Always Dream Newsletter:
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November 2025 ✨
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Across our communities, many public schools are facing challenges as federal funding shifts, leaving educators and families with fewer resources to support early learning. Now more than ever, programs like Always Reading (https://alwaysdream.org/the-always-reading-program/) play a vital role in uplifting students and families in under-resourced communities, ensuring every child has the opportunity to chase big dreams and build a lifelong love of reading.
Your support makes this possible. Together, we’re creating brighter beginnings for our community members.
Donate Today (https://www.classy.org/give/460574/#!/donation/checkout)
Program Update: The New School Year is Underway!
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https://www.alwaysdream.org
From Ms. Zoller, an Always Reading partner teacher at Kaʻūmana Elementary:
“We studied triceratops after reading it on EPIC (story of the day).”
We’re excited to share that our Always Reading program has launched for the 2025-26 school year in 40 schools: 21 schools across four islands in Hawai‘i and 19 schools across Northern California! This year, we’re serving nearly 1,000 families in each state, reaching more than 5,400 students and family members in total.
When families join Always Reading, they gain access to the EPIC digital library filled with thousands of diverse and engaging books along with hard-copy books and personalized support from a local Book Coach who helps caregivers make reading at home fun and meaningful. We’re excited to share more stories from families as they dive into their reading journey over the next year! Together, we’re building stronger connections between families and schools, and nurturing a love of reading that lasts well beyond the classroom.
https://www.alwaysdream.org
Always Reading Book Coach Sofia leads a family orientation at Hazel Strauch Elementary, our first partner school in Sacramento.
Celebrating an Astounding Gala
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https://www.flickr.com/photos/alwaysdreamorg/albums/
This October, our Always Dream Annual Gala brought together an incredible community of supporters who believe in the power of family and literacy. Thanks to their generosity, we raised an incredible $721,000! These funds directly support children and families through our Always Reading program.
From the inspiring stories shared on stage to the joy that filled the room, the evening was a true celebration of dreams taking flight. We are deeply grateful to everyone who attended, donated, and helped make this our most successful gala yet.
📸 View the photo album (https://www.flickr.com/photos/alwaysdreamorg/albums/)
30 Years of Stories That Inspire
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2026 is an important year here at Always Dream — it’s our 30th anniversary! That’s 30 years of inspiring stories and thousands upon thousands upon thousands of children and families impacted. Mark your calendars now for our two signature fundraising galas, which will be bigger and better than ever. Get ready to celebrate with us and ensure our work continues for years to come!
https://www.alwaysdream.org
🌺 2026 Dream Gala: Saturday, April 25, 2026
The Pacific Club | Honolulu
Reserve your seat with early bird pricing available until January 1!
Secure your discount now (https://paybee.io/in-person-event/alwaysdream/5)
💫 2026 Annual Gala: Saturday, October 24, 2026
Palace Hotel | San Francisco
More details to come — stay tuned!
Spotlight: Supporting Classrooms, Honoring Legacies
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https://alwaysdream.org/sponsor-a-classroom/
A gift in memory of Jim Yamaguchi, supporting our Fremont students
As the school year kicks off, we want to recognize Jim and Cynde Adler, who are sponsoring a classroom at Brier Elementary in memory of Lori and Kristi’s late father, Jim Yamaguchi. Their generosity helps ensure that students and families have access to the full Always Reading experience.
Classroom sponsors like the Adlers make it possible for Always Dream to reach more children across Hawaiʻi and California, fostering a love of reading that lasts a lifetime.
Interested in sponsoring a classroom at a partner school of your choice?
Reach out today! (mailto:michelle@alwaysdream.org?subject=Classroom%20Sponsorship&body=)
Coming Up at Always Dream ❄️
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR52mrfp0MI
Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink at City Center Bishop Ranch
It’s officially rink season! The Kristi Yamaguchi Holiday Ice Rink at City Center Bishop Ranch is open now through January 4. Gather your friends and family for some holiday fun on the ice, all for a great cause benefiting Always Dream.
Purchase tickets here (https://citycenterbishopranch.ticketspice.com/city-center-ice-rink-2025)
https://www.hellerjewelers.com/always-dream-collection
While you’re visiting City Center Bishop Ranch, be sure to stop by to see our friends at Heller Jewelers. In collaboration with Kristi, they designed the Always Dream Collection (https://www.hellerjewelers.com/always-dream-collection?srsltid=AfmBOoqqMntYskPnq98UCgBUyHU6bpVaFctbXnGkXjGKNxGOgfkoHaVM) featuring a beautiful line of necklaces with proceeds benefiting Always Dream. Canʻt make it to the store? You can order online! With the holidays coming up, it’s the perfect gift for that special someone.
