The mission of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation - Los Angeles is to help underprivileged children become productive citizens by providing a long-term program of academic enhancement, mentoring, and cultural enrichment with an assured opportunity for higher education.

The "Have a Dream" movement began in 1981. As New York City businessman Eugene Lang prepared to address a group of graduating sixth graders at his alma mater, East Harlem Elementary, he was told that only 25% of the students sitting before him would graduate from high school. The figure was so alarming that he was moved to make an astonishing offer: He would pay the college tuition of each and every student who graduated from high school.

The results were truly amazing: 90% of those sixth graders graduated from high school, and 60% went to college. This remarkable accomplishment led to the creation of the "I Have a Dream" Foundation. Currently, more than 3,500 Dreamers are on the pathway to college in 17 states, Washington, D.C., and New Zealand, following some 11,000 Dreamers who came before them. Dreamers often graduate and enter college at double the rates of other students in the local population, and surpass the overall statewide average for students in their peer group.

Founded in 1987, the "I Have a Dream" Foundation-Los Angeles has "adopted" nearly 1,000 Dreamers in the Los Angeles area. We currently have twelfth grade Dreamers in Pasadena, ninth graders in East Los Angeles and third and fourth graders in Inglewood.

What makes the "I Have a Dream" program so effective? Our intervention in the lives of Dreamers occurs early and is extremely comprehensive and virtually continuous from the day we adopt them until they graduate from high school.

Specifically, "I Have a Dream"-Los Angeles adopts the entire first grade at a low-performing school in an economically disadvantaged area. Support services include tutoring, mentoring, pregnancy and drug prevention programs, college prep classes and counseling. Dreamers' parents receive training on how to support their children's academic success. And, of course, when they complete high school, the "I Have a Dream" Foundation provides Dreamers with a scholarship that helps them attend college or vocational school.

The work done by the "I Have a Dream" Foundation-Los Angeles is an important investment in the future of our community, turning despair into dreams and converting obstacles into opportunities. All of our funding comes from private donations: from foundations; corporations and individuals who believe in our unique and effective program.