#GivingTuesday - Thank You!

Dear “I Have A Dream” - New York Supporters,

It’s amazing what we can achieve together in just 24 hours! Thanks to you, we raised $5910 this Giving Tuesday—jumpstarting the savings of 30 more Dreamers and putting college within reach!

Of course, we still have our work cut out for us—many more New York Dreamers children aren’t yet able to pair their college dreams with savings in the bank. If you would like to know more about our College Savings Account Program and how you can continue to support it, please contact me or my colleague Laura Owens at lowens@ihaveadreamfoundation.org or (212) 293-5483.

The money we raised together over the past 48 hours is a huge step forward, and we couldn’t have made it this far without you.

Thanks again and happy holidays!

#GivingTuesday

Dear "I Have A Dream" New York Supporters -

That's one of our Dreamers, Derek, an 11th grader at LaSalle High School. He opened his College Savings Account last year and says "A College Savings Account would impact me during college, because I would feel more secure with some extra money and being able to afford necessary materials for my classes."

It doesn't take much to put a Dreamer like Derek on the path to and through college - just $500 saved for college means a low-income child is 4 times more likely to graduate from college. But for a Dreamer like Derek, a College Savings Account transforms college from a pipe dream into an expectation: "Of course you're going to college!"

That's why we've launched our 24-hour Giving Tuesday campaign to raise $5,000. - enough to jumpstart the savings of more students in New York. Thanks to the 1:1 Fund, all donations up to $500 are matched TWO to one, TRIPLING your impact.

We've already helped put college within reach for Dreamers like Derek. Help us do the same for more Dreamers when we meet our goal by midnight tonight.

Click here to donate now!

Thanks for your support!

CBS Cares Campaign

We hope you had a wonderful, restful Thanksgiving. This year, we have so much to be thankful for: all of our affiliates for helping more Dreamers to and through college, our Dreamers for their hard work and dedication to their education and to themselves, and our support network of donors, friends, and all who have shared our message for making our work possible. And this holiday season, we are thankful to CBS Cares for highlighting our mission and helping us to grow in so many new ways.

"I Have A Dream" Foundation was featured in the CBS Cares campaign PSA during the second commercial break of The Amazing Race on Friday, November 27th. Our holiday PSAs featured LL Cool J (NCIS:LA) and Mayim Bialik (Big Bang Theory.) Check out the videos below!

LL Cool J and CBS Cares encourage you to support the I Have A Dream Foundation. Help fulfill a child's dream of higher education! For more videos check out the CBS Cares web page.

Mayim Bialik and CBS Cares encourage you to support the I Have A Dream Foundation. Help fulfill a child's dream of higher education! For more videos check out the CBS Cares web page.

College Readiness – Summer Bridge Series 2015

In June 2015 “I Have A Dream” – NY celebrated the high school graduation of nearly 50 Dreamers from both the DeHostos-Wise and Ravenswood II Programs. Over 85% of these students enrolled in a variety of colleges and universities for fall 2015. After taking a moment to recognize and applaud our graduates for their accomplishment, we settled down to prepare for the launch of our college success initiative.

Recent literature about college access and success for low-income students shows that this population continues to face many obstacles and challenges on their path toward college completion. These challenges include adapting to the college environment, meeting expectations for college-level work, and paying for school and limiting their student debt. In the year leading up to the high school graduation of our Dreamer Class of 2015, IHDF-NY program staff examined the landscape of college success as it relates to underserved youth, including persistence and completion rates and degree attainment of these students. Based on our research, and invaluable conversations with other IHDF affiliates who worked with their students through college, we created a plan of student support that focuses on the goals of college graduation, employment and financial stability, and self-efficacy. One component of this plan are the success workshops we will host during summer and winter breaks. These workshops will address the variety of issues that first-generation and first-year students face, and will also serve as an opportunity for IHDF to maintain Dreamer engagement and community.

Our inaugural success workshop took place this past summer with our recent high school graduates. The Summer Bridge series provided pre-freshman year preparation for our college-bound Dreamers, who participated in discussions and activities that informed and geared them up for all of the new experiences they should expect to encounter during their first year of college. The series is divided into two parts that take place in June and August, respectively, to allow time for all of the material in our workshop plan and to account for our students’ busy summer schedules. Summer Bridge 1 focused on adjusting to college life, campus safety and personal health, financial literacy, and accessing campus resources. Having recently selected and enrolled in their school, Dreamers reviewed financial aid packages and familiarized themselves with their college campus (primarily, where to get what done). Less concrete were the discussions about managing family and peer relationships while attending school; maintaining a healthy social life; and how to face academic challenges. Through the benefit of being so familiar with our students we were able to tailor the discussions to address a variety of circumstances and challenges they might deal with as college freshmen. In Part 2 of Summer Bridge we focused on the intangibles of college readiness, creating a personal budget, and reviewing important dates and deadlines for school and IHDF. Staff led thoughtful discussions on values and personal goals as they relate to pursuing a college degree and also in relation to sexuality and personal relationships. Dreamers later reported these conversations to be some of the most valuable of the series.

At the conclusion of our workshops, program staff reviewed the expectations and requirements Dreamers had to meet in order to remain eligible for the tuition assistance support provided by IHDF-NY, including submitting their transcript and financial aid summary before the start of each semester, and maintaining regular communication with program staff. Although we do not expect the road ahead to be smooth, we hope to help them navigate it with the tips and tools provided at the Summer Bridge Series.