DREAMS BY HOLMES, A YOUNG LADY WHO TRULY MAKES DREAMS COME TRUE.

By Thomas Exler

Twenty-four year old Jamie Holmes, from White Oak, Pennsylvania  has been named as the first Courage to Shine™ – Role Model of the Month for the Courage to Shine™ program.  Jamie has earned this recognition because she has turned her lifelong medical issues from a negative into a positive, by helping children and adults dealing with life threatening, chronic illness or overcoming traumatic accidents, through an organization she founded in 2005 at the age of 18 called “Jamie’s Dream Team”  www.jamiesdreamteam.org

Jamie has lived her entire life through the daily motto of Courage to Shine™, “Turning Adversity to Triumph” and with “Jamie’s Dream Team” she is the glue that holds everything together.  Furthermore over the last few months I have personally seen some of the magic she makes happen, while at the same time she is  personally recovering from major surgery herself.

I first became aware about Jamie in August 2011 through another Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area agency I volunteer with, because she was personally dealing with some gastro-intestinal issues herself, and just came through a personally very difficult surgical procedure.   She proceeded to explain that she was diagnosed with V.A.T.E.R. Syndrome shortly after birth, and has had chronic health problems over the years including having more than 45+ surgeries.  At the age of 18  she founded the organization that is now known as “Jamie’s Dream Team”.  So of course I was wanted to know more.

In the short time I have known Jamie, the media is always close behind her, and this fall she wrote an article for the Phoenix Magazine  (Article: The Phoenix Magazine – Jamies Dream Team – Dec 2011)  the official magazine of the United Ostomy Associations of America.   In early December she was featured by Uromed on their blog site as one of UroMed Hometown Heroes over a 5 day period (see blog Links below), and in early December she was on TV promoting Jamie’s Dream Team, but I personally did not realize the amazing magic that she and her organization  could accomplish until the afternoon of Thursday December 22, 2011.

Shortly after noon on Thursday December 22, I received a call at work from Jamie, that we needed to raise money today to help a young lady (age 15) who was just released from a local hospital dealing with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and they needed to raise money for a iPad so she has contact with her friends while in the hospital and at home recovering, but the catch was this project had to be off budget and we and had to raise it by tonight, before we could do anything.

However during the phone calls back and forth a young man who attends the same school gets a call that he won an iPad, and turns over to Jamie’s Dream Team over $200, it was the money  he was saving up for his own iPad.  He stated to his mother, “I got my iPad, now this money is for Jamie’s Dream Team to purchase an iPad for Haley.”   Miracles do happen; needless to say Haley received her iPad and other gifts from Jamie’s Dream Team the next evening, with media in tow.

First is a link from the Steve Harvey Show on December 12 2013, with Jamie Holmes on it.

A link to KDKA Channel 2 in Pittsburgh “Paying it Forward”  http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=6579161  and the second from Jamie’s Dream Team YouTube site.

Newspaper Article: McKeesport Daily News: Jamie’s Dream Team brings Christmas cheer to Smithton teen  http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_773618.html#ixzz1i4yCwrOo

However this was not the end of it, because of the media coverage from the night before, Jamie’s Dream Team received another request on Christmas Eve to pull off another miracle, for a young girl who is not only facing major medical issues, but is also facing her father’s National Guard unit  to be redeployed in the upcoming few months.  Jamie, her mother and the entire team pulled off another miracle in only a few hours left before Christmas Day.

Hope you can see why Jamie has been named as the first Courage to Shine™  – Role Model of the Month for January 2012, Congratulations Jaime we know we will be hearing more about you in the upcoming months and years.

If you would like to donate to Jamie’s Dream Team or would like more information on Jamie’s Dream Team please go to www.jamiesdreamteam.org or send an e-mail to Jamie at jamiesdreamteam@gmail.com

Please feel free to read more about Jamie through the links below.

Additional Stories about Jamie Holmes & Jamie’s Dream Team

For more information about Jamie Holmes and Jamie’s Dream Team please read the articles posted below.

