Dream-On Foundation, Inc.* * Main Line: 888-546-2357 * Email: DOnonprofit@aol.com

Mission:

The Dream-On Foundation is committed to bringing: Love, Hope, Care and Support to the under-privileged, disabled youth, seniors, foster care kids, homeless or ill children as well as those caught in traumatic situations.

Vision:

At the Dream-On Foundation, there has always been a vision to make others happy and show them that someone cares for their well being.  Through programs and projects like Share-A-Bear, Youth Books, Given-N-Love Blankets, Self image clothing drives, Hook-On Phonics reading tools, awareness programs like "Our Differences Are Our Strengths", we the volunteers and board members can enhance our own lives while enriching the lives of others.

History:

The dream and vision to put forth the mission to found the Dream-On Foundation, Inc. and all it's wonderful programs started in 1993.  Angel (Ward) McCormick, was 19 years old and ran in a Pageant with the hope to win and use her clout to form such an organization. Dreams do come true and Angel won the title Miss Washington USA 1993-94.

The morning after winning her Miss Washington USA title.  Angel woke up and came out of her bedroom dressed in her robe and new crown and told her parents her idea of what to use her year as Miss Washington USA to accomplish.  The idea of helping others was nothing new to Angel, for Marilyn her mother instilled the sense of making a difference long before winning her title.

Angel's aunt Tanya Vimini was disabled from the age of 10 months from a common flu.  Tanya is the younger sister of co-founder Marilyn Pritchard, who is the mother of Angel.  After watching Tanya go through 36 surgeries and constant daily challenges Angel had an even stronger desire to make a difference for those living less fortunate lives than her own.

Angel and Marilyn decided that there was no better way to take advantage of Angel's reign as Miss Washington USA, than to start the  Dream-On Foundation in hopes to hold Pageants for Disabled Youth and Young adults to help build self-esteem.  Dream-On held pageants for the disabled, for approximately 5 years until so many programs and projects came to our attention that needed help in other areas as well.

It is both Angel and Marilyn's life expressions that has shaped the Dream-On Foundation and the many growth changes it has gone through over the last 19 years.  It  started out as a  pageant for the disabled and has grown into many successful projects and now offers desperately needed programs to those in need.

The loss of Angel's younger teen sister is the result of the Share-A-Bear Program and the Hooked On Phonics project and the message "Our Differences Are Our Strengths".  Angel's sister, Sherry Ward  was just 17 years old when her life was cut short.  Sherry suffered with Dyslexia too as well as not being able to deal with the hard-ships at school and how the kids treated her so differently.

Sherry was such a sweet child that she was nickname "Share-Bear" because you could find her with a bear or doll at any age.  But then middle school and high school were hard years for Sherry because no matter how hard she tried to fit in with her popular peers, her learning challenges and her escalating weight seemed to keep her out of the "in crowd".  Through years of rejection and learning challenges, Sherry built up a hardened shell and started hanging out with the only teens that would welcome her in  those who were into drugs and alcohol and who had lost their own drive to succeed as well.  Sherry's life continued to go down-hill with only short periods where we would see a glimpse of the "Share-Bear" we all loved.  Even through all of Sherry's ups and downs, she always turned to her teddy bears for comfort until her death at 17 years old.

The Share-A-Bear program was inspired by 5-yr old Haley-Grace and her mother, Executive Director, Angel McCormick.  "This program is meant to help others who feel hopeless for any reason to know that people do care and love them", says Angel McCormick.  The Dream-On Foundation has provided over 1,500 Share-A-Bears to Foster Children to be carried with them from foster home to foster home.

Without a doubt, Dream-On Foundation will do many great and wonderful projects in years to come and touch even more lives that can be counted in so many miraculous ways, as the dreams and vision of Marilyn, Angel and the newest generation Haley-Grace move forward with their forever quest to give forward and truly make a difference, one person at a time!  It will be the experiences they all bring to the table to keep changing and molding the work of the Dream-On Foundation as needs arise and love and dedication to make something good happen for others less fortunate.

Now that you have read a brief history of what inspired our family to form Dream-On Foundation over 19 years ago and why our family believes that giving forward is an important part of making society whole again, we hope, YOU will be inspired to join the Dream-On Foundation family and start your own family traditions of helping others.

Give us a call at 206-246-4381 and we can assist you on ways to help others. Or, check out our always changing volunteer page for ideas and upcoming functions.  And of course, funds are always appreciated and can be sent to  directly to the Dream-On Foundation.

"Motto"

"Live-To-Give" (tm)

Dream-On Foundation, Inc.