The dreams may be important, but in reality, they’re about normalcy.
Kids in the Dreams Come True don’t ask for African safaris, expeditions to the Arctic Circle or climbing Mount Everest. Instead, visiting a theme park, going to a concert or an NFL football game is enough.
If those sound like routine activities for children and youth, remember that for kids with life-threatening illnesses or disabilities, they’re like climbing a mountain, and just as thrilling, when you’ve been hospital- or wheelchair-bound.
And the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl does its part every year in helping kids experience a slice of normal by giving them an inside look at the sometimes chaotic world of college football.
The Gator Bowl unveiled its 2026 “Dream Team” on Aug. 6 at the WJCT Studios, with a dozen kids and teens from 5 to 16 years old signing their letters of intent to join the Gator Bowl Association as ambassadors and honorary members.
The kids, from the First Coast and South Georgia, received Dream Team football jerseys and enjoyed a media day and a signing day ceremony, complete with introductions through a smoke-filled arch of balloons.
The activities don’t stop there. They will be able to attend team selection meetings and go on a scouting trip to a University of Florida game during the season. After the SEC and ACC teams are selected for the game (Dec. 30, 11:30 a.m., ESPN), the Dream Teamers will be able to meet players, coaches, cheerleaders and mascots from the two teams and will be recognized on the field before the game.
Later this year, they will be presented with their Gator Bowl Association green jackets and their own trading cards.
‘Bravery’ unites the Dream Teamers
The Dream Teamers have either conquered or are in the process of dealing with issues ranging from childhood cancer, brain tumors, heart defects, genetic mutations and cerebral palsy. Some are now cancer-free and have “rung the bell” signifying their departure from medical facilities.
Others are still battling.
There are Gator, Bulldog and Hurricane fans, and DeVon, a recent transplant to the area, is the first recorded Kentucky Wildcats fan on the Dream Team.
Aubreigh, from Bryceville, has played competitive basketball, softball and volleyball. Elsie, from Jacksonville, likes to play golf and bake. Jace, 17, finished his last cancer treatment two weeks ago and will be back on the practice field for his high school football team within a matter of days.
Gator Bowl President Greg McGarity said they have one thing in common.
“Bravery,” he said.
It’s personal for Dream Team charity partner
Mike Cobb is the President and CEO of Momentum Transportation, the sponsor of the Gator Bowl Dream Team. For him, days like the introduction of the Dream Team are personal: His daughter Abbey, was born with scoliosis and had multiple surgeries until a double spinal fusion when she was 16.
It still didn’t stop her from playing golf with her sister Courtney on the Providence girls team.
Abbey Cobb got her dream of going to Universal Studios when she was 17. Now 25 years old, she works for her father in the marketing department and is planning a March wedding. Her mother is on the Dreams Come True board.
She looked at the kids posing for pictures with their parents and Gator Bowl Association members with a bit of envy.
“It’s awesome to see these kids get to do this,” she said. “It’s really just a special moment for them.”
Vicki Cobb said she joined the Dreams Come True board when the organization helped her daughter.
“Once she got her dream, I wanted to pay it forward,” she said.
Mike Cobb described one dream that a kid had that epitomized their desire to do normal things.
“We have one young lady who was getting a new kidney,” he said. “When she gets her kidney, all she wants to do is go swimming. She’s going to be able to swim. It’s one of those things that is simple, but it’s truly incredible.”
Dreams Come True has helped more than 5,000 kids
Also watching from a corner of the room was Dreams Come True Executive Director Anna Valent, who was experiencing her fourth Dream Team day.
“It’s pretty magical about what these kids want, what they’re trying to do and what it means to them,” she said. “For many kids a trip to Disney is pretty normal. For them, it’s been impossible because of an illness or a disability, and then when they can do it, it unbelievable.”
Dreams Come True was launched in Jacksonville in 1984 to “use the power of a dream” to bring joy to children in Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. Since then, more than 5,200 children had had their dreams come true. The organization also helps families with issues related to their children’s medical journey.
Visit dreamscometrue.org and taxslayergatorbowl.com for more information.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Gator Bowl ‘Dream Team’ signs on for the 2026 college football season
Reporting by Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Garry Smits, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union | USA TODAY Network
