History

The "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County "I Have a Dream" was founded in 1990 as an independent 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our program follows the national "I Have a Dream" model established in New York in 1981 by founder Eugene Lang. Since its inception, "I Have a Dream" in Boulder County has grown from one Dreamer class and 36 students to an organization that has supported ten classes and 450 low-income youth and their families (1,000 individuals).

"I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County is the 133rd chapter of the national network founded by Eugene Lang. While delivering a graduation speech to a sixth-grade class at his alma mater in East Harlem, Lang made an impromptu promise to provide college scholarships for the entire class provided they graduated from high school. Lang’s inspiration for this promise was the harsh statistic that 75% of those very same sixth-graders were not expected to finish high school. The private sector initiative that evolved from Lang’s original promise relies on a combination of personal and academic support, role modeling and a scholarship commitment .to motivate Dreamers to establish and achieve their goals. Of Lang’s original Dreamer class, 90% earned their high school diplomas or GED certificates.

More information about the national history of the organization is available on the "I Have a Dream" national website at www.ihaveadreamfoundation.org.