Birthdays are typically a family affair with cake, laughs and loved ones.
But in Kentucky’s foster care system, birthdays often go by without any celebration. Cameron Faris, the girls’ assistant soccer coach at Woodford County High School, wanted to change that.
That’s how Dreams Delivered Daily began.
Faris believes everyone should feel special on their birthday, and that’s where the non-profit found its mission – to ensure a foster child will receive a personalized birthday cake and a gift from a wish lift. The main goal is to make the child feel special and remembered on his or her big day.
“It’s about making youth in foster care feel noticed, appreciated and loved,” Faris said.
Faris has always been inspired to help others.
Growing up in Letcher County, her parents encouraged her to volunteer and help others by being involved in the community.
Fairs and her four sisters (her two oldest sisters were adopted) often volunteered at soup kitchens and shelters for people escaping domestic violence.
While at Midway University, where she played soccer and earned a business degree, Faris kept volunteering.
Her turning point occurred in October 2024, when she assisted at an event. Two girls were celebrating their birthday, but all they got was a small cupcake and a basket of little gifts.
Seeing their reactions made Faris rethink her plans. That moment led her to start the nonprofit.
“It was the first time in their lives they had been celebrated,” Faris recalled.
On her way home, she called her mom to ask if it was common for foster kids to grow up without birthday celebrations.
The answer was simple: “Unfortunately, yes.”
That conversation remained with her.
Faris questioned whether she was meant to help address this issue.
In January 2025, she applied for nonprofit status, officially launching Dreams Delivered Daily.
From the start, the goal was to celebrate one birthday each week for a year – an ambitious target.
That goal proved modest, as the organization celebrated 243 birthdays in its first full year.
Building on this wave of momentum, the nonprofit expects to reach 300 birthdays this year, with 188 already celebrated across 70 counties.
To ensure each celebration is unique, every birthday is personalized.
Each child gets a birthday cake in their favorite flavor and at least one gift from their wish list. Past gifts have included Legos, Barbie dolls, and sports gear from their favorite teams.
Faris remembers one birthday in particular. She was at a group home in Louisville with a 17-year-old boy who had been in foster care since he was 5.
He didn’t ask for much—just a Nike jacket and a Baltimore Ravens cake.
When Faris opened the cake box, the teenager quietly looked at it and said, “I’ve never had my name on a cake before. One that was just for me.”
Faris joked with him that, as a Cincinnati Bengals fan, carrying a Ravens cake was tough. The joke made the teenager laugh, she said.
A few weeks later, Faris got a handwritten thank-you card from him. She keeps it above her desk as a reminder of her mission.
Her nonprofit has grown into a statewide program with more than 50 volunteers and 15 bakeries helping with the cakes.
People in the community can help by delivering birthday celebrations, partnering as bakeries or businesses, making one-time donations, or joining the nonprofit’s monthly “Dream Team” giving program. A $100 donation covers a full birthday celebration.
While the nonprofit serves kids all over Kentucky, Faris sees many of the same lessons on the soccer field with her players.
She wants her players to know that life isn’t always fair. Sometimes officials make calls they don’t agree with, coaches make tough decisions, and teammates have hard days.
Faris believes that learning to respond with character, resilience, and teamwork helps young women meet challenges beyond soccer.
Winning games matter, but helping her players become leaders is even more important.
“More than anything, I want every player to know that I am in their corner,” Faris said. “If they leave the program as better people than they were when they arrived, then I consider that a success.”