What does the "I Have a Dream" Program do?
How does a Project begin?
What does a Project Coordinator do?
How is "I Have a Dream" unique from other youth services?
What impact has participating in "I Have a Dream” Program had on Dreamers?
How does a child become a Dreamer?
Can individuals apply to become Dreamers?
How were the Charlottesville Dreamers chosen?
Can a Dreamer be expelled from the Program?
What are the demographics of the Charlottesville Dreamers?
How is the Charlottesville project funded?
How can I contribute to “I Have a Dream”-Charlottesville?
What is Charlottesville’s relationship with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Washington, D.C.?
How can I get involved?

What does the "I Have a Dream" Program do?
The “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Charlottesville is a non-profit educational outreach program to help children stay in school and pursue higher education. Local "I Have a Dream" Projects adopt entire grades from elementary schools or entire age groups from public housing developments. Each Project provides its children ("Dreamers") with academic support, cultural and recreational activities, and individual attention for 12 to 16 years. Once Dreamers graduate from high school, the Project provides tuition assistance to assure that they will have the opportunity to attend a college, university, or accredited vocational school. There are now over 180 "I Have a Dream" Projects in 64 cities and 27 states, serving well over 13,500 Dreamers.

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How does a Project begin?
A Project begins when one or more people care enough to make a long-term commitment to children in their community. These Project Sponsors may be family members, business colleagues, members of religious or civic groups, educators - anyone who will both build personal relationships with Dreamers and secure Project funding. In some cases, Sponsors provide funding themselves. In other cases, they obtain funding from foundations, government agencies, church groups, colleges, corporations and other sources. A Sponsor also makes a personal commitment to the Dreamers for the duration of the Project: he or she will get to know them and take a genuine interest in their lives and their futures. The Sponsor also hires a Project Coordinator to work with the Dreamers on a daily basis.

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What does a Project Coordinator do?
In many ways, the "PC" is the backbone of an "I Have a Dream" Project. He or she runs the Project day-to-day, working with the Sponsor to develop a program of academic, cultural, community service and enrichment activities, recruiting volunteers, and building close relationships with Dreamers and their families.

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How is "I Have a Dream" unique from other youth services?
"I Have a Dream" Projects bring the energy and resources of many people and organizations together in support of children from their local communities. "I Have a Dream" is unique in its long-term approach, its breadth of services, and it combination of resources and one-on-one personal relationships.

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What impact has participating in "I Have a Dream” Program had on Dreamers?
Statistically, "I Have a Dream" results have been impressive. A 1992 study of eight "I Have a Dream" Projects in New York found that Dreamers graduated on time at a rate 63% higher than their peers - and 73% of the graduating Dreamers were enrolled in college the following year. More recently, the 2000-2001 Dreamer classes from East Palo Alto, California boasted an 89% graduation/GED completion rate with 85% of the graduates enrolling in college; Westbury, New York's Class of 1999 boasted 93% high school graduation and 96% college enrollment rates. Studies have also found that "I Have a Dream" has a positive impact on Dreamers' reading and math scores, school attendance, and attitudes towards education.

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How does a child become a Dreamer?
Project Sponsors choose an entire grade from a public elementary school or an entire age group from a public housing development. Sponsors make this choice in consultation with local school and housing officials and community-based organizations. It is an "I Have a Dream" policy that the group be adopted no later than the fourth grade; where possible, they are adopted as early as kindergarten.

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Can individuals apply to become Dreamers?
Because of the way a Project adopts an entire group of children, individual students cannot "apply" to become Dreamers.

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How were the Charlottesville Dreamers chosen?
“I Have a Dream” projects begin with an entire grade level in a single elementary school. Sponsors Chris Poe and Jeff Gaffney chose Clark Elementary School as the site for the Charlottesville project in consultation with local school officials and community-based organizations. The entire kindergarten was “adopted” into the program, because "I Have a Dream" projects offer the opportunity to every child in the selected grade level. Students who transferred into the Dreamers’ grade level at Clark were also offered the chance to become Dreamers; however, the no additional students were admitted after the Dreamers moved on from Clark at the end of fourth grade.

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Can a Dreamer be expelled from the Program?
No. A child or his parents may choose not to actively participate, but the "I Have a Dream" philosophy is "Once a Dreamer, always a Dreamer."

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What are the demographics of the Charlottesville Dreamers?
There are 62 Dreamers with the following demographic breakdown:

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How is the Charlottesville project funded?
Our funding comes from a variety of sources, but predominantly through the donations of caring individuals in our community. IHAD-Charlottesville has also received grant support from local organizations such as the United Way of the Thomas Jefferson Area, the Charlottesville-Albemarle Community Foundation, the Junior League of Charlottesville, as well as national grants such as the Weed and Seed Network of the U.S. Department of Justice.

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How can I contribute to “I Have a Dream”-Charlottesville?
You can contribute to IHAD-Charlottesville in a variety of ways:

• Support activities and services for our Dreamers by making a donation to our Project:
  
  Make an on-line contribution OR mail to:
  
  “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Charlottesville
  P.O. Box 3976
  Charlottesville, VA 22903
  
  
• Help with our wishlist
  
  
• Join the “Sponsor A Dreamer” Campaign to contribute to the Dreamers' College fund. Click to download information and the enrollment form.

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What is Charlottesville’s relationship with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Washington, D.C.?
IHAD-Charlottesville is one of nearly 180 IHAD projects around the country, four of which operate in the Washington, D.C. area. These four projects, founded in 1987, offered to add IHAD-Charlottesville to its consortium upon our founding in 2000. We exist under this D.C. umbrella for organizational and accounting purposes; therefore, our tax-exempt status and 990 filings are included with the “I Have a Dream” Foundation of Washington, D.C.

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How can I get involved?
IHAD-Charlottesville relies on a tremendous corps of committed volunteers that provide activities and services to the Dreamers. Click here to learn about opportunites to volunteer with IHAD-Charlottesville.

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