October 25, 2022
This article appeared in the Missouri Business Alert
When Tricia Koedel returned to her high school for her music teacher’s retirement party, she discovered the power of inspiration. That discovery led her to devote her career to providing extracurricular opportunities for kids.
In 2019, Koedel learned that her old high school music teacher had fallen ill and was having a retirement party. She traveled to Long Beach, California, and looked on as the school renamed the auditorium after him.
While she was there, Koedel reflected on the lives that her music teacher touched and how much he inspired his students.
“I came home from that trip and told my husband, ‘I have to quit my job,’” Koedel said.
She left the pharmaceutical job she worked at for 15 years, and found a place at the Day Dreams Foundation. Today, she is one of two part-time employees at the organization, serving as executive director.
The Day Dreams Foundation began in 2014 when Joe Bradley, a volunteer for Big Brothers Big Sisters, asked his family and friends to help pay for his little brother’s youth football registration fees. After overwhelming support came through, Bradley and five other people designed and registered the Day Dreams Foundation as a nonprofit.
This summer, the foundation awarded its 500th scholarship.
“I still get a heartwarming feeling when I give a kid a scholarship, especially for music,” Koedel said. “Because maybe they’re going to meet a coach or an instructor who inspired them the way that my teacher inspired me.”
The Day Dreams Foundation works with Columbia families to eliminate the financial barriers to extracurricular activities. It gives students up to $500 in scholarships per year to pay for registration fees, equipment costs, uniforms and other activity costs. The foundation also provides equipment and free spots at summer camps to students who qualify.
The Day Dreams Foundation is being honored as one of the winners of this year’s Kindness in Business Awards in the Kindness to Youth category. The awards recognize Boone County businesses and organizations that have exhibited and promoted kindness during the past year.
Missouri Business Alert spoke with Koedel about the Day Dreams Foundation and its efforts to show kindness. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Missouri Business Alert: How do you define kindness?
Tricia Koedel: It’s funny because I have a bumper sticker on the back of my minivan and it says, “Be kind.” But you don’t always think about what that means exactly or articulate the definition. I think in these times, when the world feels kind of heavy, kindness is all about lifting each other up into a brighter, happier place.
MBA: What has been the most difficult challenge the foundation has faced in the last couple years?
TK: Coming out of lockdown and then online and hybrid school, a lot of families and kids were looking for connection. From that, besides the fact that costs are just skyrocketing these days, we’ve had a huge influx in scholarship applications. We want to help as many kids as possible, but it’s a challenge because we have to make sure that we are concentrating our efforts on fundraising as well. Managing that growth and making sure we’re doing it in a strategic way so that we’re able to serve as many kids as possible has been a challenge, but a good one.
MBA: What has been a highlight or ray of sunshine during the past year or two for you?
TK: Summer is always a fun time because a lot of times we get to hear from our seniors and where they’re going in life. We’ve got a kid who we sent to band camp one summer, and now he’s off playing in the college marching band. It is so heartwarming and touching to know that we had a small part in possibly helping their trajectory go in the right direction.
MBA: How would you measure your success or define success with the Day Dream Foundation?
TK: That’s a hard one. Smiles and happy faces on the kids is what we’re looking for, but that’s not exactly measurable. We have a post-activity survey that parents and kids fill out together, so it’s always encouraging to see that kids are gaining confidence, learning teamwork and respect for others, and doing better in school. All of these things have shown time and again that sports and extracurriculars provide all of these benefits and improve outcomes.