Warm Your Hearts!

www.dreamofabetterworld.org/warmyourheart

We're "Warming Hearts" from Hawaii to California to Africa!  Please join us in this wonderful and important project to raise money and awareness that will feed, care and support the homeless in local community… and, create a permanent place to cook for and feed needy orphans in Africa.  

Our new friends at Mauloa have served over 500 hot meals and hygiene / care packages to homeless camps on the North Shore of Oahu, just miles from our headquarters.  They also offer showers, mailing addresses, clothing, bus passes, and job assistant to those able to work.  They take the time to let the homeless know that someone cares enough to give them a help up!  And our job is to raise awareness, support and money that will warm the hearts of the givers and those in need.

Bath Time!

Many of you have followed us over the last 5 years as we supported our dear friends at Our Own Home Orphanage in Uganda.  Their 62 kids at Our Own Home orphanage have no kitchen... well.. their kitchen is unfortunately outdoors with a falling down, leaky roof overhead!  It's a big challenge for them, especially in the winter.  Our goal is to build them a kitchen this Christmas! And, that means we need to act NOW!

Natalie - CA Team 

So, this weekend, we have two separate fundraisers going on!  Thanks to Dream Team Members Natalie and Max Burrous, we have an event DECEMBER 14TH (11:30 - 2 PM)  in California at Doggie Styles in Mill Valley!   And, thanks to Our Hawaii Dream Team Members, Jack and Hannah Button, we will have our annual year end event at Dream of a Better World HQ in Hawaii from 4:30 PM to 6 PM!  So please join Natalie and Max in California or stop by Dream of a Better World and 'Warm Your Heart" by helping the homeless in our own community as well as the precious children of Our Own Home!

We've got lots of great deals on fun household items including sistema's revolutionary microwavable mugs.  The donation behind this soup mug will help warm hearts and fill these children’s lives with food and LOVE, in a very practical way!  

Jack & Moses at OOH

Please join us in one of these locations or donate online. 100% of all donations to "Warm Our Heart!" will go to helping the homeless at home and building this kitchen for the HIV+ orphans at Our Own Home.  Thank you for your continued support!

The Dream Team Kids!

GEARING UP FOR CHRISTMAS!

It’s the Christmas season,

And time to start spreading some holiday cheer

For our troops!

OPERATION HOLIDAY HEROES

PLEASE join us in honoring our men and women in uniform this holiday season. Just like last year, we are collecting household supplies for Fisher House, a home in Hawaii for disabled, ill and wounded soldiers, veterans and their families. They are in need of supplies this holiday season AND we are also collecting funds to purchase gift cards and other needed items for all 19 families living in the home. Please help us spread aloha this season to those who have helped protect us and keep us safe!

If you would like to make a donation for Operation Holiday Heroes, please donate here online at Dream of a Better World, or send your tax-deductible donations to:

Dream of a Better World

P.O. Box 455

Haleiwa, HI 96712

Thank You!

Hannah and the kids

from Dream of a Better World

Supplies Needed:

Laundry Detergent                   Fabric Softener                        Bleach

Clorox Wipes                           Shampoo and Conditioner       Bath Soap

Hand Sanitizers                        Deodorant                                Body Wash

Cleaning Supplies:

Dish Soap                     Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner              Pledge           

Scrubbing Bubbles       Bathroom Cleaner                              Tilex 

Clorox Gel                   Lysol Disinfectant Spray                    409

.

Paper items:

Paper plates of all sizes, paper cups, paper towels, napkins, aluminum foil, Saran Wrap and ziplock bags of all sizes regular and freezer.

Replaceable everyday house items:

Dish towels and cloths, hand towels, bathroom rugs, glasses, bowls, spoons, forks and knives.

The Most Amazing Orphanage in Uganda!

Volunteering at Our Own Home

There are a LOT of friends and donors out there who deserve a great BIG thank you from all of us at Dream of a Better World!  And, as my dad always says,  the best way to thank someone is to share the results!  So while my dad and I are still in Africa, I want you to share in the joy of seeing what can be done in only 3 1/2 years, with YOUR help... and a great partner like Our Own Home!

