Dreams Come True (non-profit)
Encyclopedia
- Not to be confused with Dreams Come True (charity), a BritishUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Registered Charity granting wishes to terminally ill children.
Dreams Come True (DCT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, begun by Tom McGehee
Tom McGehee
Thomas Rive McGehee, Sr. was a Jacksonville, Florida business and civic leader who served on the boards of over twenty entities and founded the charity, Dreams Come True.-Early years:...
and his wife Delia, that grants the dreams (within certain parameters) of children with life-limiting illnesses. In 2009, the organization celebrated a quarter century of service and over 2,500 dreams fulfilled.
History
In 1984, McGehee, co-founder of Mac PapersMac Papers
Mac Papers, headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, USA is the largest supplier of quality printing paper and envelopes in the Southeast United States, delivering 100,000 tons of paper each year.-History:...
, learned about George Lee, a 17-year-old teenager with cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis
Cystic fibrosis is a recessive genetic disease affecting most critically the lungs, and also the pancreas, liver, and intestine...
. Lee's dream was to play with golfer Fred Couples
Fred Couples
Frederick Steven Couples is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. A former World No. 1, he has won numerous events, most notably the 1992 Masters Tournament. In August 2011 he won his maiden senior major at the Senior Players Championship...
, and the McGehees fulfilled George’s dream. Lee died less than a year later, but was buried with a driver given to him by Couples. McGehee presented the idea of a charitable group that fulfills the wishes of children with terminal conditions to local business leaders, including Hugh Jones, Chairman of Barnett Bank
Barnett Bank
Barnett Bank, founded in 1877, eventually became the largest commercial bank in Florida with over 600 offices and $41.2 billion in deposits. The purchase by NationsBank was announced August 29, 1997, but even before signs on Barnett's branches were changed, NationsBank merged with BankAmerica in...
; Jay Stein and Jack Williams of Stein Mart
Stein Mart
Stein Mart is a nationwide department store based in Jacksonville, Florida. The company reported a profit of nearly $24 million in 2009 with operation of 264 stores in 30 states and the District of Columbia. Stein Mart has locations primarily in the Southeast and Texas. Stein Mart's stores carry...
; and Dr. Roy Baker, Chairman of University Medical Center
Shands Jacksonville
Shands Jacksonville Medical Center is a teaching hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is one of seven hospitals in the Shands HealthCare system and functions as the Jacksonville campus for the University of Florida's Health Science Center...
. They supported the concept, and Dreams Come True was created. At the time, McGehee owned television station channel 47
WTEV-TV
WTEV-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Florida's First Coast licensed to Jacksonville. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on UHF channel 19 from a transmitter on Hogan Road in the city's Southside section. The station can also be seen on Comcast channel 6 and in high...
, and the charity began work in an empty office there.
Laine Silverfield was the first employee, hired to work part-time in 1988. The budget was $30,000 and in the first four years, they arranged the dreams of about nine children per year. Over 20 years, she was named Executive Director, then later, President of the board of Directors.
When Tom McGehee died in 2002, DCT had granted the dreams of 1,275 children. According to Suzanne Crittenden, former DCT Associate Director, "His promise to every child was that 'if you have a life-threatening illness, you will have a dream come true.' He left a big void, but he's charged Dreams Come True with quite a mission." In the next seven years, the organization nearly doubled the number of dreams fulfilled in the previous 18 years.
A new home built for the organization was dedicated on September 3, 2002 in honor of Tom McGehee. The 4,600 ft² facility at Southpoint Parkway was virtually free of cost to the non-profit. The land, construction material and labor were donated by businesses.
Ms. Silverfield, who retired in 2008, had been the first director until she was named President following McGehee's death. Suzanne Crittenden replaced Silverfield as Executive Director and served until Florida Times-Union business writer Karen Brune Mathis replaced Ms. Crittenden in 2008. In 2010, Karen Brune Mathis returned to reporting as the managing editor for the Jacksonville Financial News and Daily Record. Currently Jimmy Kelly serves as Executive Director.
Program
Dreams Come True is the only locally based nonprofit organization in Jacksonville, FL dedicated to fulfilling the dreams of local children battling life-threatening illnesses.Eligibility
The organization serves children from 2½ up to age 18 who have a life-threatening illness such as AIDS, cancer, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, leukemia, muscular dystrophy or kidney dysfunction. They must be referred by their physician and live in or be treated innortheast Florida or southeast Georgia.
Dreams
The most common dream for young children is going to Disneyworld. Other activities have included swimming with dolphins, meeting celebrities, big game fishing, seeing the volcanoes of Hawaii, a glacier in Alaska, going on a shopping spree, taking a cruise and touring Washington, D.C. or New York City. Today, an average dream costs $4,600.Each child can only be granted one dream, but the organization invites past recipients to special events, such as their "Children of Christmas" Party. In 2009, the 19th annual celebration was held at a CiCi's Pizza
CiCi's Pizza
CiCi's Pizza is an American buffet restaurant chain based in Coppell, Texas, specializing in pizza. There are approximately 600 franchised and corporately owned restaurants in 35 states...
and a large section of the parking lot was blocked off for a display of Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office is a joint city-county law enforcement agency, which has primary responsibility for law enforcement, investigation, and corrections within the consolidated City of Jacksonville and Duval County, Florida, United States...
police cars and motorcycles; Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department
The Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department is the agency that provides fire protection and emergency medical services for Jacksonville, Florida. The department also serves all unincorporated areas of Duval County from 56 fire stations.-Fire Stations:...
fire engines, rescue units and a mobile command center; but the highlight was the arrival of Shands Jacksonville
Shands Jacksonville
Shands Jacksonville Medical Center is a teaching hospital in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is one of seven hospitals in the Shands HealthCare system and functions as the Jacksonville campus for the University of Florida's Health Science Center...
's Trauma One helicopter
Air ambulance
An air ambulance is an aircraft used for emergency medical assistance in situations where either a traditional ambulance cannot reach the scene easily or quickly enough, or the patient needs to be transported over a distance or terrain that makes air transportation the most practical transport....
These special events are part of the organizations Special Times Program. Special Times provides the dream child and his or her family a time to momentarily forget the realities of life-threatening illnesses. It may be dinner at a favorite restaurant, tickets to a Jacksonville Jaguars game, a relaxing evening at the movies, a day of beauty, concert or theater tickets, a gift certificate to a store, new release DVDs or even a special holiday or birthday treat. Whatever the opportunity, Special Times reminds the children and their families that they are special and loved.
Purpose
Having a dream fulfilled gives a child and their family a reprieve from the necessary medical treatment that these children must endure. It can give hope and create memories that help carry them through difficult times. A child’s attitude toward treatment can be dramatically impacted by having a dream fulfilled, according to medical professionals.Performance
In 2009, Dreams Come True received Charity Navigator’s highest 4-star rating for sound fiscal management for the fifth consecutive year. Only 4% of the nonprofits Charity Navigator rates have received at least 5 consecutive 4-star evaluations.Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator
Charity Navigator is an independent, non-profit organization that evaluates American charities. Its stated goal is "to advance a more efficient and responsive philanthropic marketplace by evaluating the financial health of America's largest charities."-About:...
evaluates non-profit performance and rates organizations.