About A Billion Dreams

A Billion Dreams is a non-profit organization founded by Alyssia Jovellanos, a young woman who was diagnosed with aggressive cancer during the height of the pandemic.

The organization's mission is to send the written names and dreams of loved ones on space missions, inspiring them to dream big and reach for the stars no matter how difficult things get.

During treatment, Alyssia often looked up at the sky and found inspiration in space. There's something about space that makes us wonder, dream, and think of something bigger than ourselves.

The simple act of sending a name and thinking of a dream or goal that they want to hold on to can change an entire person's trajectory.

Our long-term vision with A Billion Dreams is to continue sending names and dreams on space missions annually. We'd also love to contribute to science and technology by raising awareness and enabling scientific research in space that can benefit many more people on Earth. Our first mission is launching with SpaceX on the Falcon 9 Transporter-10.

Depending on the amount of proceeds we are able to raise for this first mission, we will be able to fund the costs of other plaque missions and fund experiments to send on high altitude balloons and beyond.

"After surviving a cancer diagnosis in my early twenties, I wanted to create a non-profit organization that could help people hold onto their dreams, even in the toughest of times. I also wanted to give back to the science community in a way that could help advance science and technology to save more lives around the world, so we can watch their dreams come true too.

As someone who has personally experienced the impact of cancer, I am passionate about finding ways to advance biomedical research and improve the lives of those affected by this disease.

With the decommissioning of the International Space Station expected in the next 5-10 years, we believe that it is more important than ever to find more ways to enable this kind of scientific research.

While inspiring others to dream, we also want to make a tangible difference in the fight against cancer and other diseases, as well as contribute to other areas of research such as biosecurity, epigenetics and more. As ordinary people, we want to be able to ask questions and chart new research paths. Space offers a unique environment for conducting experiments that can lead to groundbreaking discoveries and innovations, from microgravity environments to the unique exposure to radiation.

Many of today's innovations come from discoveries made in space research. From GPS technology to cancer therapies to portable ultrasound machines, the benefits of space research extend far beyond the realm of space exploration.

There's so much to learn and discover. I can't wait to explore it together."

We also partner with and work with charities. This year, we're partnering with SOS Children's Villages, sending free names and dreams of vulnerable children, and are launching a Dream Plaque with SpaceX. Learn more about SOS Children's Villages here: https://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-us/impact

About Alyssia Jovellanos

Alyssia Jovellanos is a fearless cancer survivor, software engineer, entrepreneur, and researcher. She’s the founder of “A Billion Dreams”, a non-profit that sends names and dreams of orphans, kids undergoing cancer treatments, and loved ones to space through SpaceX. She is deeply interested in biomedical research and asking questions to potentially discover uncharted research paths that can be beneficial for the world. She volunteers teaching computer science to underprivileged students globally through Google and Stanford, and is an inaugural Space4Girls Global Youth Council fellow where she has the opportunity to design experiments in high altitude air balloons, proof of concepts for experiments launched to the International Space Station and beyond.