BELIEVE IN DREAMS
Fulfilling dreams of resilient children
Learn how to support this organization
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Believe in Dreams works to build post-traumatic growth in youth affected by poverty and trauma. ACE's can result in poor academic & health outcomes and a cyclical lack of opportunity. The everyday experiences that bring joy, enrichment and motivation to ones life, such as taking a lesson or class or attending a community event such as a ballgame or concert, are out of reach for the youth we serve. Some of the most amazing, resilient youth in our community have no access to the opportunities that should empower them and enable them to succeed. A lack of transportation, lack of funds or lack of support can lead to learned hopelessness and despair. In addition, child-serving organizations, designed to help youth and families, do not provide enrichment activity services. Believe in Dreams helps to fill these gaps and wrap the community around youth to empower them to succeed.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Individual Dream Granting
Youth are nominated by professional adults they work with (counselors, social workers, teachers, etc.) who have observed the childs positive qualities and resilience. A Dream coordinator is assigned to coordinate an individualized dream package experience that will empower the youth toward post-traumatic growth. Examples of dream experiences include but are not limited to: sporting events, lessons, classes, activities, memberships, amusement parks, career shadowing, material items of a hobby or interest, attending a major event or visiting somewhere for the first time (within Northeast Ohio), meeting or shadowing someone who inspires, or coverage of costs to remove barriers from achieving a goal previously unattainable. We are committed to trauma informed practices and customize each dream experience to help increase capacity for resiliency.
Dream Big Choosing Greatness Seminar
Motivational Seminar for Adolescent Youth sharing simple, yet effective habits of overachievers, giving youth the foundation, and motivation, of how to dream big and accomplish those dreams.
Where we work
Awards
Outstanding Community Partnership 2022
US Marshals Northern District of Ohio
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Nominations Received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, At-risk youth
Related Program
Individual Dream Granting
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Children must be nominated by a professional they work with in the community. A non-relative adult in order to qualify for a dream experience.
Number of grants received
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, At-risk youth
Related Program
Individual Dream Granting
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Customized Dreams Granted
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Children and youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Victims and oppressed people, At-risk youth
Related Program
Individual Dream Granting
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of Nominating Partner Organizations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
At-risk youth, Economically disadvantaged people, Children and youth, Victims and oppressed people
Related Program
Individual Dream Granting
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Believe in Dreams' goal is to reach 1000 customized, impactful dreams by 2028 for Northeast Ohio youth. The goal of a dream experience is to remove barriers that local children, who are under-resourced and have endured traumatic experiences, face when trying to access enrichment opportunities and community connections. We help fill gaps in services for youth that our partner Child Serving Orgs. cannot provide through their traditional funding streams. Our mission is to provide enriching opportunities, connection to community and hope for the future.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
-Community partnerships with nominating providers
-Customized Dream experience packages designed by Dream Coordinators (DC's) who are trained in Social work (or related fields) and are trauma informed. DC's work directly with the nominator and parent/guardians, with or on behalf of the dreamers, to ensure the most impactful dream experience package is created.
-Partnerships with the local business community, donors and volunteers who serve as Dream Granters
-Needs assessments, Resource linkage and 'Keep Dreaming' enrichment opportunities
-Developing a robust volunteers program
-Developing a robust dreamer alumni community
-Sharing data drive impact of our work
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We have a solid, working strategic plan with core values, mission, vision and focus that our Board of Directors, staff and volunteers are all strongly committed to. We utilize the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS) method for both our strategic plan and day to day operations. With this method, everyone on our team has specific roles they are accountable for and clear goals and objectives that help us remain lazer focussed the organization's mission.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Accomplishments so far: We have fulfilled over 670 customized, dream experiences since our inception in 2014.
We have provided the Choosing Greatness Dream Big seminar to over 600 youth since 2017.
We've partnered with over 65 youth-serving agencies & schools in the Northeast Ohio area as nominating partners.
We are a lean organization with only 4 FT and 2 PT staff. The rest of our team includes local interns and volunteers. We partner with local Universities, serving as field Instructors for both Bachelors and Masters Social Work programs as well as Communications & Marketing programs.
What's next:
To reach 1000 individualized dreams by 2028.
To build an alumni community network of dreamer families to inform the direction of the program and serve as a support for each other
To develop a robust volunteer program for folks who want to get more involved
To deeper connect Northeast Ohio communities in sustainably impactful ways, bridging the divide between under-resourced communities and those with an abundance of resources in our local area.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, It is difficult to identify actionable feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
BELIEVE IN DREAMS
Board of directorsas of 02/12/2024
John R. DiJulius, III
The DiJulius Group
Term: 2014 -
Erin Leebow, Esq.
Egon Singerman, Esq.
Singerman & Associates
Jeff Kavlick
Moreland Connect
Robert Platt
True North Financial Solutions
Lesa Evans
MAI Capital
Camille Ho-A-Lim, CPA, CGMA
Ciuni & Panichi
Harvey Siegel
Coit Cleaning & Restoration Services
Greg Roche
Distalmotion
Tani Malhotra, MD
Hospitals-Maternal Fetal Medicine
Jess Pischel
Premier Research
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 02/12/2024GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.