Dream Factory of Iowa comes to Cedar Rapids,

The Dream Factory of Iowa, which aims to fulfill the dreams of critically and chronically ill children between the ages of 3 and 18, is now operating within a 60-mile radius of Cedar Rapids.

The organization already has chosen its first recipient. In October, Myles Peterman, 15, will travel with his family to Florida, where he will visit Disney World, the Kennedy Space Center and the ocean.

'To me it means a new adventure. A new chapter in my life,” said Myles, who has spina bifida and agenesis of the corpus callosum.

His conditions have caused 'lots of procedures. Lots of time in hospitals. Lots of worry about the unknown,” said Jessie Peterman, Myles's mother. Myles said he plans to continue being an ambassador for Dream Factory.

The organization hosted a launch party June 14 at A Touch of Class on Mount Vernon Road SE. More than 100 people gathered to play games, get their faces painted, visit a clown, partake in a cakewalk and participate in other activities. An ambulance and firetruck also were on site. Myles, who said he is interested in science and hopes to go to MIT, helped with the festivities by launching a rocket.

Natasha Murdock, director of the Dream Factory of Iowa, said the purpose of the party was to get the word out about the organization.

'The hardest part is getting people to know who we are or what we are doing,” she said.

The Dream Factory is a national nonprofit that launched in 1980 in Kentucky. It differs from other organizations, such as Make A Wish, in that it does not limit itself to children with life-threatening illnesses. This is the first chapter in Iowa.

Murdock said she decided to launch the Dream Factory of Iowa to bring smiles to those who are going through tough times. The organization has a lot of volunteers who also work at Mercy Pediatric Clinic, including Murdock.

Murdock said she hopes the organization will have picnics, barbecues and other events to bring friends of the organization together.

All but 10 percent of money raised by Dream Factory of Iowa stays local, Murdock said. The organization accepts donations through the Dream Factory website, http://dreamfactoryinc.org/, or its GoFundMe page, http://www.gofundme.com/wbb4cjc, and it welcomes volunteers who are over 18 and pass a background check.

Murdock said the hope is to select the next dream recipient by the end of the year if possible.