When it is time to make dreams come true, 琉璃神社 residents always give generously.

Papa John鈥檚 Dreams for Kids Day will be held today in support of The Sunshine Foundation of Canada. The aim is to raise $50,000 to fund the trip of a lifetime for Okanagan kids living with severe physical disabilities or life-threatening illnesses.

It鈥檚 a lofty one-day goal, but one that organizers are confident they鈥檒l meet.

鈥淚t鈥檚 by far the busiest day of the year 鈥攊n fact, it鈥檚 one of the busiest days for Papa John鈥檚 in North America,鈥� said Geoff Linquist, the president of the B.C. chain of Papa John鈥檚 restaurants.

Linquist has been feverishly preparing for the event that sends one hundred per cent of the pizza sale proceeds for the day to Sunshine Dream Programs.

鈥淲e actually bring some of our team members from the U.S., some from Vancouver and all hands on deck for all our staff in all our local stores,鈥� Linquist said, adding that he鈥檚 learned a lot in the three years since they鈥檝e taken on the event.

鈥淭he first year we didn鈥檛 have a goal, we just didn鈥檛 know what to expect and the community came out and supported it in a big way.鈥�

It鈥檚 understandable support, he said. The fundraiser, which was previously held by another restaurant chain, has been going for over 20 years in the Okanagan and it affects everyone involved.

鈥淟ast year we met the families and the children going to Disneyland for the day at the airport,鈥� he said, explaining that the event puts smiles on the kids, but also their whole families.

It鈥檚 an emotional trip for those co-ordinating the event as well.

So much so, that the Orange County Sheriff鈥檚 department, which escorts the Dream program participants in Disneyland, always sends representatives to the Okanagan for the event. There was one moment when they didn鈥檛 think they鈥檇 be participating anymore, but that鈥檚 when Papa John鈥檚 stepped in and it鈥檚 continued on as business as usual.

Nancy Sutherland is the Sunshine Foundation鈥檚 CEO said Papa John鈥檚 involvement allowed the charity to complete one program and maintain a community presence.

鈥淭his also drives a lot of awareness for Sunshine as a self-fund charity and these community initiatives and the funds raised are absolutely essential,鈥� said Sutherland.

鈥淭he kids have to be brave and trusting of people to look after them and so do their parents because it鈥檚 hard to let a very vulnerable child with a lot of complex medical needs out of your sight. But because we have incredible partnerships with physicians and specialists who come on the plane, parents do give us their confidence and trust.鈥�

Papa John鈥檚 Pizza locations in 琉璃神社 and West 琉璃神社 will join locations in Kamloops, Penticton and Prince George in participating.

The event gets underway at 10 a.m.