A Promise to Help in the Philippines…Doug’s Dream
By Douglas Pasniak

It was a 90-degree, hot, blistering day as I crossed a bustling city street in the Philippines. We were on our way to a shopping mall when one little girl changed my life’s path. In fact, that one experience really changed my whole world. She was dirty and disheveled, and was just lying on the side of the street. It’s as if she was tossed there like garbage, half clothed, and in many ways just forgotten. I was shocked at what I saw, and in many ways I did not understand what I felt. How could I be called a Catholic, a Christian, a man who believes in God, yet live a life with such poverty being someone else’s problem?

I honestly could not live with myself knowing such conditions existed and yet do nothing to help. It was there, on that hot blistering street that I made a promise to God to return and to help all I possibly could. It was there that my heart poured out to a calling, and now this calling has become a mission, a dream, and a project to build an orphanage for poor and homeless children in the Philippines.

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Douglas Pasniak, a 5th generation American, still one hundred percent of Polish descent with a Masters in Educational Psychology and a background in residential facility management and at-risk youth development. Despite these accomplishments, the greatest work still remains—to fulfill a promise and return to the Philippines, and help all I can.
Our foundation, Doug’s Dream Inc., is now a 501(c)(3) non-profit foundation with a passionate Board of 10 members that seems to grow monthly. We held our first successful fundraiser on April 26th, 2008 at the School Sisters of St. Francis and the project is really starting to move forward. We now have a fully functional website, DougsDream.com, that is a work of art, thanks to the many people who have helped create it. So many people have shown an interest to help in the project, a fact that literally puts a smile on my face, seeing such devotion to help the poor.

Blessings and prayers to these individuals who have been devoted to help create the orphanage dream foundation: Fr. Thomas Suriano, Michael O' Leary, Rebecca Abraham, Patrick Moloney, Bob Harvey, Darren Brito, Toni Green, Dr. Elma Racadio, Darlene Pasniak, the late David Pasniak, Joy Pasniak, Chadwick Albano, Edgar Azcueta, Dr. Annette Azcueta, Cheryl Anderegg, Jeff Niedzialkowski, Farhan Anjum, Greg Meuler, Aleksandra Baranowski, Adrian Capote, the words of Christ, and last but not least, the little girl who changed my heart as she slept by that busy street.

For more information about the project please visit DougsDream.com, or,
call Douglas Pasniak at 414-303-4770.