A National Movement
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 East Harlem Elementary, he was told that 75% of the students sitting before him were expected to drop out before graduating from high school. On the spot, Lang was moved to make an astonishing offer: he would pay the college tuition of every student who graduated from high school. Having made that promise, Lang mobilized a variety of people and resources to support the children through their school careers. He called his effort “I Have a Dream” (IHAD), and the P.S. 121 kids became dubbed Lang’s “Dreamers”. The National IHAD Foundation, founded in 1986 after a staggering 93% of the Dreamers successfully graduated from high school, has carried Eugene Lang’s vision across the United States. To date, there have been over 180 IHAD Projects in 64 cities, serving over 14,000 children. To learn more about the IHAD model, visit our “Frequently Asked Questions” page.

A Local Commitment
Almost twenty years after Lang made his promise, two local businessmen, Chris Poe and Jeff Gaffney, teamed up to bring the “I Have a Dream” model to Charlottesville, Virginia. In 2000, they announced their sponsorship of the kindergarten class at Clark Elementary School, which was unanimously recommended by various individuals and community service organizations as the prime location for an educational outreach program. To achieve the goals of complete education and productive citizenship, Poe and Gaffney put into place a year-round system of support services to help the Dreamers, now 9th graders at Charlottesville High School, to excel academically and socially.

Through the efforts of a full-time Project Coordinator, who works with the Dreamers on a daily basis, as well as a host of dedicated volunteers, the children are receiving tools to help them succeed. To learn more about the program components provided to the Dreamers, visit our Activities and Services page.