Dream Jar Foundation
Our vision Everyone is well.
Our mission Creating support for communities who improve health, enhance well-being and value healing transformation.
Our top funding priority Enhancing the quality of life of people who have experienced illness, trauma, poverty and conflict while supporting holistic health and healing research initiatives.
Our story The inspiration for the Foundation came from the childhood dreams of Ivy C. Wagner, the chair of the Board of Trustees.
"When I was in 2nd grade, my teacher Mrs. Sweet read out loud the adventures of the BFG. With the help of a young girl named Sophie, the Big Friendly Giant mixes up dreams and blows them into the rooms of sleeping children. After reading the book, we created our own dream jar. I found my jar hidden in the corner of a box in storage over a decade ago.
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​'My Dreams. There are many dreams that I have. Some of the dreams I have are to have good health and go to a college that has classes to become a teacher and a singer. I would teach school every other years and sing the years I did not teach. I would collect Snow Village Houses, stickers, cool pencils and fun pens. I would be a millionaire and share with the poor and hungry. I would get married and adopt children from different countries. I would speak their languages. These dreams would make me very happy.'
The dreams of this 8-year-old girl have guided me throughout my life. These early passions for health and well-being, social justice, learning, teaching, cross-cultural understanding and writing are still alive within me."
Our why Communities in Oregon are experiencing four interconnected crises and opportunities: leadership, health, housing and education. Similar trends are happening throughout the United States and around the world.
Housing
1 in 7 households spend half of their income on housing.
17 of every 10,000 people are living without housing.
(Joint Study for Housing Studies, 2020)
Education
1/3 of students who start college will not graduate with a degree. College tuition has more than doubled since the 1980s.
(Hoffower & Akhtar, 2019)
Health
5% of Americans create 50% of healthcare costs.
1 in 5 people experience symptoms that their doctors cannot explain.
(Husain & Chalder, 2021; Mitchell, 2016)
Leadership
86% of respondents to the Survey on the Global Agenda agree that we have a leadership crisis in the world today.
(Pearse, 2018)
What's in our dream jar We envision developing a replicable model for a residential health center that addresses these four urgent needs. While people live at the community, their holistic well-being and healing will be supported. They'll work at one of the businesses run by the health center. A Bachelor's Degree in Integrative Health and Leadership and seed money for an entrepreneurial dream will be awarded to those who complete an individualized curriculum including classes, experiential activities, one-on-one and small group mentoring and skills training. The first center will be opened in Bandon, with graduates creating additional centers around the world. In 2022, the Dream Jar Foundation will be registered as a 501(c)(3) Private Operating Foundation in Oregon.
A percentage of the total annual sales from Health Design products will be invested in the Dream Jar Foundation. Thank you for being part of the dream.
See the numbers!
5%
$1 - $80,000
10%
$80,001 - $120,000
20%
$120,001 - $180,000
30%
$180,001 - $250,000
40%
$250,001 - $500,000
80%
$500,001+