News & Stories

When Dreams Take Flight reached out to our agency to nominate a child who had faced adversity and give them a chance of a lifetime, we thought of one particular child – John.

John is a 12 year old Boy who has been attending our club for the last several years. Over those years, our staff have grown to know John and his family and all the challenges that they have been through. At 12 years old, John has gone through struggles no child should have to. But he has always come out on the other side with a positive attitude and a desire to succeed.

John’s mom, Finda, worked with our staff to ensure Johns paperwork and application for a surprise trip to Disneyland was completed in time. Finda also had the challenge of keeping the trip a secret from John, one she admitted wasn’t hard. That is, until she had to dodge his questions the day of the reveal party of why they were headed to the airport. Her standard answer – “We are picking up a friend, don’t worry about it”.

His curiosity got the better of him. He told us later that he thought something “fishy” was going on. Finda shared that when she told John that they were going to Disneyland, he had the biggest smile on his face. He was speechless for several moments. When he could gather his voice, he kept asking “is this real?”

The next day, John ran into the club and gave the staff a big hug, saying thank you over and over. Throughout the day, John’s huge smile was still plastered on his face.

After his trip, Finda came into the club and thanked staff for giving her son an opportunity he wouldn’t have had otherwise. She shared that the past few years have been hard but she is so grateful that our agency has been there for her family and is so happy to be a part of this community.

When he was asked how this experience affected him, John said “I was given a once in a life time opportunity and I will remember it forever”.

Thank you Westjet for giving John and his family this wonderful, once in a lifetime, opportunity!