So, it’s with a lot of joy, excitement, and nervousness that I finally get to share this!
Dream a Reality is a new project that I will be starting up in 2017 and it’s something very personal and near and dear to my heart.
This summer, my four year old cousin, Lexi, was diagnosed with cancer and on October 19, 2016, that beautiful little girl lost her battle. The pain still remains and it will for sometime, but I know that Lexi wouldn’t want us to just sit there and be sad for her. No, she was such a selfless little girl for even at four years old, fighting her own battle, she would comfort other children that were crying in the hospital because they were in pain.
Dream a Reality is a project inspired by Lexi.
Walt Disney once said, “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality.”
Childhood cancer is something terrible that most people don’t think about; children shouldn’t have to suffer from such a thing and yet it can happen. As Lexi comforted those in pain, I wish to do as much of that as I can and make that dream of not hurting, even just for a little bit, a reality.
This plan, much like a magic lamp, will eventually fold out into three different phases.
1. I will open up an etsy shop. Disney-themed items will be flagged with the Dream a Reality logo, which means 50% of the price of that item will be donated to an organization called Rainbow Connections.
Rainbow Connections is like the Make-a-Wish Foundation, but is limited to Michigan children that are battling life threatening illnesses.
http://www.rainbowconnection.org/
The goal is to one day be able to sponsor a child’s wish trip ($5,000 on average) from the sale of these items.
2. CorgiButt Cosplay (my cosplay page) and friends whom are interested will make costumed visits to children in hospitals. While I do plan on this starting as Disney Princess trips, I look forward to expanding that horizon.
3. Children that are eligible for Rainbow Connections can be entered into a monthly drawing. The winner of that drawing will win a custom made costume as well as a gift basket.
I will be working to launch a Kickstarter beginning January 2017 to get the first part of this project going. I’m hoping to launch the etsy store on March 18th, Lexi’s birthday. As time goes on and my skill improves in both craft and costume making, I do plan on rolling out the other two plans (in phases).
There are so many wonderful people on here, so I ask, please share this. Not just for Lexi, but for other children that are suffering from illnesses that they are too young to have to face. I may not be able to find a cure for them, but if even for a moment, I can distract them from that pain, then to me, that is Dreaming a Reality.
