Alumni Spotlight: Courtney Andrews (’03)
Dream Manager for Dreams Come True of Jacksonville

I am a proud graduate of Trinity Christian Academy and the University of North Florida. I graduated from Trinity in 2003 and from UNF in 2010 with a Bachelors’ degree in Health Administration. My career started at Baptist Health and Wolfson Children's Hospital as an Associate Care Provider for both adults and children.

Please tell us about your position:

Being a Dream Manager is a very unique and rewarding position. Every day my main focus is strictly on creating unbelievable moments of joy and hope through dreams for our "dreamers" and their families. Each week I visit the local hospitals and clinics to discuss the possibilities with our brave dreamers. Once a dream is selected, such as a week-long trip to Walt Disney World, our most popular dream, I go into action to make sure everything gets scheduled and arrangements are made to accommodate our family. Each dream is unique and requires its own special details. Dreams can range from Disney trips, to cruises, shopping, seeing snow, or even the opportunity to meet a celebrity. Dreams are endless and we have granted more than 3,100 in Northeast Florida since 1984.

                                    Visit to Give Kids The World

How long have you been there?

I joined Dreams Come True of Jacksonville in September 2010 as a Dream Assistant and was promoted to Dream Manager in April 2013.

What do you love about your job?

When you have a position that is so special and unique, there are so many pieces of your job that make it the perfect career. First and foremost, it is working with our children who are brave and an inspiration as they battle their medical journeys. Every day I am part of the process of transforming a child's life by taking away a period of time that is inundated with fear and treatments, and replacing it with hope and the will to move forward. We have seen many of our dreamers benefit emotionally from the power of our dreams, and that is truly rewarding.

Stein Mart Christmas party with dreamer, Chase              

Tell us something about your job that might surprise us:

When people hear about Dreams Come True of Jacksonville and our dream process, many think the trip arrangements would be very simple. In fact, arrangements for dream trips encompass many key components. From working closely with our medical contacts treating our dreamers, to working with our family on the timeframes, to working with several businesses in many different cities, each dream has a different component - so there is no cookie cutter plan, each one has its own unique planning. Also, we do not travel with our dreamers; it is exclusively for children and their families. At any given time, we can have more than 200 children deciding on their dream.

                     Shopping with dreamer, Allison 

What is the most interesting part of your job?

The part of my job that is truly interesting is when we get to finally celebrate a child's upcoming dream through a "Dream Party." Together with a child's family, and sometimes a dream sponsor, we present our dreamer all the official details and surprises for their dream. It is an overwhelming moment of joy when I get to look directly at our dreamer and tell them all about their dream, and for a couple days or an entire week they don't have to think about their illness or treatments. It is an amazing environment to be part of; one filled with love, compassion, and most importantly, hope.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Our involvement with our children doesn’t just start and end with dreams. We continuously keep our families involved through our Special Times program, which creates special moments - such as birthday parties, tickets to a concert, gift cards, or even toys and gaming systems. We never forget our children and the journey they have to endure.

Dream party with dreamer Gabraya