[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 30 (Wednesday, March 18, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E414-E415]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 A TRIBUTE TO THE LEXINGTON DREAM FACTORY--``10 YEARS OF MAKING DREAMS 
                              COME TRUE''

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. HAROLD ROGERS

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 18, 1998

  Mr. ROGERS. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, March 28th, a very special 
group of people will be gathering in Lexington to celebrate a very 
special anniversary.
  March 28th marks the 10 year anniversary of the Lexington Dream 
Factory, a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to making the 
wishes of critically-ill children in central and eastern Kentucky come 
true.
  To commemorate the Dream Factory's anniversary, over 75 families of 
children who have been granted special wishes over the years will be 
gathering for a reunion celebration. This will be a time to come 
together, to rekindle friendships and start new ones, to find strength 
from others, and to celebrate the lives of the children.
  Many of these families are from my congressional district, and I know 
how important the work of the Dream Factory has been to them. Families 
with children experiencing life threatening illnesses face what is 
perhaps the most tremendous and difficult challenge of

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their lives. They are focused on helping their child get better, and 
feel better. They want to do everything possible to bring a smile to 
the face of their child.
  The Lexington Dream Factory has helped those smiles appear. Since it 
was organized in 1988, it has granted over 350 dreams, bringing 
laughter and joy to the faces of these critically-ill children, and to 
the faces of their families. Dreams have ranged from Disney World 
family vacations, to shopping sprees at local stores.
  I want to salute the Dream Factory and offer my best wishes to all 
the families gathering on March 28th. I'm hopeful this reunion will 
prove to be a celebration of life, remembering those children who are 
no longer with us and giving strength to those who are fighting to get 
well.

                          ____________________