https://www.alwaysdream.org
Coming Soon: Giving Tuesday & Our End-of-Year Campaign
Get ready to join Team Always Dream: Gold Medal Readers this December! Launching on Giving Tuesday (December 2nd) and going through December, we can’t wait to share inspiring stories of our Always Reading families and celebrate the joy of reading together as we close out another remarkable year. Stay tuned for more details; we’d love to have you on our team as your support helps our young readers go for the gold! 🥇
🗞️ Always Dream in the News
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⛸️ U.S. Figure Skating: Kristi Yamaguchi: Turning the Page on Her Legacy (https://www.usfigureskating.org/news/article/kristi-yamaguchi-turning-page-her-legacy)
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⭐️ Walnut Creek City Lifestyle: Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream (https://citylifestyle.com/articles/always-dream)
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🎙️ PBS KVIE: Q&A with Olympic Champion Kristi Yamaguchi on Competition and Role Models (https://www.abridged.org/news/kristi-yamaguchi-on-competition-and-role-models/)
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🎧 Responsive Lab Podcast: Aarika Riddle – How to Keep Donors Engaged When the Economy Tightens (https://open.spotify.com/episode/57IVFrYfwTbizXGIQPykz7?si=f29e1df3fcc748c6)
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https://instagram.com/alwaydream
https://linkedin.com/company/alwaysdream
https://alwaysdream.org
Always Dream Summer Newsletter ☀️
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As the 2024-25 school year wraps up, we’re celebrating the incredible journey our Always Reading program has taken with families across Northern California and Hawai‘i. This year, we were proud to partner with 36 schools supporting over 4,700 children and their family members in building strong reading habits at home.
https://www.alwaysdream.org
Together, families explored a total of 276,866 books and read for over ONE MILLION minutes on their Epic digital libraries…1,530,368 minutes to be exact! We’re so proud of the growth we’ve seen and the joyful learning moments shared, and we can’t wait to build on this momentum as we head into a new school year in a few months.
We’re calculating the data to show the full scope of our impact over the last year; stay tuned for our Impact Report coming this August.
A Transformational Gift for Always Dream
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https://photos.app.goo.gl/Z6EfkTrgzcrvbCfK7
We’re excited to share that Always Dream has received a $500,000 investment from the Tsuha Hawaiʻi Aloha Fund! This incredible gift (to be released over four years) will help us expand our efforts across the Hawaiian Islands and reach even more children and families with the power of books and at-home reading.
Wally Tsuha, founder of the Tsuha Hawaiʻi Aloha Fund said: “We believe it is so important and critical today for the children of Hawaiʻi, especially those who are underserved, to be able to read and be tech comfortable. We are so impressed with how well the organization is run and appreciate the strategic approach Always Dream is taking. Always Dream is making a major impact in the lives of children across the state, and we believe in the work they are doing.”
The Tsuha Hawaiʻi Aloha Fund also hopes this gift inspires others to join them in making bold investments in early literacy. We’re so grateful for their generosity and excited for what’s ahead!
Sponsorships & Tickets Now Available: 2025 Always Dream Gala – San Francisco
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https://www.classy.org/event/2025-always-dream-california-gala/e653728
Our 2025 Always Dream Annual Gala will take place on Saturday, October 11th at the beautiful Palace Hotel in San Francisco!
Join us for an unforgettable evening featuring dinner, drinks, exciting auction packages, a celebration of our impact, and an afterparty you won’t want to miss. This year, we’ll be honoring Nadyne Orona as our 2025 Dream Maker awardee. Tables are filling quickly, so now’s the perfect time to reserve yours.
View Sponsorship Opportunities (https://paybee.io/@alwaysdream@31)
The Kristi Yamaguchi Family Literacy Festival
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR52mrfp0MI
Kristi Yamaguchi’s Family Literacy Festival will once again return to the Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose on Saturday, September 6th. This will be a day to celebrate the fun of family reading and the power of storytelling. You can expect a few new things as well: a Curious George museum exhibit, Ricky Roo and Friends, and Reading Puppies!
See You There? 📚 (https://alwaysdream.org/kristi-yamaguchi-family-literacy-festival/)
PBS KVIE Studio Series: Pursuing Dreams
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https://alwaysdream.org/heller-jewelers-always-dream-collection/
For our friends in the Sacramento area, we hope you’ll join us for this live event with Kristi that takes place in the Mary Stuart Rogers Foundation Studio at PBS KVIE on Thursday, August 14th. In a conversational interview format, Kristi will discuss her incredible career as an Olympic Gold Medalist, bestselling children’s author, philanthropist, and advocate for early literacy.
Tickets Available Now 🎟️ (https://www.kvie.org/events/studioseries/)
Always Dream in the News
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https://www.alwaysdream.org
Photo courtesy of Star-Advertiser
⭐️ Star-Advertiser: Students Meet Olympic Reading Challenge (https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/04/23/photo-gallery/students-meet-olympic-reading-challenge/)
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The Always Dream team, alongside our friends at local Oʻahu family business Rainbow Drive-In, visited students and families at Puʻuhale Elementary to celebrate all their hard work this year!
⭐️ Real Options for City Kids: Always Reading Partnership (https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1BqBXHHEvD/)
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A great video highlighting our partnership with Real Options for City Kids (R.O.C.K.) which allows us to bring our Always Reading program to both El Dorado and Visitacion Valley Elementary schools in San Francisco.
⭐️ Bruce Lee Podcast: Flowing with Kristi Yamaguchi (https://brucelee.com/podcast-blog/2025/05/22/905-flowing-with-kristi-yamaguchi)
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Kristi joins the Bruce Lee Podcast for a powerful conversation about identity, resilience, and using her platform to create lasting impact through Always Dream.
⭐️ Pacific Edge Magazine: Women in Business (https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ss9hvZyzp92sN5jh5rEfkl-3USIi925F/view?usp=sharing)
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Kristi is featured among Hawai‘i’s inspiring Women in Business, sharing her journey from Olympic gold to championing early childhood literacy.
⭐️ Visit California: Kristi’s Golden State (https://oembed.libsyn.com/embed?item_id=36644840)
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Kristi reflects on her Bay Area roots, Olympic journey, and the mission behind Always Dream, all while sharing her favorite California spots and stories from the ice.
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https://alwaysdream.org