Anytime Fitness 5K Run/Walk Excelsior Springs, MO
Mark Harmon, diagnosed with Leukemia at 3, was granted his dream of meeting George Brett at age of 5. As an adult, he wants to give back to the Dream Factory by providing the Anytime Fitness 5K Run/Walk. The event will be on Saturday evening, March 31, 2012 at the Excelsior Springs High School football stadium in Excelsior Springs, MO. Registration is from 5pm-6:45PM and the race begins at 7PM.
Larry Moore from KMBC 9 News is the honorary chairman and all the money raised will go directly to the Dream Factory to grant dreams for deserving children.
Visit your local Anytime Fitness location for sign up information or contact Mark T. Harmon at (816)405-3856 or email kcpatriot@gmail.com
Granting Dreams of Sugar Plum Fairies and Snow Princesses in Overland Park
Alexa and her mother were one of the four lucky girls and their mothers to be invited to The Ritz Charles in Overland Park to be part of the annual Nutcracker Tea Party event on December 3rd. Dressed in a special gift from the organizers, Alexa and three other little girls were transported to an enchanted land of dancing snowflakes and sugar plum fairies while they watched the ballet dancers perform and then were able to have a meet and greet, all while dining on a delicious lunch from the Ritz Charles.
Each year, the Friends of Overland Park Arts department treats four daughters and their mothers to this annual benefit. The Friends of Overland Park Arts benefits public art and performance in Overland Park, KS. For more information on this event, please see http://www.nutcrackerteaparty.org. We’d like to thank The Friends of Overland Park for making that day special for those dream families and look forward to next year!
Boulevard of Dreams 2011
The 3rd Annual Boulevard of Dreams was held Friday, August 5th at Boulevard Brewery in Kansas City, Missouri. With over 270 attendees, the event raised close to $40,000 for the Dream Factory of Kansas City. The event, emceed by Steven St. John of 810 WHB with remarks from Larry Moore of KMBC TV Channel 9, was filled with silent auctions and a live auction directed by Kansas City’s own Nigro Brothers. Dreams were presented to two deserving children at the event, with another dream recipient sharing his story for the crowd at hand. A special thank you goes out to all volunteers, event sponsors and food sponsors for making this a successful event!
Hall of Famer Bobby Bell Wins NFL Alumni Kansas City Chapter Golf Classic
Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Bell captained a five-man team that won the NFL Alumni Kansas City Chapter Charity Golf Classic held Monday, July 11 at Oakwood Country Club in Kansas City, Mo. Bell and his team beat out a field of 31 other fivesomes captained by former NFL players who included Hall of Famer Len Dawson, Deron Cherry, Conrad Dobler, Ed Budde, Art Still and Kelly Goodburn.
The tournament was one of 26 tournaments to be held nationwide as part of the 2011 NFL Alumni Charity Golf Tour. Each stop on the tour features an 18-hole scramble event with five-man teams captained by NFL Alumni members.
Net proceeds from each NFL Alumni tournament are donated to youth-related charities. The Kansas City Chapter has chosen the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City to receive proceeds from its 2011 tournament.
By winning the tournament, Bell and his team won an all-expense paid trip to the NFL Alumni’s Super Bowl of Golf (SBOG) XXXII, to be held May 5, 2012 at Sheraton Wild Horse Pass Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Ariz. His team will compete for the championship against winning teams from each stop on the 2011 NFL Alumni Charity Golf Tour.
Bell, a two-time All -American at Minnesota, played his entire 12-year career in Kansas City (1963-74). Known for his speed and versatility, he was named All-AFL/AFC nine times and selected to the All-Time AFL Team in 1970. A member of the Chiefs’ team that won Super Bowl IV against the Minnesota Vikings, he scored nine career touchdowns, one on an onside kickoff return and two on fumble returns. He finished his career with 26 interceptions for 479 yards and became the Chiefs’ first inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1983.
The NFL Alumni is a non-profit organization composed primarily of former NFL players who have joined to advocate for key issues affecting retired players such as medical, financial and career-transition needs while also supporting youth charities.
2011 Gala Big Success
The Dream Factory is proud to announce that our charity gala “A Night for Dreams Come True” held on April 29, 2011 was a great success. A special thanks to all of you who attended and supported The Dream Factory of Kansas City. With your open hearts and donations we were able to raise over $87,000!
This was a very special and memorable evening that was full of great surprises and dreams come true. Three dreams were granted live on stage that included a meet and greet with LeBron James and the Miami Heat, a dream granted to spend the day as a veterinarian, and a dream trip to Disney World for an entire family.
Congrats is in order for all of the board members and volunteers on the gala committee who devoted enormous amounts of time and energy to make this incredible evening happen. We would like to give a big shout out to the keynote speaker Lt. Col. Tony Monetti. He motivated us to fly high and to make the most out of our lives. We are so fortunate he was able to speak at this event, and he did such a wonderful job. We are already looking forward to next year’s gala and hope that all of you will be in attendance. Thanks again!
Green thumbs and sunshine help celebrate the Dream Factory!
Spring showers made way for a surprisingly beautiful evening at the Suburban Lawn & Garden at 135th and Wornall on Friday night, May 20. With live jazz in the background, patrons leisurely strolled up and down the numerous aisles of fragrant herbs, exotic tropicals, and colorful perennials while Dream Factory volunteers mingled among the customers. Nursery experts in red t-shirts provided ‘green’ advice and education to beginner gardeners and veteran landscapers alike.
When Larry Moore of KMBC-TV Channel 9 showed up, all eyes were on Larry as he discussed some fine tips on planting, gardening and even provided some tips and handouts on growing the perfect tomato garden. Owner of the Suburban Lawn & Garden, Bill Stueck (pictured above with Larry Moore and Kathy Roberts), graciously opened up Suburban’s doors and sales to the Dream Factory, for 10% of all purchases made during the event were donated to the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City. We’d like to thank Bill Stueck, Kathy Roberts, the rest of the Suburban Lawn & Garden staff, Larry Moore and everyone who came out to join us for their time and support.
Dream Factory Takes Part in Teen’s Renovation Dream
When Conner, a high school senior, came to the Dream Factory with a big-time dream, Dream Manager Dick Smith knew he’d need to enlist some help from others to get the job done. Much to his delight, the businesses of Newton, Kan. (Conner’s hometown) came together in a big way to transform Conner’s parents’ basement into a picture perfect living space–a dream come true that Conner can share with his whole family! Read the whole story as reported by Ashley Bergner of the Newton Kansan news publication: http://www.thekansan.com/features/x253217276/Dream-Factory-project-completion-celebrated
More Smiles Made Possible by Gary Crossley Ford
The Gary Crossley Ford family chose to celebrate last holiday season by once again committing to donate $100 to the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City for every new Ford car and truck they sold during the month of December 2010. The result? A big $10,000 check presented to Ralph Apel, president of the KC Dream Factory and some of our Dream kids, courtesy of Todd and Ryan Crossley.
“Gary Crossley Ford was proud to again help raise funds for the Dream Factory of Greater Kansas City, knowing that all the money raised goes toward helping children right here in our community,” said Todd Crossley, General Manager of Gary Crossley Ford—a second generation family owned and operated Ford dealership in Kansas City.
According to Todd one of the reasons that he and his brother Ryan chose the Dream Factory was “their mission to provide dreams to children with life altering illnesses in the Kansas City area and that they are a 100 percent volunteer organization.”
The Dream Factory is honored to be the recipient of the Crossley family’s generosity yet again and looks forward to making many more dreams come true in 2011 with their help.