NEWSMAKER Q&A: RAYANN VASKO

http://www.mcall.com/news/local/mc-newsmaker-vasko-20121229,0,554230.story FROM THE MORNING CALL Rayann Vasko is the executive director of the nonprofit Dream Come True, which since 1984 has provided trips, scholarships and toys to terminally and chronically ill children, ages 4 to 17, in the Lehigh Valley area. Last week, Dream Come True ran its annual North Pole Express Flight, which is a magical plane ride children take from Lehigh Valley International Airport to visit Santa Claus at his home. Vasko is the subject of this week's Q&A. Q: How did you get involved with Dream Come True? A: I had some spare time and knew the president of DCT at the time and asked if DCT needed any help. This organization gets in your blood and I kept joining more committees and became more and more involved. Q: What is your role as executive director and how long have you held that title? A: I take care of the day-to-day operations. I attend all committee meetings, do all the administrative work, plan and organize events, visit hospitals, ensure all aspects of the organization are operating well, and process eligibility of our children. I have been executive director for 20 years. I began volunteering about 5 years prior to becoming executive director. Q: How do families connect with Dream Come True? A: Anyone can refer a child. Parents, doctors, nurses, neighbors, relatives, friends and sometimes the child themselves. We have a referral form on our website or a family can call or write DCT. Q: How does Dream Come True work with families to fulfill a wish? A: Once a child meets our eligibility requirements and his/her dream has been approved by our board of directors, two volunteers meet with the family to discuss the details of the dream and what the child would like to happen. Q: Dream Come True's public IRS tax report shows contributions have dropped nearly 29 percent to $440,253 between 2007 and 2011. What has caused that drop and has it affected your ability to fulfill dreams? A: The economy, loss of jobs and natural disasters in our country have affected donations. Plus there are many other nonprofits cropping up in the Lehigh Valley each year, which also affects donations. None of this so far has affected our ability to fulfill dreams. We work hard to keep our administrative and other costs down so that most of our money raised goes to dreams. We have wonderful volunteers that do a great job fulfilling dreams. We have invested well and have planned for the future. Q: Is there a more common dream request and conversely what is the most exotic dream request? A: Disney World is the number one dream and always has been. Not sure this is considered exotic but it was unique. Many years ago we had a young boy who wanted to be a G.I. Joe. He went to Indiantown Gap where he was a four-star general. Every soldier who passed him had to salute. He drove a tank and did everything a general would do. He received a letter from President Reagan thanking him for keeping our country safe that day. Q: Describe the coordination and planning that goes into the annual North Pole plane trip? A: It takes a lot of planning to make the North Pole such a great event. We begin in June/July, and it is a committee of about six people. We begin with sponsorship letters asking for items or donations. We meet monthly until November, then we meet twice a month. The Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority does the most planning and coordinating. They are wonderful to work with and they do great things. Q: You had mentioned that two children died on Dec. 21, the day before the North Pole trip, and 13 total children died in 2012. How do you cope with frequent deaths of so many young children? A: Being in DCT for over 20 years I have seen a lot of sad cases and it does not get any easier. Each one breaks my heart and I never forget any of them. I have a memento from each one of them. I find that I cherish every moment with the dream children and enjoy them and work hard to make them smile when I am with them. Their strength and smiles keep me going. Q: Where can people contribute to your organization? A: People can contribute via our website, or by sending a check to: Dream Come True, P.O. Box 21167, Lehigh Valley, PA 18002.