On Monday, Day Dreams awarded a scholarship to Isaac so he can take piano lessons! Isaac is 6 and has three younger siblings who he can’t wait to play the piano for!

So far he knows the Darth Vader theme song (his mom taught him!) but now he’s hoping to learn some other themes, specifically the Avenger’s movie theme song. Speaking of the Avengers – watching the first movie is one of his favorite things to do (but he said he doesn’t watch the scary parts) and he likes to watch Arizona basketball because his family recently moved here from there.

Isaac is an active 2nd grader who’s favorite subject in school is P.E. His favorite colors are red and blue and he made sure to write his name on the Day Dreams blackboard in both colors!!

We are so excited to be able to help Isaac achieve his dream of playing the piano when he grows up and we can’t wait to hear him play the Avengers song!

The Day Dreams Foundation happily awarded a scholarship to Jake to participate in drum lessons for Access Percussion. Jake is an energetic 7 year old who brought two of his favorite cars with him to his scholarship meeting. Jake said that he loves drumming and hopes to one day play for the youth choir at his church.

Andrew, 12, received a scholarship to participate in Super Smash Bros Gaming Camp this summer through the Columbia Career Center. Andrew loves playing video games and would like to pursue designing them when he grows up. When talking about why he is excited about camp this summer, Andrew told me “interacting with characters on screen can be very cool.” He pointed out “with movies and books you don’t get to decide what happens, but in video games you have more freedom and creativity.” Andrew’s favorite subject in school is band. Also, special things about Andrew: he has an especially good memory and enjoys keeping up with politics. Some goals Andrew has for this summer are to communicate better with people and make new friends at camp. He also would like to go outside more- to bike and play soccer with his friends.

“Football is my lifesaver…” 16 year-old Don has big plans for his future, including college and the NFL. Football has been a huge part of his life and he’s excited to continue with Rockbridge High School’s summer camp. Don sees football as a way to develop discipline, something that will help with his academic goals. Those who know Don well can attest to his commitment to being a well-rounded individual both on and off the field. Respecting his family, surrounding himself with friends who set good examples, and saving money are all at the top of his priority list. Look for Don on the field this fall as he pursues a Division I scholarship!

I want to introduce you to four awesome Day Dreams Kids that are all from the same family — Nyah, Marcus, Neela and Nina. We first awarded these kids scholarships last year, but renewed their scholarships again this year after they each completed their community service hours and we received word from their coaches/instructors and teachers that they had done their best in their activity and in the classroom.

Nina, 4, received funding to participate in School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet classes this summer, as well as an Access Arts Summer Camp and summing lessons through MizzouRec. Nina loves the water and enjoys dance tremendously. She’s very excited to learn how to swim (although she demonstrated for me how long she could hold her breath – pretty impressive!), as well as continue with ballet. She loves sparkly blue and wants to be a lawyer when she grows up! She also really like Beyonce. Her mom said that something special about Nina is that she “has a great smile, is very positive and polite, and can roll with it.” Some goals Nina has for this year are to learn her letters and count to 100. She wants to be able to hold her breather under water and leaner different ballet positions. She wants to become a better listener, and go to sleep on time.

Neela, 8, received a scholarship to attend YMCA Camp Lakewood in Potosi, Missouri. She said she loves camp because it’s “really fun and cool.” Her favorite parts are going swimming, learning to do lots of art and riding horses. Her favorites include the color pink, reading, Ariana Grande, and playing dolls. Neela’s mom said the she is “very much about family. She is very loyal to her siblings.” In the classroom, Neela wants to be more proficient in reading and math. She would also like to become more independent at camp this year, and be a helpful friend. For health goals, she wants to try to get enough sleep and eat her vegetables.

Marcus (who goes by MJ), 9, will be playing for the Mid MO Elite basketball team this year. MJ really like playing basketball because he said he has some great coaches and teammates. He would like to play in the NBA someday and his role model is Steph Curry. I asked him about Steph’s chances to make it back from his injury for the championship, and he didn’t think it was likely. MJ’s favorite color is green and his favorite subject in school is reading. Something special about him is that he’s really good at math. A few goals that MJ has are to work on his handwriting, make 50 jump shots, help out his community, and not eat out as much. You and me both, kid.

Nyah, 13, received a scholarship to attend the WashU Summer Challenge camp at Washington University in St. Louis this summer. As the oldest child, Nyah partners up with Nina to help her out, and also took charge in arranging her siblings for the group photo. She wants to participate in the Summer Challenge because “Many people that go there end up being very successful.” She’s most excited to learn about anatomy at the camp. Favorites include the color purple, English class and dancing. She would like to be a dancer when she grows up and looks up to Misty Copeland and her mom. Nyah would like to raise her grades in Spanish and English class next year, become a strong learner at camp and get to know some new people at WashU. She also has goals to help her mom out more with her siblings and to get more sleep and eat more salad.

Good luck to these awesome kids this summer with their activities!

We are so thrilled to announce that 11-year-old Aiyanna, a Day Dreams Foundation scholarship recipient, was informed last week that she was accepted into the Dance Theatre of Harlem Summer Intensive in New York. Out of over 800 students nationally and internationally who auditioned, Aiyanna was one of the chosen few. Aiyanna will have expenses in travel, tuition, room and board during this amazing journey so her family is fundraising to help make this trip possible. The Day Dreams Foundation has a $500 maximum scholarship per year, per child. So, we are trying to help her with the fundraising she is doing on her own! Her family is selling frozen pizzas from Shakespeare’s to try to put a dent in the $4,000 needed for the trip. They have set a goal of 200 pizzas. Let’s help them get there! Aiyanna will get $5 for each pizza sold.

Here’s a few things to know about the fundraiser:

• Please make checks payable to: Phyllis Williams (Aiyanna’s mom)
• You can turn in checks or cash to any Day Dreams Foundation board member and we’ll get it to Aiyanna’s mom.
• Cost per pizza: $12
• Payment & Orders must be received by: Wednesday, March 9, 2016
• Frozen Pizza will be delivered: Thursday, March 24, 2016

To order a pizza, please fill out this Google form: