2017 Dream Big Bracket Entries

School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet DanceAbility Camp

DanceAbility is a ballet program that allows children and adults with special needs to explore the world of ballet and dance.  Taught by a professional dancer with the Missouri Contemporary Ballet, and supported by volunteers with backgrounds in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech, special education and dance, we have grown to providing 4 semester long classes with a showcase at the end of each season.  

We would like to use the $1,000 to start a week-long summer camp that promotes inclusiveness by giving children with special needs an opportunity to dance with their able-bodied peers. The students would spend a week dancing and learning together, culminating in a joint performance at the end of the week. 

Lange Middle School

Would use the money to replace old intramural equipment.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbia

We are currently building an expansion that will include a full size high school gymnasium which will allow us to serve over 1,000 youth per year. This facility will help us to expand our sports programs. We will need equipment for all sports (football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc) to help us run these programs & help encourage a healthy lifestyle with our kids.

School of Missouri Contemporary Ballet DanceAbility Workshop

We would like to teach a seminar/workshop to other schools of dance on how they can start their own special needs ballet programs.  We could provide resources on structure, visuals, contact sources for students and volunteers. There would be some training on how to physically assist some students as well as how to use positive behavior support and other strategies for more challenging students.

Columbia Youth Football League

Each year, the Columbia Youth Football League has a number of individuals in the city that struggle to pay their registration fees.  The Day Dreams Foundation has provided support to many of our player families and we are sincerely appreciative of your generosity.  With the $1,000, we would like to use these monies to support additional scholarships on a case-by-case basis for those who don’t meet the income guidelines for a Day Dreams Foundation scholarship.

Roots N Blues Foundation

We would use the money to further develop our Blues in the Schools program. Blues in the Schools brings professional musicians and artists into Columbia schools to work with students in a variety of ways: week long artists in residence programs, school concerts, and even a children’s concert at the Roots N Blues N BBQ festival.

Columbia Magic 4th Elite

We are an elite 4th grade youth boys basketball team that came together 1 year ago in Columbia, MO. Our dream is to take this team to various tournaments throughout the Midwest.  Just the cost of transportation and meals let alone lodging and registration fees quickly add up.  We stand strong together, and firmly believe that every member of the team should have the opportunity to travel and remain an active member of the team.  In addition, we do not have a practice facility to call our own, and rental fees add to the costs.  We would love the opportunity to apply the $1000 funds to these travel and rental facility costs for our young athletes. 

Lee Expressive Arts Elementary

We would like to purchase supplies to build more planting beds on the West side of the soccer field at our school.  We could fit another 2 beds about 4×12 there. in addition, hand held percussion instruments including a gong, claves, a boat bell from Ghana, a guiro, wind chimes and other hand held percussion to help them explore music from cultures all over the world will expand our world drumming extracurricular classes.

Access Arts (School of Service, Inc.)

We would like to host a series of Ceramics workshops for area youth this summer, culminating in a Raku firing .  Raku is a unique firing technique for ceramics, and is not taught in Columbia schools. We would like to bring 30 teens to our studios to make pots and fire them in our Raku kiln. There would be 4 separate workshops: three for making the pots on potters’ wheels (10 teens each time) and one for the outdoor Raku firing (all 30 participants.) The $1000 would be used for supplies and compensation for our Instructors.

Midwest Sports Challenge

If Midwest Sports Challenge is fortunate enough to win the “Dream Big Bracket” it will help in purchasing basketballs, soccer balls, t-shirts and uniforms for our youth programs.

Shepard Boulevard Elementary

We could use more sports balls (basketballs, four square balls, etc.) to play with at recess.

Cin Estrellas Fútbol Club

The newly formed independent team, Cinco Estrellas (5 Stars) plays in Columbia and Kansas City Heartland League.  They began in the Fall with one team, and have now grown to two teams for the Spring. We will use the $1,000 to help obtaining a pair of moveable youth-size goals.

For more information about the 2016 Dream Big Bracket contest, CLICK HERE.