We were lucky to catch up with Nychol Lyna recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nychol, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you talk to us about serving the underserved.

As the Founder of Dream North LLC, I have been successfully creating social connections through the arts for decades, but also have a deep personal connection to the American Foster System and different socioeconomic marginalized subcultures. I have been fortunate to support leading organizations like Los Angeles County Office of Education (LACOE), Headstart, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), and various other non profit and educational systems for over 10 years.

Some positive accolades of mine geared around community development include living in Spain for one year in 2015 and implementing an independent research study on women and children exposed to abuse and sex trafficking, thus leading to the establishment of Dream North LLC once returning to the states in 2016. I have also produced award-winning documentary films including “Path to the Draft: 7 DeSoto U Players” which gained national recognition and fiscal sponsorships.

Most notably, I published children’s book “Forgotten Baby” about a young girl named Mytaé who grows up without her biological parents, inspiring the creation of the “Story Time with Dream North & Friends” literary arts events for foster children and underserved communities through non profit organization, Dream North Foundation, which I established in September 2021. To date, we have successfully secured partners and sponsors with Clark County Nevada, Clark County School District, Las Vegas Clark County Library District, Green Dot Public Schools, Los Angeles Police Museum, In-n-Out Burger Foundation, and more, and served more than 1,000 children throughout California, Nevada, Oregon and the Bahamas.

Dream North Foundation strives to support the development of children by integrating art, literature, literacy, healthy eating, and entrepreneurship into their daily lives. Through our various platforms, we aim to raise awareness about the injustices faced by at-risk children in underserved areas worldwide by collaborating with local organizations who share our mission and work within our target demographics to help minimize the occurrences of youth getting involved in gang violence, illegal activities, early teenage pregnancy and dropping out of school.

As a Los Angeles native and current Las Vegas resident, I am adamant about making an invaluable impact on underprivileged demographics on a global scale.

Nychol, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Dream North Foundation has been serving the community since 2020, but we have been implementing community development initiatives since 2016 through Dream North LLC. In that time, we’ve successfully published our themed novel “Forgotten Baby,” which is cataloged at AC Bilbrew Library (LA County Library), Windmill Library (Las Vegas-Clark County Library District), along with 8 libraries within the National Library and Information Services Bahamas (NLIS). We are beginning to expand the series through Story Time programming, giving foster children a platform to co-author a novel.
From 2016 to 2020, in partnership with programs like FAMLI Inc (Locke High School), we’ve contributed to the development of curriculums and facilitation of programs that have uplifted more than 3,000 at-risk youth throughout Los Angeles. In 2022, Dream North Foundation donated more than $50,000 worth of monetary and in-kind contributions to various groups throughout California (Los Angeles Police Museum for 150 community members), Nevada (Las Vegas for 30 underserved children), Oregon (Rose Haven in Portland for 300 families), and the Bahamas (including 8 children’s homes hosting 150 children). And we are excited for our upcoming August 20th “Back to School Youth Literacy Festival with Dream North & Friends” event at Windmill Library for 400 attendees!

In August 2022, we embarked on a mission to make an impact on vulnerable children living in different regions. In Nassau, the Bahamas, we collaborated with First Lady Anne Marie Davis to organize an event that brought together siblings who had been separated for years despite living within an hour’s distance. Our program aimed to foster a sense of family and belonging among foster youth. We achieved this by facilitating community and social engagement and reuniting them from faces from their past.

In Portland, Oregon, we visited RoseHaven to provide Comfort Cases, books, toys, electronics, and catering for 300 children and their families. We also hosted a book reading session titled “Forgotten Baby”. During the event, we had the opportunity to interact with over half of the attendees, and we were moved by their inspiring testimonies. Our gatherings create a safe space where people can openly share their experiences and receive support and love from their community.

Since 2016, we have partnered with FAMLI Inc (Green Dot Schools advisory program facilitated at Locke High School) in Los Angeles, CA, to support young men from underserved communities. Through our collaborative efforts, we have secured influential guest speakers like Rizza Islam, who inspire young men to seek refuge from gang affiliation and avoid illegal substances and weapons.

In July 2022, we organized a “Story Time with Dream North & Friends” session in Altadena, CA, for 25-35 foster boys through Sycamores. Our engaging activities, including the “Potted Lily Sustainable Arts Station” provided a unique learning opportunity that helped the boys open up and establish long-term relationships with the mentors.

This is why we do what we do! Through our efforts, we have assisted various foster agencies in reuniting estranged siblings at our literary events, and our programs have helped to minimize participation in gangs, illegal activity, and drug use and improve the grades of our youth.

Though I’ve been spearheading all of our programs for the past 5 years, I’ve been fortunate to collaborate with some amazing people and communities and am looking forward to continue making an impact!

How did you put together the initial capital you needed to start your business?

I funded my business out of pocket. I worked at permanent job from 2009 to 2015, and used my income to fund founding Dream North LLC. From there, I invested in primary business expenses such as marketing (website, fliers/brochures and social media ads) to ensure I secured business clients. Once I founded Dream North Foundation I was able to begin pursuing sponsors, donors and grants. With a proper plan and budget, anything is possible, as long as you believe in yourself and never give up!

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

I develop personal relationships with my team to assure them of how important they are to me. I’ve been so fortunate to work with some amazing women who I’ve come to call family! I try to send them gifts on special occasions or simply check in on them if they need to process their own lives and have a listening ear.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.DreamNorthEnt.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/dreamnorthllc
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dreamnorthent
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nycholwoods
• Other: www.dreamnorthfoundation.org