Our Story: Healing Spaces with National Impact

Designing Dreams is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that transforms the bedrooms of children actively fighting cancer, creating joyful, personalized spaces where they can rest, heal, and just be kids. We work closely with hospital child life specialists and social workers, experts who know their patients best, to identify children who would benefit from extra comfort and care at home. Whether a child is facing extended time in isolation, mobility challenges, relapse, or financial hardship, these trusted hospital partners help us reach those who need a healing space the most. Every room is designed by a professional interior designer and is a reflection of that child’s personality, interests, and strength, offering a space of peace, play, and possibility during a difficult time.

Where It Began
The heart of Designing Dreams was shaped through early grassroots bedroom transformations completed between 2013 and 2022 across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Seeing the way a personalized space could bring comfort, joy, and a sense of normalcy to a child fighting cancer revealed how deeply environment can shape healing — and inspired the vision for something greater.
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Expanding the Mission
In 2022, Kelly O’Donnell founded Designing Dreams USA, Inc. driven by a deep conviction that this work needed to reach more children — and that it needed to be built with care, intention, and heart.

Moved by the families she had met and the stories she had witnessed, Kelly created a national nonprofit organization rooted in compassion and designed for long-term impact. With the support of founding board members Danny Beck and Reena Desai, she thoughtfully established a chapter-based model that allows local communities to bring Designing Dreams to life while receiving guidance, training, and support from the national team — ensuring every child’s experience is handled with dignity, consistency, and love.
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Where We Are Now
In 2023, Designing Dreams USA launched its first official chapter in San Diego, California. Supported by a passionate local community, the chapter partners with Rady Children’s Hospital and talented interior designers to create joyful, restorative spaces tailored to each child’s personality, interests, and dreams.

San Diego serves as the pilot chapter for the national model — a beautiful example of what is possible when compassion, creativity, and community come together.
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Our Future
Designing Dreams USA is building a national movement of hope and healing — guided by the founding vision of Kelly O’Donnell and fueled by the belief that environment matters, love matters, and children deserve beauty - even in the hardest moments.

As the organization continues to grow, our purpose remains unchanged: to ensure every child facing cancer has a space filled with comfort, creativity, and joy — a space where they can simply be kids.
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📧 Ready to make a lasting impact? Contact Kelly O'Donnell at kelly@designingdreamsusa.org