History

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”

~ Margaret Meade

Dreams for Kids was founded by Tom Tuohy, at the request of his mother, Patricia Tuohy. Mrs. Tuohy was a single parent who dedicated her life to raising her four young children and to overcoming any adversity that stood in the way of her family’s personal welfare.

The organization was born on December 24, 1989 in a small room inside a homeless shelter in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. A few weeks prior, Tom’s dear friend Clara Kirk expressed to him her grief that the fifty-four children in her homeless shelter would not be receiving anything for Christmas. On Christmas Eve, a dozen volunteers, including Santa, showed up at “Clara’s House” with Tom and delivered gifts and food to every child in the shelter. When Clara told the volunteers that the kids would never have even known it was Christmas, a commitment was made to reach out further each and every year.

Every year the annual Holiday for Hope party grew until it became the largest of its kind in the state of Illinois, bringing over 1,200 homeless and underprivileged kids of all abilities together for a special day of giving. It is now the largest event of its kind in the world, held in over 30 countries in the third week of December each year.

Then, through a young man’s twist of fate in 1996, Dreams for Kids was introduced to another group of isolated children—those with developmental and physical challenges. When Tom Tuohy met a young man named JJ, who became paralyzed during a hockey incident, he realized the need for a program to meet the social and physical needs for kids who had before been left out. Thus began Extreme Recess, a program dedicated to bringing children from the sidelines of life and giving them the opportunity live the life of their dreams.

In 2007 Dreams for Kids began its global expansion, with work in several countries and launched the international Dream Leaders program, uniting an entire generation of youth of all abilities, and from every race, religion, gender, and socio-economic background to each other and to service in their local and world communities.

Since its founding, Dreams for Kids programs have impacted the lives of over 28,000 children.

Dreams for Kids, written by Tom Tuohy and published on May 17, 2010, tells the magical story of the organization as well as the stories of the inspiration and generosity that has made Dreams for Kids the organization it is today.