Dream Factory History

It all started with a dream. Not the dream of a critically-ill child, but the dream of a young businessman who wanted to share himself. The year was 1980, and the place was Hopkinsville, Kentucky. Charles Henault wanted to do something to help children in his town who were critically ill and needed a rainbow in their young lives. Thus started the Dream Factory, a nonprofit organization granting dreams to these children.

In April of 1981, a few volunteers started a chapter in Clarksville, Tennessee. Allen Hall was elected Area Coordinator for the chapter, and the first dream was funded with borrowed money. The Clarksville Chapter is comprised totally of volunteers who are dedicated to filling the dreams and wishes of seriously ill children. Children whose names appear on medical charts next to ominous-sounding words like leukemia and neuroblastoma. Those words represent the illnesses that twist childhood innocence into hardness, kids into adults.

The Dream Factory will grant the wish of any child who is selected through the screening process, regardless of race, religion, national origin, or financial status. Not only are the children given a chance to dream, but the families, in many cases, take part in this once-in-a-lifetime event. Before granting any dream, the Dream Factory consults the child's physician to ensure the appropriateness of the dream and that no medical problems should arise as a result of Dream Factory activities.

The Dream Factory has grown into one of the nation's largest wish-granting organizations, with local chapters throughout the nation and its national headquarters in Louisville, Kentucky. The Dream Factory has granted the wishes of over 25,000 children.