked together with Reach for a Dream for many years, helping them make dreams come true. Their latest project has recently been fully funded on our crowdfunding platform, Different.org.
Reach for a Dream, like most, was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Not only was it difficult to obtain financing during this time, but they also had to find alternate means to fulfil many dreams due to the restricted contact permitted, as many of the children are immunocompromised. This meant that they had to reinvent the dream, by introducing “Dream in a Box”. The “Dreams in a Box” were personalised to the child in question and consisted of some personal hygiene items in their favourite colour and their dream at the bottom of the box. Due to their long-standing partnership with DHL, these dreams were able to be couriered all over the country to the relevant dreamers.
Their latest project helped to fund some of the “Dreams in a Box”, including the one delivered to Dreamer 1, whose name is withheld to protect her identity, so let’s call her “Naledi”. Naledi is a 10-year-old girl, diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. She is a smart and reserved young girl who enjoys building puzzles and absolutely loves spending quality time with her brother. Her dream was to have a laptop, which Reach for a Dream was more than happy to provide for her. She has a renewed hope to fight for her life and a better future. Her story is similar to Dreamer 2, “Rose”, who also received a laptop when she was 16 years old and is now an Oncology doctor at the hospital where she was treated for cancer.
We love hearing success stories, like these, from the NGOs that are funded through our platform. We commend the work that is done by Reach for a Dream and will continue to work closely with them to fulfil even more dreams.
If you also want to get involved by donating, or you can also refer a child. You can make a difference and support NGOs, like Reach for a Dream, on our platform by signing up and becoming an activist.
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