Keke Palmer, Carla Christofferson and Matt Johnson to receive the "I Have a Dream"® Foundation - Los Angeles' "Dream Keeper Awards" At 11th Annual Gospel Brunch on Sunday, March 1st
Nely Galan from "The Celebrity Apprentice" to host
(February 4, 2009 Los Angeles) Keke Palmer, Actress/Recording Artist and star of Nickelodeons True Jackson, VP, along with Carla Christofferson, managing partner of OMelveny & Myers LLP and owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, and Matt Johnson, partner at Ziffren Brittenham will be honored with the Dream Keeper Award at the 11th Annual I Have a Dream"® Foundation - Los Angeless Gospel Brunch on Sunday, March 1st in honor of their devotion to education.
Nely Galan will host the brunch which includes presentations by Michael Cooper, head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks and actor Michael Keaton. In addition, Dreamers, students served by the Foundation, will be in attendance for live gospel music and a fabulous Southern-style buffet at the Sunset Strip House of Blues.
The Dream Keeper Award is presented annually to members of the community who share the foundations vision of a strong commitment to mentor and foster the academic development and aspirations of children in Los Angeles. The recipients of the Dream Keeper Awards are celebrated, as well celebrated, as well as honors the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose words inspired the "I Have a Dream"® movement.
"We are excited to present the 2009 Dream Keeper Award to Keke Palmer, Carla Christofferson, and Matt Johnson for their extraordinary endeavors to improve our childrens education,""said Wendy Free, Executive Director, "I Have a Dream"® Foundation Los Angeles. "All three recipients embody what it takes to be a 'Dream Keeper,' giving back to our community today to ensure that our children will feel empowered to make a remarkable change in the world tomorrow."
The "I Have a Dream"® Foundation - Los Angeles, founded in 1987, has helped to fulfill the academic dreams of nearly 1000 Dreamers in the Los Angeles area. "I Have a Dream" selects an entire first grade class in an area of the city where the dropout rate approaches 60% and provides that class with free, year-round programs, services and individualized case management for 12 consecutive years until high school graduation. Dreamers stay in school and graduate high school at twice the rate of other students in Los Angeless public schools. After graduation each Dreamer receives a college scholarship.
About the I Have a Dream Foundation
The "I Have a Dream"® Foundation" motivates and empowers children from low-income communities for higher education through academic support, social-emotional development, college preparation and campus visits, career preparation and one-on-one mentoring. Each Dreamer is guaranteed a four-year scholarship to help them attend college or an accredited vocational school. Local "I Have a Dream" programs adopt an entire class of students from elementary schools, or a same-age group of children from a housing project, and work with these children and their families through high school. This long-term, sustained commitment is the critical element to the success of the Dreamers.
The "I Have a Dream"® model was created in 1981 by New York City businessman Eugene Lang, who sponsored the first I Have a Dream project. In 1986, the national "I Have a Dream" Foundation was established. Since then, 199 projects have helped more than 15,000 "Dreamers." Currently, 4,000 Dreamers are on the way to college in 17 states, Washington, D.C., and New Zealand, following some 11,000 Dreamers who came before them.
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Individual tickets for the brunch are $250, tables are $3,500, $7,500, $15,000, $25,000, and to sponsor the event is $75,000. For ticket information please call contact Raul Borja at 213.572-0175 or raul@ihadla.org
Media Contacts:
mPRm Public Relations
Lisa Bustamante
323.933-3399
lbustamante@mprm.com