We are incredibly excited to announce the launch of our 19th program, in which we will be sponsoring 65 third graders at Sunrise Elementary School in Boyle Heights. While this charity for children program will not officially begin until August, preparations are already well underway, and we need your help to ensure that we are able to offer our newest Dreamers the same in-depth and comprehensive support we have been providing to at-risk youth for the last 28 years. From college field trips and arts programs to counseling services, mentors, and academic tutoring, we work with our Dreamers for 10-plus years to provide everything in our power to help them achieve success and reach their full potential.

The 65 students of Program 19, like all of our Dreamers, come from an impoverished community: the average household income is $19,000, and 100% of these students qualify for the free lunch program. We are so excited to work with these wonderful young people for the next ten years, helping them to achieve academic and life-long success and giving them and their families access to many new opportunities.

Partnership for Los Angeles Schools

Partnership for LA Schools is a non-profit built in collaboration with the City, LAUSD and over 1,000 public and private partners. As one of the largest urban turnaround organizations in the nation the Partnership is transforming 16 of LAUSD’s lowest performing schools in Boyle Heights, Watts, and South LA.

In 2012, “I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles sponsored Program 18 at Ninety Ninth Street Elementary School in Watts, through collaboration with the Partnership of Los Angeles Schools. Program 18 was launched in the summer of 2012, and the entire 3rd grade level was sponsored as Dreamers. The Partnership was instrumental in facilitating the legal contracts with LAUSD and ensuring a successful launch of our new program. In the last three years, our Dreamers at Ninety Ninth Street elementary have benefited from the many opportunities organized by the school administrators in collaboration with the Partnership. More than 60% of our Dreamer parents have graduated from the Partnership’s Parent College and have developed a stronger sense of connection to the schools and their student’s education. Events such as: Coffee with the Principal, Muffins for Mom, Donuts with Dads, Career Days, Literacy nights, and parent college are among some of the events organized to provide parents and families additional resources.

Our collaboration with the Partnership has allowed us to enhance our ability to service our Dreamers through an effective collaboration among all parties. The Partnerships and school administrator’s commitment to the success of students resulted in our dreamers experiencing exponential growth in both Math and English over time.

As our site selection committee began to meet to discuss the sponsorship of a new grade level, which will represent our 19th Program, we hoped to return to Boyle Heights. In our successful collaboration with the Partnership and our desire to return to Boyle Heights, we are now working with the Partnership to sponsor the entire rising 3rd grade class at Sunrise Elementary. This fall we will open the doors to our newest program in Boyle Heights, and we are excited to once again be working with the Partnership to ensure another successful launch.

We thank the Partnership, their amazing leadership, and the school administrators for their commitment to the communities we serve and we look forward to yet another successful program launch.

I Have a Dream Foundation Los Angeles

“I Have a Dream” Foundation – Los Angeles (IHADLA) works to break the cycle of poverty by sponsoring entire classes of 3rd graders in low-income academically at risk schools, working with students for 10 consecutive years through high school graduation and into college. Upon the completion of high school, each student is guaranteed an $8,000 scholarship to be used for college or career training. IHADLA helps inner-city youth who are at risk for school failure to reach their full potential. The sponsored students, whom we call “Dreamers”, are not the only ones who benefit from the program: siblings, parents, other students in the school, and local community members also feel the positive impact of IHADLA’s educational and enrichment offerings.