Fondazione Theodora brings dreams to the cities.

 From 23rd March and for two weeks, the Theodora Foundation is bringing its message into the streets of Milan and Turin with a large-scale outdoor campaign conceived to raise awareness of the mission of the Foundation  among the general public: allow kids in hospital to keep on dreaming. 

Planning includes extensive coverage from city centres to the outskirts of the two cities, featuring a mix of maxi ledwalls, maxi digital displays, digital installations and static posters, transforming the urban space into a platform for storytelling and building awareness about kids in hospital.  

The creativity is the same as the ad developed by the Armando Testa agency and launched in 2025 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Theodora Foundation in Italy. That campaign was very sensitive in conveying the value of the work carried out every day in kids’ wards.

The poster features the encounter between a young patient in hospital and a Dream Doctor. It is related through a visual narrative that combines reality and imagination. The kid’s drawings are included side by side with the real scene, and the visit of Dream Doctor, as she takes a fox puppet to play with the child, transforming the hospital room into a small fantasy world.

The illustrated fox seems to come to life around the child’s bed, so it  becomes a symbol of the Dream Doctors’ imagination and ability to transform a difficult moment into a fun experience of playing, connection, and comfort.

The visual is accompanied by the message “Their dreams, our mission,” summing up  the core of the Foundation’s work: ensuring that every child can continue to cultivate their dreams, even while they are in hospital.

Founded in 1993 in Switzerland by brothers André and Jan Poulie, the Foundation arrived in Italy in 1995 at the National Cancer Institute in Milan. It  is named after their mother, Théodora Poulie, a generous and courageous woman who bravely faced life’s challenges, including her son André’s illness. From this experience, the idea of ​​transforming smiles and dreams into a concrete form of treatment took hold.

The Dream Doctors are at the heart of the Foundation’s work. They are specially trained professionals who work in pediatric wards, providing personalised  support for hospitalised children and young adults. Using games, listening, and interacting, they contribute to the psychological well-being of their young patients, also helping their families and healthcare professionals.

Today, the Theodora Foundation is active in 44 pediatric wards of 13 hospitals in 10 Italian cities. In 2025 alone, thanks to 31 Dream Doctors, more than 40,000 children and adolescents were seen, and support was provided to more than 120,000 family members. Internationally, the Foundation operates in six countries, with over 200 Dream Doctors working in more than 160 healthcare facilities.

The communication campaign for the Foundation’s 30th anniversary was conceived by the Armando Testa agency, with executive creative direction by Michele Mariani, client management by Benedetta Buzzoni, the creative team consisted of Matteo Giachin Ricca, Caterina Maliardi, and Ilaria Lavagnolo, it was directed by Luca Grafner, with animation by Studio Magoga, and musical production by Operà Music. The campaign was created pro bono in collaboration with the production company AT Studios.

With their renewed presence in cities, the Theodora Foundation is updating its invitation to the public: supporting the Foundation means helping more and more hospitalized children continue to dream.