Eight-year-old Campbell Broberg thought he was just headed to the doctor. Instead, the Austin boy, who has cerebral palsy, was surprised at school with a giant yard sign announcing the start of a three-day Longhorns dream weekend built just for him.
Campbell is, in his mother Brooke Broberg's words, kind, loving, goofy, creative and a great big brother — and a big-time Texas Longhorns fan, according to CBS Austin. UT students put the weekend together through the school's Collegiate Dream Team, which raised money and worked with Austin businesses and campus partners to pull off three full days of activities for the boy. The team secured donated meals, services and activities for the occasion, the station reports.
A Weekend Built Around a Longhorns Superfan
The itinerary includes a private rock-climbing session at Gregory Gym, a tour of the stadium and a chance for Campbell to step onto Campbell-Williams Field himself. There's also cake, a VIP experience and a team dinner with more cake, plus gifts waiting for him at his hotel — the kind of lineup that would make any young sports fan giddy. This weekend, Campbell adds a tailgate and the Texas-Ole Miss game to the mix, according to the same report.
Topping it off is a signed jersey from his favorite player, Arch Manning. Campbell already owns a book about Arch Manning, Peyton Manning, Cooper Manning and Eli Manning, and he didn't hold back his scouting report on the Longhorns quarterback, telling the outlet simply that Arch Manning is really good.
Learning to Ride a Bike After Doctors Doubted He Could
Campbell's cerebral palsy stems from a stroke he suffered in utero that affected the right side of his body, and his parents were once told he might not have the balance or coordination to ride a bike. He didn't accept that outcome. Campbell worked with his therapist and his father to learn anyway, and his mother said he worked hard and pushed through what he had been told he could not do.
That same determination is part of why the moment landed so powerfully when the surprise arrived at his school. Hook 'em, Campbell told reporters, summing up the weekend in two words.
The Nonprofit Behind the Dream Weekends
The effort is organized through Dream On 3, a national nonprofit that creates personalized sports events for children and young adults living with life-altering conditions. The group, per Dream On 3, works with students on college campuses across the country to lead and help make a sports dream come true, providing a curriculum while letting each campus team customize an experience representative of its own school's culture. Those students plan fundraising events, build marketing strategies, develop a relationship with their chosen Dream Kid and help execute the final VIP experience.
Dream On 3's broader eligibility, according to a fundraising page for UT's Dream Team, covers people ages 5 to 21 living with a life-altering condition, with each dream built around a favorite athlete, sports team or sporting event. UT's campus chapter isn't alone in running these programs. The University of Tennessee's Dream Team has more than 40 members and handles everything from fundraising to personalized Dream Kit reveals, according to the Daily Beacon, and by focusing on just one child a year, the Tennessee team is able to personalize every detail of that child's experience. That outlet also notes each journey typically begins with a surprise Dream Kit containing personalized gifts and specialized gear, and that past Dreamers and their families keep connecting with the team afterward through alumni gatherings.
Similar dreams have played out elsewhere in the country this year. In Louisiana, Dream On 3 brought 17-year-old London Potts, who has epilepsy and an intellectual development delay, to Lake Charles to attend the Juco women's national championship game, according to KPLC, with Potts selected as the program's first recipient whose dream centered on that event. And the University of Miami's Collegiate Dream Team put together two dream events and a Day Dream during the 2023-24 school year, achieving the highest fundraising total of any Collegiate Dream Team to date, per Dream On 3.
For Campbell, the weekend is still unfolding, from rock walls to a jersey from his favorite quarterback. But for a kid who was once told he might never find his balance on a bike, simply standing on Campbell-Williams Field may be the biggest win of all.
