Dream Machine Foundation - Million Acts of Kindness
Dream Machine Foundation is a non-profit organization that uses its platform and works with their donors to make dreams come true for people who need a miracle.
THE MISSION: To Make Dreams Come True
The Dream Machine Foundation exists to disrupt the non-profit industry. They are creating a new-age foundation that is built upon using storytelling and social media to crowdsource making dreams come true for people who need a miracle. They are creating the world’s biggest community of philanthropists, currently at 9 million and growing.
They believe in the power of a dream. They believe that everyone who is a part of their community should have the opportunity to not only make others’ dreams come true, but to make their dreams come true. They are building a world where they give people the resources, community, education, and inspiration they need to bring their dreams to life.
Using social media for social impact, they have raised $5 million for people in need across America.
THE WHY:
Millions of people in this world feel hopeless, stuck, or at rock bottom.
For their founder Charlie, it was when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor that almost killed him. For others, it’s when they are facing homelessness, battling cancer, or experiencing depression. In these moments, people lose sight of a vision for a better future. All they know is their struggle.
But Charlie discovered that a dream can change everything.
At rock bottom, depressed, 305 lbs, and a brain tumor, there was one thing that kept him going: his dream of being an athlete.
Over the next 12 months, he ran 4 marathons, completed an ironman, lost 125 pounds, and reversed his brain tumor. His dream saved his life, and now he dedicates his life to making dreams come true for others in need of a miracle. They fulfill dreams for the sick, disabled, and underprivileged because they believe that everyone deserves to experience their “dream come true” moment.
Take Lyla for example. Lyla is a 10-year-old girl who suffers from Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) in her leg. CRPS is also known as the Suicide Disease because so many people take their own lives from the pain. Doctors say it's a worse pain than childbirth or having something amputated. Unfortunately, there is no cure for CRPS, but there is treatment. It was Lyla’s dream to get treatment for her leg. But it was also her dream to be a world-famous baker. Lyla loves to bake as it helps distract her from the pain. The Dream Machine surprised Lyla with her own bakery for 24hrs where they hosted a fundraiser pop-up of “Lyla’s Dream Bakery”. 5,000 people showed up to Lyla’s pop-up in St.Louis and she raised $40,000 in one day. But that was only the beginning. The Dream Machine launched “Lyla’s Dream Bakery” online and sold 120,000 of her cookies on the night of the launch, equalling an astonishing $500,000. Lyla was able to afford her treatment and is now a world-renowned baker.
ARMY OF LOVE:
Their Army Of Love is what they call their community of donors, social media followers, and volunteers. Instead of the traditional model of a charity simply directly helping an individual, they use their 9 million people to help us. This allows them to do things that would otherwise be impossible. For example, a young man with cerebral palsy was able to launch a clothing business and sell $350,000 worth of clothing in 4 hours because of this army. A homeless chef was able to raise $100k for a food truck and a new home. A 9-year-old girl with CRPS was able to sell $500,000 worth of cookies to raise money for her medical treatment. 300,000 acts of kindness were completed in one weekend with the help of their Army Of Love.
They are building the biggest and most impactful community of givers in the world.
$.50 per every bowl of ramen sold during the months of February and March will be donated directly towards helping dreams come true. To learn more, please visit, www.dreammachineusa.org
*You are donating directly to Dream Machine Foundation. Eat Justice receives 0% of the proceeds.