Dreams for Kids has been Changing Lives...One Kid at a Time since 1989.

Our mission is to empower young people of all abilities through dynamic leadership programs and life-changing activities that inspire them to fearlessly pursue their dreams and compassionately change the world.

Our organization was founded by Tom Tuohy, at the request of his mother, Patricia Tuohy. Mrs. Tuohy was a single parent who dedicated her life to raising her four young children and to overcoming any adversity that would stand in the way of their personal welfare and path to independence.

Having given her children the opportunity to achieve their dreams, with one simple request Mrs. Tuohy would create a legacy of dreams come true for future generations of children searching for hope.

Dreams for Kids was born on December 24, 1989, in a small room inside a homeless shelter in Englewood Illinois, in a place called Clara's House.

At the moment Clara Kirk told our dozen volunteers that the fifty four kids living with her would never have known it was Christmas, a commitment was made to reach out further each and every year.

Holiday for Hope

Every year the annual party grew until it became the largest of its kind in the state of Illinois, bringing over 1,200 homeless and underprivileged kids of all abilities together for a special day of giving.

Today, this celebration is a world wide event, Holiday for Hope, It is the Worlds Largest Kids Holiday Celebration with groups in four countries and in the majority of the States of America already committed to host local celebrations of hope on the same day, December 22, 2007.

Extreme Recess!

In 1996, Dreams for Kids was introduced to the world of those with physical and developmental challenges and we soon found out how isolated that world could be. Thus began our program of life changing activities, Extreme Recess!, bringing children from the sidelines of life and giving them the opportunity to be a star.

Kiss of a Dolphin

However, it was when the story of the organization was written, that a movement began.

A moment frozen in time, on a sunny day in Puerto Vallarta Mexico, would define the very essence of unconditional compassion and acceptance. It was the magic of a dolphin's spirit that would teach us the profound effect of reaching out to others.

Kiss of a Dolphin written by Tom Tuohy and published on November 28, 2006, tells this magical story and also the stories of inspiration and generosity which has made Dreams for Kids the organization it is today.

Dreambirds

It was at Kiss of a Dolphins formal introduction in Maui that a former United States Air Force fighter pilot, Jim Hayhurst, stepped form the audience and pledged to repaint the only civilian air show jet team in the country and rename them the Dreambirds -- to fly for peace, for the children of the world and for the global expansion of Dreams for Kids.

Dolphin Spirit

The Dream Leaders practice local acts of kindness and global acts of generosity, passionately making a difference today and becoming citizens of the world.

The dolphin sprit became our inspiration for what we can all accomplish by giving to others. This spirit has launched a movement and touched the lives of thousands. In response, Dreams for Kids programs have grown to a global scale and we are convinced that, together, we can change the world.

One of the dolphins near mythical qualities is its ability and willingness to recognize and respond to those in need.

When a person is in distress, a dolphin will instinctively reach out to assist and protect. Stories abound of dolphins holding injured divers afloat and protecting swimmers from sharks and other dangers. When a dolphin is injured or ill, the entire dolphin community, or pod, will circle the dolphin in need and take turns lifting him or her to the surface to breath. Once strength is regained and the dolphin is able to swim on its own, it is only then the circle of protection separates and the pod swims away together.

"One person can make a difference and every person should try."

From the very first Dreams for Kids event, the hosting of 54 kids homeless kids living in Clara's House in 1989, on Christmas Eve, our organization has remained committed to reaching out to children in need and creating opportunities for them to regain hope, the strength to carry on in life, and to fearlessly pursue their dreams.

With true dolphin spirit, we welcome you to join our mission and help us to change lives...one kid at time. Together, we will change the world.

The Future

If you lose hope, somehow you lose the vitality that keeps life moving, you lose that courage to be, that quality that helps you go on in spite of it all. And so today I still have a dream...

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

The strength of our organization has always been in individuals who care. In response to the overwhelming requests we have received by individuals who ask how they can make a difference and how they can help this mission -- we have created our partnership programs.

We seek to strengthen and expand our life changing activities and world changing leadership programs. In the spirit of the best partnerships, we call upon you to only participate in the ways which you are able, and in ways that make a difference to you.

For some, it may be enrollment as a Dream Leader for others, it is in the recruitment of leaders or in volunteering as a facilitator or, even, giving valuable time at an event. It may be in participating in or organizing your own Holiday for Hope celebration.

For all of us, we have the greatest hope in numbers. As a financial partner in Dreams for Kids, your investment can be as little as 28 cents a day.

However, if we join together, our collective investment can put a Dream Leader in every area of world. There would be Extreme Recess! for every child who lives in isolation. There would be funding for education for every child who is praying for a chance in life. There would alternative income for families in the most remote villages on earth and the end of child labor.

We could inspire and provide opportunities for an entire generation to see past perceived differences among them and work together with a common purpose. A generation can grow up together- and live in a world of peace.

Can you imagine what we could accomplish together?

Will you join us?