How to Start A High School Dream Factory Club Kelley Skillin-Smith – Katie Smith Skip Welch-Chris Chapin

DF HS Club History In 2009, students from Gorham High School formed the first Dream Factory Club to help raise money and awareness of our mission. The High School had a community service commitment that was required for students to graduate, and two of our Board members had students in the Gorham school system, so creating a club to help promote our efforts made sense.

DF HS Club History Since their inception, The Gorham High School Dream Factory Club has:  Volunteered 1000’s of hours to our various events.  Raised thousands of dollars to help grant dreams.  Have created a Princess Breakfast event that they have every year.  Have had several articles written about their efforts over the years.  GHS has created a graduation sash for Dream Factory Club Members!

DF HS Clubs - Current Currently have 6 active clubs in the greater Portland area. Close to 300 active members Clubs hold joint meetings to brainstorm new fund raisers. Currently selling 3,000 “Golden Ticket” raffles for net of 10-12K. DF Club exposure at Maine Marathon helped secure a $50,000 donation to our chapter!

DF HS Clubs - Future Hope to start 2-3 new chapters this year (1 created - 1 forming). Next year start clubs in central & northern Maine that will eventually spawn new DF Chapter. Want to create signature fund raising event for DF Clubs that will raise 50k a year. Start a Dream Factory Club at the college level.

Why Chapters should start DF Clubs Fund raising capabilities. If you get a couple of successful clubs operating, they can raise enough money to help grant dreams. – High School students are great at asking and receiving support from local businesses, use that to your advantage. The more fundraisers they hold- the more awareness is created for your chapter.

DF HS Club History

Why Chapters should start DF Clubs Volunteer help. Are you stretched thin for volunteers? – Dream Factory clubs will solve that problem immediately. Even a small club could provide 5-10 volunteers per event. – Not only will the kids get involved, but you may also get their parents interested in serving on your Board or approaching their companies to support your chapter.

Why Chapters should start DF Clubs Awareness of the Dream Factory and your mission – Newspapers are eager to report the activities of local youth that are making a difference, and this helps promote your Dream Factory Chapter. – Having the local schools aware of your mission will help identify children that should be granted a dream. These kids are social media wizards- they will get you message out!

Why Chapters should start DF Clubs Helping your local teenagers meet their community service requirements. – Many school districts have a community service requirement to graduate. By starting a Dream Factory Club, you have created a very easy avenue in order for them to meet those requirements. Club members are exposed to the compassion that your chapter brings to fulfilling dreams. This is a life lesson that will last a lifetime for these kids.

Why Chapters should start DF Clubs Creating a chance for Dream Families to give back. – How often has a dream family asked “how can we help?” Do they have children in a local High School? What a great way to give back by helping start a Dream Factory Club. – At our last summer dream family picnic, we passed out 5 information packets to parents that were interested in starting a club in their high schools.

How to start DF Clubs Identify High Schools that would be well suited to have a DF Club: – Research schools to determine if they have a community service requirement (most private schools do, often requirement of National Honor Societies). – list schools that you have done dreams for their students. This is a natural in. – Determine if you have any contacts in the schools that have been identified. – If not, send an introductory letter to a school guidance counselor or administrator and ask to make a presentation to them.

How to start DF Clubs Identify students that would be well suited to lead a DF Club: – HS students of DF Board members – HS Students of friends and relatives – HS Students of Dream families Provide these students with information packet on How to start a Dream Factory Club. Help them identify a school advisor that will provide guidance and oversight for the club.

How to start DF Clubs Once you have identified students that want to start a club, they will need to: – Meet with the club advisor. A club advisor is not an adult/teacher that is supposed to babysit the club; they are a trusted mentor. – The club advisor needs to meet with the schools administration to get approval for a Dream Factory Club. – Schedule the first meeting and help the students recruit new club members. – Attend the first meeting and insure that all the students understand our mission and their responsibilities.

How to start DF Clubs The first meeting should be informational where the mission of the Dream Factory is presented and the purpose of the High School Dream Factory Club is discussed. You should review the level of commitment that is expected, as well as outline how you will support the Dream Factory. Encourage friends to attend, even if they only have a mild interest. After learning of the Dream Factory’s mission, many will elect to join the club.

Dreams Come True “Kids Helping Kids” Program Participants

Why students should join DF Clubs Making a Difference There is something special about “kids helping kids”, but once they experience what it means to grant a deserving child a dream, they will truly “get it”. It can be a life changing experience. Perhaps there is a classmate in their school that would benefit from a dream?

Why students should join DF Clubs Having fun! Our club volunteers participate in our annual picnic for the dream families and handle all of the fun activities, from sack races to tug of wars, face painting etc. They volunteer at our Annual Make your own Candy Cane event, and man a water station at the Maine Marathon as well. It is also a great opportunity to meet club members from other schools at these events.

Why students should join DF Clubs Providing perspective. To understand what our dream kids go through provides a perspective that many people take years to acquire. Maybe their day isn’t so bad after all! Meet their community service requirements. If their school has a community service requirement to graduate, participating in a Dream Factory Club will allow them to meet these requirements.

Why students should join DF Clubs Helping them succeed College acceptance is a competitive and subjective process and being able to state in their application that they were instrumental in a formation of a Dream Factory club, or held a leadership position can make a difference in their life too!

A paragraph from Emma Smith’s National Honor Society Essay Another pillar of the National Honor Society is service. Volunteering in the community is essential in developing as a person. The experiences that volunteers have will often change their views on life, making the individual more involved and compassionate. As humans it is our responsibility to help each other. I have had a lot of experiences volunteering in the community. I have helped coach soccer, participated in school fundraisers, and evaluated younger players. However, the volunteer work that stands out to me the most is the work I do with Dream Factory.

A paragraph from Emma Smith’s National Honor Society Essay I have met children who have all of the odds stacked against them and I have been inspired by their courage and strength. I may have changed their lives by granting them a dream, but they changed my life just as much. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without the influence of all the children I have worked with. The volunteer work that I have done has taught me how to take on life with a courage and positivity I never had before. Volunteer work is like a full circle ending; at first you are giving hope and by the end you are receiving it.

What do you need to do? Download How to Start a Dream Factory Club and sample introductory letter and edit as needed. Create an informational packet using the Dream Factory Folder that includes: – Introductory letter – Overview of your chapter – 2014 DF Annual report – IRS 5013c letter – New DF Brochure – DF Articles, Dream summaries, etc.

Questions?