Kristi Yamaguchi

Captured the gold medal in the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, France in figure skating. She is also a world champion and two-time U.S. National Champion.  Kristi is a member of the US Figure Skating Hall of Fame, World Figure Skating Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame.  Following a long and successful career in professional figure skating, Kristi took to the dance floor to win top honors with partner Mark Ballas on the popular TV show “Dancing With The Stars.” In 1996, she founded the Always Dream Foundation whose mission is to inspire underserved children to reach for their dreams through innovative reading programs and by advancing the cause of early childhood literacy. Kristi has added New York Times Best-Selling author to her list of achievements with three children’s picture book, “Dream Big, Little Pig!”, and then following up with “It’s A Big World, Little Pig!” and “Cara’s Kindness.” Kristi resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, Bret Hedican and their two young daughters, Keara and Emma.

 

Always Dream Foundation

Established in 1996, Kristi Yamaguchi’s Always Dream Foundation (ADF) believes their greatest gift and ability to proactively impact a child’s life is by building a love of reading and engaging the parents at an early stage.

ADF enhanced its current literacy program to have an even greater impact, focusing on kindergarten students by providing 21st century technology (one to one e-tablets) and access to a digital library in their home environment.

Our new Always Reading program supports reading at home by giving families access to an entire library of digital books at their fingertips–and supporting parents to read with their children.

Always Reading has three pillars:

  • Family Engagement -Parents receive training in book sharing strategies, text messages and year-round support from our dedicated Book Coach
  • High-Quality Books – Families get access to high-quality books in the home environment
  • 21st Century Technology – An e-tablet is provided to each student for the school year, for one-to-one access

To date, the Always Dream Foundation has served over 10,000 students and partnered with 26 schools in California, Arizona and Hawaii providing 21st century technology and literacy resources.

Kristi and her Always Dream Foundation were awarded the “community spirit” award from the US Olympic Committee and most recently the Heisman Humanitarian Award for 2019.