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Dreamers complete FASFA and earned a collective $43,200!
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| Dreamers and parents learn about the FASFA |
The "I Have a Dream" Pre-Collegiate Program hosted a FAFSA and financial aid workshop on Saturday, February 16 where staff and volunteers helped 16 families complete the FAFSA.
Together, our students qualified for more than $43,200 in free money for college!
Special thanks to
Elevations Credit Union
for sponsoring this event and connecting us with Mary Anne Hunter from Community College of Aurora, who shared invaluable information with our families and empowered them to take charge of their college futures!
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Join us for the 8th Annual Dream-Maker Breakfast in Longmont on March 31st!
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Welcome 26 New Dreamers!
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| Lafayette's Griffin Dreamers at their Dedication Ceremony |
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| Longmont's Rocky Mountain & Aspen Dreamers at Ceremony |
We were thrilled to induct 26 new Dreamers into the Griffin, Aspen, and Rocky Mountain classes this month at two dedication ceremonies!
During both ceremonies, "I Have a Dream" CEO Lori Canova, school leaders, parents, and Dreamers gave advice to all the new Dreamers and their parents.
Then students shared with attendees their dreams and read the "I Have a Dream" pledge to stay in school and go to college. These ceremonies are the beginning of a journey to graduation and the first step toward the realization of their individual dreams!
The addition of these Dreamers was made possible thanks to the support of 17 individuals who have sponsored one or more Dreamers, proceeds from our Dream-Maker Luncheon, and because of our partnership with the following organizations: the City of Longmont, St. Vrain Valley School District, and the University of Colorado.
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Dreamers from Griffin and Iris hit the slopes over five weekends to learn to ski and snowboard this winter thanks to a partnership with Snowboard Outreach Society (
SOS
)
, a youth development non-profit, which uses skiing and snowboarding to build character and engage students in long-term mentor-based relationships. Special thanks to the members of Ascent Church and to the Wiener Family Futures Foundation for providing matching funding to make this program possible.
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Welcome New Staff at "I Have a Dream"
 Garett Brownlee Plantz,
Vice President of Programs.
Garett started her professional career as an AmeriCorps College Coordinator with "I Have a Dream," where she carved out the post-secondary program, and for three years, pioneered the Director of College and Careers Programs. From there she was a teacher in rural Ecuador and Chile, worked in collective impact in Oaxaca, Mexico, and received her LMSW from the University of Texas at Austin working as a clinical School Social Worker for the Austin Independent School District. Garett spent the last several years working for Whole Kids Foundation and launching Whole Cities Foundation of Whole Foods Market where she worked with schools and organizations on a national scale to promote healthy food options and education for kids and communities. Now, back in Colorado, Garett leads the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County's programs, with the privilege of serving seven Program Directors, the Director of College and Career Programs, and the Wellness Program Coordinator.
Leslie McCormick, Wellness Program Coordinator.
Leslie, a licensed professional counselor and registered dance movement therapist, brings her passion for creativity and social equity to her role as our very first Wellness Program Coordinator with "I Have a Dream." Grounded in practices backed by research, Leslie's orientation to health has its roots in embodiment, expressivity, nature, high-quality presence, and community. Her work in mental health has included hospital, residential care, community health, and private practice settings. Leslie's graduate research in the somatic impacts of social inequities led her to serve as a health disparities program coordinator with Boulder County Public Health. Prior to receiving her master's degree in somatic counseling psychology from Naropa University in 2006, Leslie traveled to Oaxaca, Mexico to live and study, coordinated a hospice volunteer program, taught creative movement and poetry, and drove a "SAG wagon" for trans-American cyclists. This position is supported by the Colorado Department of Human Services' Office of Behavioral Health "Federal Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment" Block Grant.
 Courtney Geib, Executive Assistant & Special Projects Manager. A native Coloradan, Courtney returned to her home state to join "I Have a Dream" in 2015. She began her nonprofit career as a Notre Dame AmeriCorps member in the San Francisco Bay Area and has continued to work toward making educational and enrichment opportunities more widely available in communities across the country. Her experience includes classroom and after-school support for youth, literacy programming for inmates, coaching, tutoring, grant management, national program coordination and performance measurement. Courtney holds a B.A. in Mathematics from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
 Justin Elder, AmeriCorps VISTA Member. Justin is a second-year AmeriCorps VISTA who will be serving with "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County over the next year to support the new class of Dreamers in Carbon Valley. Justin was born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and took classes at C.N.M. in Fine Arts and Sociology. He has assisted in after school programming for three years, running a Teen Outreach Program for the YMCA, and a literacy tutor for the La Escualita program. He has also helped to create and refurbish several community gardens.
This position is supported in partnership with Weld County United Way and the Corporation for National and Community Service.
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"I Have a Dream" to benefit from March 8 show
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Thank you! We're just 16 Dreamers away from launching the Carbon Valley class!
Thank you to the sold-out crowd of 170 caring guests who joined us for "I Have a Dream's" first-ever Dream-Maker Dinner on Wednesday, February 17, at the Saddleback Golf Club. Attendees of the dinner made contributions and pledges of nearly $100,000 to help launch a new Dreamer Class at St. Vrain Valley School District's Thunder Valley PK-8.
Click here to watch the video shown at the dinner and here to view photos from the dinner.
Our goal is to add 50 new students to the program, which means each student needs to be sponsored ($2,500 per child per year for 10 years).
Currently, 34 students are sponsored, leaving 16 in need of funding.
Donations of all sizes are greatly appreciated and smaller donations are pooled to collectively support students.
Find out how you can become a sponsor or donate to this new Carbon Valley class by contacting Kasia Szewczyk, at
[email protected]
, or 303-444-3636 x15.
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Upcoming Events
March 9
3:45-5:15 pm
Rocky Mountain Class
Rocky Mountain Elementary (
Longmont)
March 31
Dream-Maker Breakfast
7:30-9:00 am
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The Self Sufficiency Standard for a family of four, set by Colorado Center on Law and Policy is $75,906.
But 10% of Boulder families live on less than a third of that! These families live at or below the Federal Poverty Level, which is $24,250 for a family of four!
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Help us launch a Class in Carbon Valley!
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Save the Date!
Mark your calendars, our exciting 7th Annual
Dream Kitchens Tour will take place on Saturday, April 30th and Sunday, May 1st.
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2016 Corporate Dream-Makers
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About the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County
Since 1990, the award-winning "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County has assisted 800 children from low-income areas in achieving their education and career goals by providing long-term personal and academic support, tutoring, mentoring and four-year tuition-assistance scholarships to each graduating student. The organization sponsors entire groups of students from elementary schools or from low-income housing sites and works with these children and their families from elementary school through high school graduation and then "to and through" college. Currently, there are seven active "I Have a Dream" classes in Boulder County, with three classes in Boulder, two in Longmont and two in Lafayette. The "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County has doubled expected graduation rates for its graduating classes of students and has awarded $2 million in scholarships. The program follows the national model established in New York in 1981 by founder Eugene Lang.
"I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County |
5390 Manhattan Circle #200 | Boulder | Colorado | 80303
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