A Letter from the Founder
Dear Friend,
Thank you for visiting DreamDay.org and joining me in my quest to bring music and arts to child refugees around the world. The inspiration for Dream Day came from a fateful visit to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on April 3, 2018. I went on a medical mission with my non-profit client, Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), to see first-hand the extraordinary work they do providing free medical care to Syrian refugees both in and outside of Jordan.
Zaatari refugee camp is not only the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world but it is also home to 40,000 children, most of whom were born there and have never left. What I found particularly shocking is that there is no formal music and arts program at the camp. As a former health care attorney I certainly believe in providing food, health care and education to refugees but now that I work in the entertainment industry I also recognize the vital role that music, arts and culture can play in a child’s life, especially those that have experienced trauma.
When I was leaving Zaatari I was filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand, my heart was full of joy meeting so many beautiful young children who were smiling and laughing, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there is an entire world outside of the camp. I was also inspired by the commitment and dedication of the SAMS staff who are working tirelessly to meet the health care needs of the refugees. However, I still couldn’t fathom the fact that most of the children in the camp had never seen a live concert before and that there is no music school or performing arts center where they can go to learn to sing, dance and write or produce music.
I promised myself that someday I would go back to the camp and not only produce a concert for the children in Zaatari but also build a music school. Even though I had strong ties in the music industry and experience producing over 100 charity events, I didn’t feel quite ready to produce a concert halfway around the globe and in a refugee camp no less. That all changed after I had the opportunity to work on two very successful benefit concerts in 2019, Venezuela Aid Live in Colombia on February 23rd and the UN Play It Out Music Festival in Antigua on June 1st. When World Refugee Day came around on June 20th that’s when it hit me: I now had the experience to pull off what would eventually become the Dream Day Festival and the Dream Day Foundation.
While there is much more to the story and much more to share, in the interest of time I will end here and suggest you click through the rest of the website and read what we have planned for 2020 and 2021. Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope you will partner with me to bring music and arts to child refugees around the globe.
Sincerely,
Todd Krim
Founder, Dream Day Foundation
President & CEO, TKG | The Krim Group
A Letter from the founder
Dear Friend,
Thank you for visiting DreamDay.org and joining me in my quest to bring music and arts to child refugees around the world. The inspiration for Dream Day came from a fateful visit to Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan on April 3, 2018. I went on a medical mission with my non-profit client, Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS), to see first-hand the extraordinary work they do providing free medical care to Syrian refugees both in and outside of Jordan.
Zaatari refugee camp is not only the largest Syrian refugee camp in the world but it is also home to 40,000 children, most of whom were born there and have never left. What I found particularly shocking is that there is no formal music and arts program at the camp. As a former health care attorney I certainly believe in providing food, health care and education to refugees but now that I work in the entertainment industry I also recognize the vital role that music, arts and culture can play in a child’s life, especially those that have experienced trauma.
When I was leaving Zaatari I was filled with mixed emotions. On the one hand, my heart was full of joy meeting so many beautiful young children who were smiling and laughing, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there is an entire world outside of the camp. I was also inspired by the commitment and dedication of the SAMS staff who are working tirelessly to meet the health care needs of the refugees. However, I still couldn’t fathom the fact that most of the children in the camp had never seen a live concert before and that there is no music school or performing arts center where they can go to learn to sing, dance and write or produce music.
I promised myself that someday I would go back to the camp and not only produce a concert for the children in Zaatari but also build a music school. Even though I had strong ties in the music industry and experience producing over 100 charity events, I didn’t feel quite ready to produce a concert halfway around the globe and in a refugee camp no less. That all changed after I had the opportunity to work on two very successful benefit concerts in 2019, Venezuela Aid Live in Colombia on February 23rd and the UN Play It Out Music Festival in Antigua on June 1st. When World Refugee Day came around on June 20th that’s when it hit me: I now had the experience to pull off what would eventually become the Dream Day Festival and the Dream Day Foundation.
While there is much more to the story and much more to share, in the interest of time I will end here and suggest you click through the rest of the website and read what we have planned for 2020 and 2021. Thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope you will partner with me to bring music and arts to child refugees around the globe.
Sincerely,
Todd Krim
Founder, Dream Day Foundation
President & CEO, TKG | The Krim Group