The Sunshine Foundation presented a local child last week with their Dream Come True at Urban Air Adventure Park in Springfield.
On Tuesday, November 18th K’ai Byard, from Philadelphia, received items to take on his upcoming Disney Cruise trip. K’ai is 6 years old, diagnosed with level 3 severe autism. He had fun playing at his favorite place, Urban Air, and learning about his upcoming Special Dream family cruise. Sunshine Foundation president, Kate Sample, along with a former dream recipient family, welcomed K’ai and his family to the event, generously hosted by Urban Air Adventure Park.
“My son Kai is a nonverbal child that’s on the spectrum. Kai enjoys going places and interacting with children. I would like to share the experience with him doing the things his peers are doing without being limited or excluded,” said Kai’s Mom
Former dream recipient, Chanecia Simmons, from Philadelphia, age 17, diagnosed with microdeletion and developmental delay, helped present K’ai with his Dream Come True. Chanecia experienced a Magical Dream to Walt Disney World.
Credit: Sunshine Foundation
Sunshine Foundation answers dreams to children with lifelong, severe, chronic illnesses and conditions such as level three severe autism, Down syndrome, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, severe epilepsy, Sickle Cell Disease, blindness, deafness, trauma from abuse, and others.
To make these dreams a reality for children that may be turned away from other wish-granting organizations that require a life-threatening or critical diagnosis, Sunshine Foundation relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations, and corporations.
The most common request is a Magical Dream to visit Legoland Florida, Universal Studios, Disney World, and SeaWorld while choosing to stay at the Sunshine Foundation Dream Village near Disney. Sunshine Foundation also answers Special Dreams: shopping sprees, bedroom makeovers, computers and iPads, outdoor playsets, above ground swimming pools, family trips, cruises, adaptive tricycles, and other special needs equipment, plus many more.
Sunshine Foundation officially kicked off the start of its 50th year of answering children’s dreams on November 18th. The celebrations will continue throughout 2026.
In the 1960’s and 70’s, Philadelphia police officer, Bill Sample, was assigned on protective duty to St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. He encountered critically ill and chronically ill children, and saw firsthand how these children’s families were burdened, not only by mounting medical bills, but also by the frustration of not being able to provide their child with a special dream.
Credit: Sunshine Foundation
In 1976, Bill took out a personal loan and, with the help of volunteers, started the Sunshine Foundation and began making dreams come true for seriously ill children. The first child helped was Bobby, a five-year-old boy diagnosed with Leukemia. Bobby’s nurse told Bill that the boy had a dream to go to the mountains to see snow. He brought Bobby, his parents, and siblings to Pennsylvania’s Pocono mountains for a week of playing in the snow, sledding, and snowmobiling. Not long after, Bobby passed from his battle with Leukemia. Bobby’s mom told us years later that she did not realize at the time how important that dream would be to their family. She said that trip with Bobby, laughing and playing in the snow, was the happiest moment of their lives, and those memories created have lasted a lifetime.
Under Bill’s leadership, the Sunshine Foundation grew into the first national wish-granting organization. In 1990, the Sunshine Foundation Dream Village in Florida opened with nine fairy-tale themed cottages, specially equipped to handle the needs of the children who dreamed of visiting the Central Florida theme parks. Bill also established an annual Dreamlift to bring children with severe special needs on a chartered jet to the Magic Kingdom for a day; and for twenty-seven years, he hosted a gathering of children from across the globe who lived with the unique challenges of Progeria (Hutchinson-Guilford Syndrome).
Credit: Sunshine Foundation
More than 43,000 children have benefited from programs and services of the Sunshine Foundation since 1976. Sunshine Foundation is proud to continuously be ranked as the Top-Rated wish-granting organization in the United States serving the terminally ill or chronically ill according to www.charitywatch.org and is currently the highest 4-star 100% rated children’s wish-granting charity on www.charitynavigator.org.
Click here for more information, to refer a child for a dream, or to make a donation.
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