Thu May 29, 2008 8:17 am
Dallas and the dreamers
Dallas is the first city outside New York to adopt the ‘I have a Dream’ program. The program was started in Dallas by Bill and late Elaine Farrell after knowing about it in Sixty Minutes. The first class of almost 1,000 sixth grade ‘Dallas Dreamers’ was adopted in May 1987, whereas the adoption of the second class of 1,000 ‘Dreamers’ was in 1988.
The I Have a Dream Foundation has experienced enormous success with the graduation rate of the students involved in the program. In 1993, more than 450 students adopted in the 1987 inaugural class graduated from high school. Additionally, several hundred students from the 1988 class graduated from high school in 1994. In May 1999, the Foundation had its first class of fourth graders adopted in 1990, to graduate from high school with a graduation rate of 64%. This is remarkable considering that the dropout rate in some of the communities exceeded 70%.
The organization currently comprises of board members such as including of the Deep South Surplus of Texas, Helen M. Dorsey, Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Inc. James W. Loose Galloway-James Inc. and others. The foundation is supported by many organizations across the world in its mission of empowering children in chasing their dreams irrespective of the circumstances. So high is the success rate that many of the Dreamers, as the adopted students are called, have gone on to become teachers, social workers, secretaries, scholar-athletes, lawyers, and more
The I Have a Dream Foundation has experienced enormous success with the graduation rate of the students involved in the program. In 1993, more than 450 students adopted in the 1987 inaugural class graduated from high school. Additionally, several hundred students from the 1988 class graduated from high school in 1994. In May 1999, the Foundation had its first class of fourth graders adopted in 1990, to graduate from high school with a graduation rate of 64%. This is remarkable considering that the dropout rate in some of the communities exceeded 70%.
The organization currently comprises of board members such as including of the Deep South Surplus of Texas, Helen M. Dorsey, Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Inc. James W. Loose Galloway-James Inc. and others. The foundation is supported by many organizations across the world in its mission of empowering children in chasing their dreams irrespective of the circumstances. So high is the success rate that many of the Dreamers, as the adopted students are called, have gone on to become teachers, social workers, secretaries, scholar-athletes, lawyers, and more