Award: Jamie Holmes named Runner-Up in Pittsburgh’s Next Reality Star

• Jamie was named Runner-UP – NextRealityStar.com – Pittsburgh, PA – August 29, 2013

Article in Woman’s World Magazine:

•  Making Dreams Come True –  Woman’s World – USA (Printed issue only) – Page 38 of issue – July 1 2013

Award: Jamie Holmes named the Daily Points of Light Award for June 10 2013

• Jamie was honored by The Points of Light Foundation – pointsoflights.org – Atlanta, GA – June 10 2013

Award:  2012 Jefferson Awards for Volunteerism

• Jamie Holmes introduction and acceptance speech at the Jefferson Awards on April 29 2013
• Jamie has been named as a finalist for the 2012 Jefferson Award for volunteering in Western Pennsylvania

• Article: Jefferson Awards: Her wish: Make others happy – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Pittsburgh, PA – April 17 2013
• Jamie has been notified she was one of 50 – 2012 Jefferson Award Winners for volunteering in Western Pennsylvania and for her work with Jamie’s Dream Team.  2012 Jefferson Awards – June 20 2012 – Jamie will be presented the Jefferson metal on April 29 2013

Award: 2013 Champion Enterprise “Heroes” Annual Pittsburgh and Allegheny County “Public Service Awards”

• Jamie was honored with many others fom Pittsburgh and Allegheny County

Award: KDKA NewsRadio 1020: Larry Richert Honors Hometown Heroes

• Jamie was one of five recipients of the 2013 KDKA NewsRadio 1020: Larry Richert Honors Hometown Heroes
• Jamie and the other 5 recipients were honored on Thursday March 7 2013 at the Lexus Club at PNC Park.
• Video online at: http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=8601893

Award: Whirl Magazine Presents: 13 Under 30:

• Whirl Magazine Presents: 13 Under 30: Western Pennsylvania’s rising stars, all under the age of 30! – Whirl Magazine –     Pittsburgh, PA – March 1 2013

Video:  BUS 52 – Jamie’s Dream Team –  Filmed in October of 2012 – Released November 21,2012

• In October of 2012,  BUS 52, a internet production company that crossed the USA looking for Inspirational Stories followed Jamie Holmes and her team around for a day.  Video was released on November 21, 2012

Original Song:  “Dreams Come True”  by the Neids Hotel Band for Jamie Holmes and Jamie’s Dream Team

• On October 1, 2012 The Nied’s Hotel Band released their latest hit, DREAMS COME TRUEthat was written for Jamie Holmes & Jamie’s Dream Team, by John Vento, Bert Lauble, & Tim Hadley, produced by Klint Macro for Jamie’s Dream Team, and performed by The Nied’s Hotel Band, along with special guest vocalist Rhonda Watson.

Story about Jamie Holmes in the Phoenix Magazine:

The Phoenix Magazine – Jamies Dream Team – Dec 2011

Phoenix Magazine site: https://www.phoenixuoaa.org/

UroMed Hometown Hero: Jamie Holmes

Part 1: December 6, 2011:

Jamie Holmes of Jamie’s Dream Team Explains You Have to Know What Your Focus Is    http://uromed.wordpress.com/2011/12/06/jamie-holmes-of-jamies-dream-team-explains-you-have-to-know-what-your-focus-is/

Part 2: December 7, 2011:

A Life-Changing Decision: Jamie Holmes Decides Christmas is About Giving, Not Receiving    http://uromed.wordpress.com/2011/12/07/a-life-changing-decision-jamie-holmes-decides-christmas-is-about-giving-not-receiving/

Part 3: December 9, 2011:

Jamie Holmes Founded Jamie’s Dream Team to Help Others http://uromed.wordpress.com/2011/12/09/jamie-holmes-founded-jamies-dream-team-to-help-others/

Part 4: December 10, 2011:

Jamie Holmes of Jamie’s Dream Team Learns That Helping Others Cures Most of Her Illnesses http://uromed.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/jamie-holmes-of-jamies-dream-team-learns-that-helping-others-cures-most-of-her-illnesses/

Other Links about Jamie’s Dream Team activities in the recent past:

Jamie’s Dream Team brings Christmas cheer to Smithton teen – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/dailynewsmckeesport/s_773618.html#ixzz1i4yCwrOo

Other Videos with Jamie Holmes in:

© Copyright 2012-2013 Thomas Exler, Jamie Holmes, Jamie’s Dream Team & Courage to Shine™