Dreams Come True

Dreams Come True (DCT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in Jacksonville, Florida, begun by Tom McGehee and his wife Delia, that grants the dreams (within certain parameters) of children with life-limiting illnesses. In 2009, the organization celebrated a quarter century of service and over 2,500 dreams fulfilled. History In 1984, McGehee, co-founder of Mac Papers, learned about George Lee, a 17-year-old with cystic fibrosis. Lee's dream was to play with golfer Fred Couples, and the McGehees fulfilled George's dream. Lee died less than a year later, but was buried with a driver given to him by Couples. McGehee presented the idea of a charitable group that fulfills the wishes of children with terminal conditions to local business leaders, including Hugh Jones, chairman of Barnett Bank; Jay Stein and Jack Williams of Stein Mart; and Dr. Roy Baker, chairman of University Medical Center. They supported the concept, and Dreams Come True was created. At the time, McGehee owned television station channel 47, and the charity began work in an empty office there. Laine Silverfield was the first employee, hired to work part-time in 1988. The budget was $30,000 and in the first four years, they arranged the dreams of about nine children per year. Over 20 years, she was named executive director, then later, president of the board of directors. When Tom McGehee died in 2002, DCT had granted the dreams of 1,275 children. According to Suzanne Crittenden, former DCT associate director, "His promise to every child was that 'if you have a life-threatening illness, you will have a dream come true.' He left a big void, but he's charged Dreams Come True with quite a mission." In the next seven years, the organization nearly doubled the number of dreams fulfilled in the previous 18 years.