Welcome to our second newsletter of 2025.
Dreams Come True Grants
In February, the Foundation opened applications for the first round of grants by sending an email to families who had registered interest through our website. This process was implemented years ago to ensure we reached families that understood our mission, and the life changing experience of a staff-assisted cruise.
We failed to anticipate that the application link would be shared on social media and go viral. Over 4,700 applications arrived in the first 5 days – more than 3,000 from people who had never registered.
Applications from families who had registered are being reviewed first. We appreciate their patience as we diligently work through nearly 1,600 heartfelt stories, the first step to prepare cases for our Board of Directors to approve. Some families will be contacted in the coming weeks for more information to allow informed decisions to be made. All applicants who were not registered previously will still be accepted in the next grant round.
What is a staff-assisted cruise?
The Foundation is partnered with Autism on the Seas, a company that has been creating staff-assisted vacation experiences since 2007. Foundation Program Director Ian recently volunteered as an assistant on a recent cruise and saw firsthand the impact of the AOTS program on the families vacation. Please note, none of these families received a grant from the Foundation, they funded their own vacations directly.
AOTS recruits skilled volunteers from all fields of child therapy and care who join the families on-board. Working closely with the cruise line they can make all aspects of the vacation accessible. The volunteers provide scheduled respite care, support during various ship activities, excursions and at mealtimes; truly they are superheroes.
Ian saw kids with and without disabilities making friends and having a blast. Parents connected and were able to enjoy evenings “on the town”, knowing their children were cared for. Pool time, beach days, visits from the ship’s Chief Dog Officer, “Team Orange” worked tirelessly to make the families experience unforgettable.
You can help give this gift to families in need!
Please act now to help a family:
- Start a Facebook fundraiser and spread the love – click this link to find out how.
- Our Sweepstakes fundraiser is coming May 1st, with a first prize of a $5,000 cruise gift certificate among others. You can buy entries for yourself, and even better create a team of fundraisers and earn rewards. Head over to our Facebook page to find out more.
- Become a recurring donor. Visit our PayPal site to set up your donation and click “Make this a monthly donation”. $10 a month would have an incredible impact over time as our community of support grows.
- Make a one-off donation on the PayPal site above – truly no amount is too small.
Our next Newsletter will be posted at the start of June with a round-up of the Sweepstake Winners and news of our first grant awards.
Thank you for reading and your support for our mission to make Dreams Come True.
