KEEPING DREAMS ALIVE

2010 Keeping Dreams Alive Nomination Information:
Nominees must have an open case with the Larimer County Department of Human Services and range in age from 6-16 years old as of April 10, 2010. All submissions must be received by Friday, March 19, 2010. Be sure to include the following: Nomination Form, Nominee Waiver Form and Nominee Essay Page. Submissions can be mailed or hand-delivered to: Realities For Children Charities at 1610 S. College Avenue in Fort Collins, CO. Submissions may also be faxed to: (970) 484-0726. Finalists will be notified, provided event information details and will receive a form invitation by mail.

General Information and Guidelines

2010 Nomination Form

2010 Nominee Waiver Form

2010 Nominee Essay Form

Keeping Dream Alive Award Banquet:
The Keeping Dreams Alive Banquet will be hosted at the Fort Collins Hilton, 425 West Prospect Avenue in Fort Collins on Saturday, April 10, 2010. The cost is $25 per person to attend and includes: hors d' oeuvres, dinner, cocktails (limited) and presentation. Cocktail hour begins at 5:30pm followed by dinner at 6:30pm and the Awards Banquet promptly at 7:30pm. Business and/or semi-formal attire is recommended.

To purchase your ticket for the Keeping Dreams Alive Awards Banquet and select your entree, please click the Donate Now tab. Note: The menu selection is listed below. You have four dinner options: Steak Au Poivre, Herb Encrusted Tilapia, Chicken Mediterranean and Acorn Squash. You need to select one of the following when you purchase your ticket. Note: Your ticket price is less than the total value of the dinner, so this is NOT a charitable contribution.

Tickets can also be purchased by calling (970) 484-9090, or send checks payable to Realities for Children Charities. Mail to 1610 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525.

Keeping Dreams Alive Dinner Menu

Salad:
House Salad with Ranch and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Entrée Choices:
Steak Au Poivre – 6oz sirloin pepper encrusted steak finished with a light brandy cream sauce served aside garlic whipped mashed potatoes and blistered asparagus.

Herb Encrusted Tilapia – served with rice pilaf and broccolini finished with a light lemon cream sauce

Chicken Mediterranean – Chicken stuffed with dates, feta and olives finished with an olive pesto tapenade tossed with a light Dijon mustard, rested aside a choice bean medley and potato au gratin

Acorn Squash - (Vegetarian Option) – Roasted acorn squash stuffed with rice pilaf, tomato, onion and chickpeas with melted feta cheese and balsamic glaze.

Dessert:
Chocolate Marquise Cake
Cheesecake Brulee

History:
The Keeping Dreams Alive program is one of our newest innovations - designed as a sister program to the Triumph Awards. Keeping Dreams Alive’ was designed to encourage abused and neglected children in the social services system to follow their dreams and inspire them to make their dreams a reality.

The Realities For Children Triumph Awards recognize and honor exceptional youth in our community who not only survived the adversities of childhood abuse but have also triumphed over them personally, socially and academically.Ongoing support is critical to help them continue progressing and achieve the goals that they have set for themselves. The Acknowledgement, Educational Opportunities and Post-emancipation Support that the Triumph Awards provides helps to empower these youth to break the cycle of abuse.

Over the years, Realities For Children came to question what allows one child to victoriously triumph over their abuse and others to be devastated and remain victims of their abusive past. Although there are many variables and factors that affect each child’s ability to overcome obstacles, one common denominator was apparent in all our Triumph Award recipients’ lives - they never gave up on their dreams.

We believe that if a child loses their dreams, they lose much more than the joy of pursuing them, they lose hope and the excitement that being a child should be all about. We want to encourage children to not only dream but to dream big and know that anything is possible. Children in placement may need their dreams more than anyone, and if we are to see children Triumph they must first dream that they can.  In the ‘Keeping Dreams Alive’ program we are bringing excitement to what is generally a difficult time in child’s life by allowing children to express their dreams – dreams for bettering their life in the future and today’s dreams that can be granted and nourished. 

Children ages 6 through 16 years of age are nominated by our Affiliate Youth Agencies that serve abused and at-risk children. These children must be cases currently open with the Larimer County Department of Human Services to have the chance for their dreams to become a reality. In April, National Child Abuse Awareness Month, we will be granting as many of the dreams shared in the submission essays as we are able. The granting of these dreams will happen at our 13th Annual Member and Agency Appreciation Dinner at the Hilton in Fort Collins. 

The 2008 Keeping Dreams Alive program was a tremendous success and thanks to community support we were able to grant every dream shared. From all caseworker reports, the Keeping Dreams Alive program had a tremendous impact on the children they serve by showing them that people care and that dreams come true and should not be abandoned. We hope this invitation to dream fearlessly will inspire all children – especially those who have endured the betrayal and atrocities of childhood abuse to keep their dreams alive and ultimately become victors over their abusive past.

Donations
To make a donation or for more information regarding Realities For Children’s Keeping Dreams Alive, click here, call (970) 484-9090 or make checks payable to Realities For Children Charities and mail to: Realities For Children Charities, 1610 South College Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525.

Realities For Children Charities is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. All donations are tax deductible and directly serve the needs of abused, neglected and at-risk children in Larimer County.