The I Have a Dream movement began in 1981. As New York City businessman Eugene Lang prepared to address a group of graduating sixth graders at his alma mater, East Harlem Elementary, he was told that only 25% of the students sitting before him would graduate from high school. The figure was so alarming that he was moved to make an astonishing offer: He would pay the college tuition of each and every student who graduated from high school.

The results were truly amazing: 90% of those sixth graders graduated from high school, and 60% went to college. This remarkable accomplishment led to the creation of the I Have a Dream Foundation, which has since expanded to more than sixty chapters across the country and served over 14,000 Dreamers. Founded in 1987, I Have a Dream Foundation–Los Angeles has "adopted" nearly 900 Dreamers in the Los Angeles area. We currently have twelfth grade Dreamers in South Central Los Angeles, seventh graders in Pasadena and fourth graders in Boyle Heights.

What makes the I Have a Dream program so effective? Our intervention in the lives of Dreamers occurs early and is extremely comprehensive and virtually continuous from the day we adopt them until they graduate from high school.

Specifically, I Have a Dream–Los Angeles adopts the entire first grade at a low-performing school in an economically disadvantaged area. These Dreamers are provided with year-round (after school and summer) programs of academic enhancement, as well as cultural, social, and recreational activities, throughout their elementary, middle and high school years.

Support services include tutoring, mentoring, pregnancy and drug prevention programs, college prep classes and counseling. Dreamers’ parents receive training on how to support their children’s academic success. And, of course, when they complete high school, the I Have a Dream Foundation provides Dreamers with a scholarship that helps them attend college or vocational school.

The work done by the I Have a Dream Foundation–Los Angeles is an important investment in the future of our community, turning despair into dreams and converting obstacles into opportunities. All of our funding comes from private donations: from foundations; corporations and individuals who believe in our unique and effective program.