Maddi Hogan and Noelle Colligan – RMC Program Coordinators
After moving to Denver, Colorado from North Carolina there were two immediate thoughts I had. First, these mountains are gorgeous and two, these people LOVE their sports teams!
I knew that when Dream On 3 started our Day Dream program for the Rocky Mountain chapter, we needed to help connect children in the area with their beloved sports teams – and teaming up with Kroenke Sports became the perfect solution!
In November we partnered with the Junior Diabetes Research Foundation – Mountain West Chapter (JDRF) and took children living with Type 1 Diabetes to a Denver Nuggets Basketball game. The children got to watch warmups by the court, enjoy a buffet meal, watch the game, and after the game shoot free throws on the court! Check it out here.
Next up, we went to a Colorado Avalanche game with children from Shiloh House and Special Olympics Colorado. We got to watch warm-ups at the ice and the players even threw pucks to the kids over the glass! Afterward, the kids got to enjoy the buffet (especially the teenage boys from Shiloh who had 4 plates full) and watch the game. Halfway through the game the mascot, Bernie came by to give the kids some love and we cheered our hearts out to lead the Avs to a great win!
To close out 2021, I am proud to say we hosted two Day Dream events benefitting a total of 27 kids and their families.
You may be thinking, “Cool, Noelle, you took some kids to a sporting event”, but it was SO much more than that. For a lot of kids, this was a chance to get away from stigmas, and everyday life and just be a kid! Comments like, “I have no idea what’s going on, but I love it!”, “Whoa, this is the coolest day of my life!”, and a heartfelt “Thank you for caring about me” show that it was more than just a sporting event. This was a chance for these sweet kids to be appreciated, celebrated, and empowered… A chance to remember how special they are.
Denver has opened up their arms to Dream On 3 this past year, and Maddi and I can’t wait to see where this beautiful city takes us in 2022!
To learn more about our Rocky Mountain chapter, please visit our website.
Written by Noelle Colligan
Program Coordinator, Rocky Mountain Chapter
