"I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County (Boulder, CO)

General

• Mission:

The mission of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County is to motivate and empower children from low-income communities to reach their education and career goals by providing a long-term intervention program of mentoring, tutoring, and cultural enrichment. Upon graduation from high school, each Dreamer is eligible to receive a four-year tuition assistance scholarship for college or vocational school.

• History:

The “I Have a Dream”® Foundation of Boulder County (“I Have a Dream”), founded in 1990, is dedicated to educating and nurturing low-income children in an effort to provide them with a brighter future. The national network, which includes more than 180 sites, began in 1981 with just a single businessman. Fifty years after his own graduation, Eugene Lang returned to his alma mater elementary school in East Harlem to deliver a speech to a group of graduating sixth graders. Before stepping up to speak, the principal noted that 75 percent of the class would likely not finish high school. Lang made an impulsive decision as he stepped up to the podium that day by promising to give all the students college scholarships, provided they graduate from high school. Through the years, Lang worked closely with the students, whom he called “Dreamers.” He provided the students with personal and academic support, role modeling, and a promise of scholarship money that has become the driving force behind the “I Have a Dream” mission. The results were amazing—90 percent of the students from the original class earned their high school diplomas or GED certificates. Through “I Have a Dream” sites across the country, Lang’s vision lives on.

In Boulder County, the vision is expanding. “I Have a Dream” has extended its services over the past 20 years to include three cities—Boulder, Lafayette, and Longmont. The independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization awards each graduating Dreamer a four-year tuition-assistance scholarship. Through the aid of local school districts and the housing authority, groups of low-income, high-risk elementary students are identified for the program. Once 40 to 50 students are established as a class, a learning center is set up exclusively for their use. “I Have a Dream” now has five active classes with five year-round learning centers and plans to open a new learning center for a sixth class this spring 2010.

• Year established:1990

Registration

• Organization type:Grantseeker
• Country of registration:United States
• Year established:1990
• Tax Determination Letter:Received Determination Letter
• IRS Section:501(c)(3)
• IRS Subsection:None

Web Listing

• Guidestar listed:Yes
• Charity Navigator listed:No
• Give.org listed:No
• Charity Watch listed:No