Me & Moses

It all started four years ago when Carly was volunteering in a baby orphanage in Uganda.  She noticed a small, somewhat sick looking boy named Moses that wasn't getting as much attention as the other kids because he was HIV+ and sick with tuberculosis.  Eventually he was taken in by an all HIV/AIDs orphanage called Our Own Home where he was held and loved, and got the proper medicine and care.  As we began to help out, we learned that Our Own Home needed just about everything!  That's where we ALL came in.

In 2010, cookies for sale.  Yummy!

We started raising money in 2010 with bake sales, garage sales, letter writing and going door to door.  We were struck by their desperate needs, but also by how well the kids there were doing.  Since then, we have raised money for a van to get them to school and to doctors visits, for 4 acres of land, for a dormitory and a new home where they can run and shout and play... and feel loved by God and by "Mommy Holly" and "Daddy William."  A lot of friends, classmates and neighbors have joined us, as well as some other businesses and non-profits!  There are many people to thank, people we have never met and don't really know.  But, we do know what kind of people you are... people who care and want to make the world a better place.

A favorite photo... pure fun with Gloria, Mullikidi & Micah

One of my mom's favorite sayings is that "we need to show up... and finish well."  I think that's what we are ALL doing together.  So, here are some more "results" photos that I hope will encourage you as our way of saying THANK YOU on behalf of all of Dream of a Better World!

4 Acres fertile land - Mar 2010

Immediately planted with potatoes & Maize

1st harvest as building starts!

Celebrating foundation with Jack & Dad

The first dormitory plus Holly & William's main house moved into in June 2012.  There are currently 62 in the dormitory (52 are sponsored) and Holly & William's house is also the guesthouse, volunteer housing and meeting place for nightly devotions.  The kids spend a lot of time in here playing and being a "family."

Dormitory finished June 2012

Main house & guest house finished

Laundry facilities... yep, very important!

Just one day's laundry!  

Housing left & med. wing right.

The medical clinic/volunteer housing is on hold at the moment, but will have a nurses office and pharmacy, housing for the nurse, housing for other volunteers, a kitchen and common area.  We have about $17,000 left on the building and $3,000 in needed supplies still to be funded.  It will be finished when the money is raised.

Some kids arrive VERY, VERY sick.

Nurse Lindsey in current makeshift clinic.

But, it doesn't take long for most kids to bounce back and become well.  Everyone who visits is amazed at how happy and healthy the kids are at Our Own Home.   And on a personal note, my family's lives have been changed forever by this place and by seeing how these kids are so happy and so grateful with so little.  Again, thank you so much!  - Hannah & all of Dream of a Better World.

Happy Baby Nicholas!

Here are some more "thank you" photos!

Gordon, getting better.

Me and the gang!

JUMP!

Elijah

Alagaya

Jude, the best smile ever!

Lunch is beans & posho

Fred

Dad and his gang!

Ms Personality - Rachell

Fun with pipe cleaners!

Me taking Jackie to the clinic in town.

Amazing OOH Founders William & Holly with son, Israel.

Heroes & Remembrance Run 2013! "Boots on the Bridge"

Thank you from Hannah Button and the Dream of a Better World kids!

September 7th was the second running of the Hero's & Remembrance Run, sometimes called: "Boots on the Bridge."  It was a beautiful, special day that we will always remember.  Thank you EVERYONE for showing up and giving your support!  

Thank you Theresa Johnson and the staff at Tripler Fisher House for pouring so much of your life into helping all of us remember those hero's who gave their lives for us and our country!   We will never forget the 6,728 killed in action since 9/11! The boots, the names and faces and the many tearful participants are forever etched in our hearts and minds.

For those of you who don't know, this is our fourth project with Tripler Fisher House and it is always a huge blessing to be apart of something so special, and to help our military families who have sacrificed so much for us.  This project was a huge success.  The kids of Dream of a Better World, with the help of a small army of classmates and neighbors and donors and volunteers, got to help put an American flag in every boot.  And, every boot had the name and face of a hero killed in combat since 9/11.

There were 6,728 boots lining the memorial 8K run that will help all of us to "Never Forget" those that gave their all.  Dream of a Better World also raised the money for the water given out to participants and for the port-a-potties!  We don't know for sure, but we think there were around 8,000 who joined us on September 7th for this event!  

