Our Story: Healing Spaces with National Impact

Hospitals are designed for medical care. Homes often are not. ♥

Designing Dreams began as a grassroots effort between 2013 and 2022, transforming bedrooms for children battling cancer across Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Through these early projects, it became clear that pediatric cancer care had evolved beyond the hospital—children were spending much of their treatment journey at home, yet their bedrooms were rarely designed to support healing, recovery, learning, and play.

Recognizing the need to expand this impact beyond individual communities, Kelly O'Donnell founded Designing Dreams USA in 2023, formalizing the mission into a national nonprofit dedicated to creating treatment-informed healing spaces for children with cancer. Joined by founding board members Danny Beck and Reena Desai, Designing Dreams USA established a chapter-based model that partners with hospitals, volunteers, and local communities to bring this mission to families nationwide.

Today, Designing Dreams USA is building a national network of chapters to ensure that every child facing cancer has access to a healing environment at home—regardless of where they live. The first official chapter of Designing Dreams launched in San Diego, CA with a hospital partnership with Rady's Children's Hospital, local interior designers, and a community of trades and volunteers.
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📧 Ready to bring a chapter near you? Contact Kelly O'Donnell at kelly@designingdreamsusa.org

How We Started

Creating healing spaces for children with cancer, inspiring happiness and hope ♥.

Designing Dreams remodels the bedrooms of kids undergoing cancer treatment who are too immunocompromised to lead a normal life outside of their homes. Designing Dreams partners with professional interior designers to transform each child's bedrooms into an uplifting healing oasis to play, hope, and recover for their years of cancer treatment.

San Diego – A New Chapter of Hope

We opened our San Diego chapter in 2022 to spread hope, deepen our mission, and empower families in the fight against childhood cancer ♥

In 2022, Designing Dreams expanded its reach beyond the Midwest with the opening of a San Diego chapter, led by President and Executive Director Kelly O'Donnell. Kelly’s passion for the mission and strong leadership played a pivotal role in bringing the organization’s vision of transforming children’s bedrooms to the West Coast. Under her guidance, the San Diego chapter quickly gained traction, forming a key partnership with Rady’s Children’s Hospital, one of the top pediatric hospitals in the region. This collaboration allowed Designing Dreams to serve a growing number of children battling cancer across Southern California. Kelly’s strategic direction and unwavering commitment to the cause enabled the organization to not only broaden its geographic reach but also deepen its impact on the families it serves. Designing Dreams has provided healing, comfort, and hope to countless children and families in need, creating spaces that promote joy and recovery in a time of great uncertainty. The San Diego Chapter opening wouldn't be possible with Danny Beck, a key member of the Board of Directors. With a background in biotech, Danny’s expertise has been crucial in shaping the organization’s strategy and fundraising initiatives. However, it is his profound passion for supporting children battling cancer that truly drives him, fueling his unwavering commitment to advancing our mission.

Alabama - Our Next Chapter Opening Soon

Our Co-Founder, Lauren Curwick, is leading the opening of Designing Dreams of Alabama ♥.

After completing medical school in WI, Lauren Curwick embarked on her surgical residency in Alabama, where she continued to pursue her dream of making a difference in children’s lives. With a strong foundation in place and the passion that had fueled Designing Dreams from the beginning, Lauren is now in the process of opening a new chapter in Alabama. This expansion will allow Designing Dreams to serve children in need of healing spaces in the Southern U.S., offering them the same transformative bedroom redesigns that have made such a difference in other regions. To support the opening of the Alabama Chapter, please donate here.

GROUNDED IN RESEARCH

We leverage physical space to positively impact social-emotional well-being. Our bedrooms are designed by professional interior designers, functional space experts, and professional organizers ♥.
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design elements

Featuring items or photos of people who make the person feel happy can also increase overall mental health. Whatever hobbies the child enjoys, we make room for it in an effort to increase overall mental health.
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Colors

Light colored walls allow light to reflect more in a space and make the room feel brighting. Incorporating a favorite color through accessories makes the space feel tailored to the child. Warms colors evoke feelings of happiness or optimism.

De-clutter

A cluttered environment leads to an increased level of cortisol - a stress hormone. A cluttered space can lead to a cluttered mind and may cause one to feel overwhelmed, bogged down, or sad. We work with professional organizers to de-clutter and organize each child's room.

Natural light

By increasing exposure to sunlight, you increase the body’s level of serotonin, a natural antidepressant in the brain. There are several ways to leverage light in a bedroom transformation.

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