If you know anything about Disneyworld, you know that it is pretty much a child’s idea of paradise.
“Zoey’s Dream,” an event put together by Roxy’s, Kitchen Table Promotions and the Dream Factory, is raising money at 8 p.m. Friday at Roxy’s to go toward sending young Zoey to Disneyworld this spring.
Zoey is not your average child — she is a young girl living with a brain tumor. Zoey is a Dream child, as part of the mid-Missouri chapter of the Dream Factory charity.
The Dream Factory is an organization similar to the Make a Wish Foundation.
“We grant dreams to critically and chronically ill children from the ages of 3 through 18,” the Dream Factory’s website states.
What makes the Dream Factory unique is that instead of focusing on only the terminally ill, they donate funds to critically and chronically ill children.
“The organization believes children which chronic illnesses and disorders also suffer from substantial emotional and physical pain,” the website states.
In light of the holidays, Roxy’s owner Jesse Garcia wanted to do some sort of charity work. Garcia said he called the Dream Factory for the second year in a row in hopes of sponsoring another Dream child.
Garcia and his wife have done some sort of holiday charity work every year for several years, he says. However, this year they chose to focus on one deserving individual rather than an entire organization.
“We like that last year we sponsored a specific family instead of a faceless or nameless organization,” Garcia says. “Instead of hoping to spread it around to as many people as we could, we could make one kid’s dream come true.”
The event will feature Nifty250 and the Uptown Downers, two Columbia-based bands. This is Nifty250’s farewell show before the group moves elsewhere.
Garcia says Nifty250 has become one of his favorite local bands. He describes them as a mix between rock, reggae and hip hop.
“This is a band that must be seen live; their energy and unique sound will have you wanting more,” Nifty250’s Facebook page states.
The Uptown Downers is an alternative, Columbia-based band.
There will also be celebrity guest servers, including one of the owners of Iron Tiger Tattoo. Some of the other guest servers cannot be named due to conflict of interest at this time. All tips raised by these servers will go directly to Zoey.
There is a suggested donation of $5 at the door, which will all go to Zoey, Garcia says.