Since 1976, The Sunshine Foundation has granted over 28,700 special dreams to children, ages 3-21, who are seriously ill, physically challenged or abused.

The requests they receive are as limitless as a child's imagination and are as individual as the children themselves. Their most requested wish is to visit Disney Land. Some examples of other Dreams Fulfilled are:

To refer a child, the following guidleines will be followed:

• The child must be between the ages of 3-21.
• The child must be seriously ill, physically challenged or abused.
• Sunshine's sole purpose is to answer the dreams of ill children whose families cannot fulfill their requests due to the financial strain that the child's illness may cause. For this reason, families with incomes at or above $75,000 a year cannot be considered.
• Please note: For financial reasons, Sunshine Foundation can no longer consider dreams for children with deficit disorders, mild to moderate developmental delays, or mild to moderate autism (only children with severe to profound autism will be considered).

You, your group, or your corporation can adopt a dream for one of Sunshine's special children. Sunshine will coordinate all aspects of the dream, but you will be the sponsor of that child's dream come true. You can choose to be a sponsor at the Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Dream Catcher Level. If at all possible, they will try to connect Platinum, Gold, Silver & Bronze sponsors with a child from your area so that you can present the child with his/her dream come true, if you wish.

• The Platinum Level consists of a donation of $3,500.00 and it lets the sponsor send a child and his/her family on a dream trip to the Orlando attractions!
• The Gold Level consists of a donation of $2,000.00 and it lets the sponsor give a child his/her very own computer!
• The Silver Level consists of a donation of $1,500.00 and lets the sponsors send a child on a special trip to meet his/her celebrity hero!
• The Bronze Level consists of a donation of $750.00 and lets the sponsors give a child a shopping spree!
• The Dream Catchers level consists of a donation of any amount up to $750.00 and lets the sponsor help overall, by contributing to a child's dream come true!

In 1981, a matter was brought to Sunshine's attention via a newspaper article that a young boy in South Africa, named Fransie, had a dream to visit Pinocchio. The inspiration for this dream came from this boy seeing himself in a mirror. Because of his wooden appearance, he felt in some way related to Pinocchio.

Having read the article, Sunshine embarked on making yet another dream come true, unaware that this particular endeavor would bring about the knowledge of a very rare illness to the world. Fransie had his dream come true in December 1981. The Sunshine Foundation flew Fransie and his family to Disneyland where he saw Pinocchio. During his visit to the United States, three other children, also suffering from Progeria, met with him. Sunshine began receiving correspondence from other families whose children had similar characteristics. That following June, 1982, Sunshine sponsored the first gathering of all known children suffering from Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria, a rare aging disease.

At that first reunion, eight Progeria children and their families gathered at Greenway Lodge in the Pocono Mountains of PA. Since that time, Sunshine has sponsored 20 Annual Progeria Reunions, touching the lives of these special children forever. The reunions give these children a week to enjoy with other children like themselves. The time they spend together is not only fun, but it is something that gives them strength and a sense of anticipation in looking forward to the next year.

How You Can Help