Thank you especially to the Richvalskys who were instrumental in organizing and providing all of the 6,728 laminated photos.  Their son "DJ" bravely served in Afghanistan and knew too many of the names and photos that lined the Ford Island Bridge this year.

Words cannot describe the appreciation we have for dedication and unbelievable sacrifice of the men and women who's boots lined the Ford Island bridge.  We recognize and honor you... and, know that We will NEVER forget!

Fisher House Hawaii is one of 58 locations worldwide supporting America's military in their time of need.  Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 17,000 families, and have made available over four million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990.  Fisher House is funded by public donations and you can donate to Tripler Fisher House on-line at www.DreamOfaBetterWorld.org or mail donations to: Tripler Fisher Houses, 317 Krukowski Rd., Honolulu, HI  96819.

REMEMBERING OUR HEROES!

Remembering our Fallen Heroes

4th of July is such a great time to celebrate our FREEDOM and all of the liberties that we have as U.S. citizens.  And it also a time to remember the cost of building and maintaining our freedom.  That's why Dream of a Better World wants to make a difference by supporting our troops, and especially those that have given their all for our freedom.

July 4th Gift Baskets for Troops!

Since 9/11, there have been 6,701 U.S. soldiers killed in action and we want to help remember each and every one of them.  So we have set a goal to purchase a FLAG for every fallen soldier killed in action since 9/11.  On September 7, 2013 the "Hero & Remembrance Run" will take place on Ford Island and  there will be a pair of boots and a personal photo of each soldier as a memorial.  We are honored to help place an American flag in each one of those boots as part of this memorial.

Jack, DJ & Hannah at fundraiser/bake sale

Our good friend Lance Corporal David James "DJ" Richvalsky was injured in Afghanistan and has helped us to understand how important it is to remember those that gave their lives in combat for our freedoms.  In remembering his own experience in combat, DJ told us that he would "give his own life to bring back those heroes" fighting along side of him who gave their all.  "Since we can't bring them back, it's important to remember the total sacrifice that they made."  The "Hero and Remembrance Run," sometimes called "Boots on the Bridge," is an incredible visual reminder which Dream of a Better World is proud to be a part of.

If you'd like to remember our heroes and support our troops, please come out on September 7th and join in the run.  And, if you'd like to help us supply those flags, please DONATE NOW by clicking on our "SUPPORT OUR TROOPS" donate button above and to the right OR the link below.

Thank You and a very Happy 4th of July!              

- The Dream Team Kids

SUPPORT OUR TROOPS

EXPECT A MIRACLE!

As many of you already know, our dear friend, Jim Erickson, has been diagnosed with a very aggressive and life-threatening cancer called Acute Myeloid Leukemia (or AML).

Artist Jim Erickson

This terrible disease took Jim by surprise, as just a few months ago he was busy creating beautiful stained glass art and living a healthy and happy life with his wife, Margo.  Today he is in a serious and long-term fight for his life.  He is currently hospitalized while undergoing chemotherapy in Hawaii and then he and Margo will need to move to the mainland for at least 6 months for Jim to have a complete bone marrow transplant.

This disease has created a huge financial hardship for Jim as he will be unable to work for at least a year. Medical expenses are already piling up and we all want to be sure that he is able to receive the very best treatments that will give him the greatest chance of survival and healing.

                                How Can You Help?

Handsome as ever and still smiling!

First of all, Margo has specifically asked that we all please keep Jim in our thoughts and prayers. Pray for wisdom for the doctors, comfort and pain control for Jim and pray that this cancer will be completely eliminated and Jim will be cured!

There will be various fundraisers scheduled on the island of Oahu over the next few months.  This will include an event on September 1^st at the polo field, a bake sale and a silent auction and dinner scheduled for later in the year.

For the easiest and best way to help, please make a donation by clicking on the"Expect a Miracle" SQUARE BUTTON in the right hand column...  or, you can write a check to:

Dream of a Better World

P.O. Box 455

Haleiwa, HI 96712

Please note on check: Expect a Miracle 

Expect a Miracle!

With gratitude and hope,  
Dream of a Better World and 
Friends of Jim Erickson!


Dream of a Better World is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization and 100% of your donation will go towards making "Expect a Miracle" a reality.