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Tennis 'Play Day' Brings Dreamers Together
by Adam Million
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Dreamers, Staff, & Volunteers at 2012 Tennis "Play Day" at Fairview High School
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Over 150 Dreamers, staff, AmeriCorps members, and volunteers participated in the "I Have a Dream" "Play Day" on June 29th. The event is one of many during the summer that brings together Dreamers from the six Dreamer classes throughout Boulder County to celebrate their achievements during the school year, foster healthy bodies, expand upon life skills experiences, and develop leadership and team-building skills in an active setting. The "Play Day" event featured a variety of games and play opportunities where Dreamers could win prizes donated by various organizations including Babolat and Crocs. The event concluded with lunch from Half-Fast Subs and a staff/volunteer tennis tournament that had many of the Dreamers rooting for their program director or volunteer tennis coach in what were superb displays of tennis prowess.
Culminating with "Play Day," "I Have a Dream" coordinates the National Junior Tennis League all year round, during the summer and after-school. Dreamers play a variety of quick start formats, including Champions of the Court, Wipeout, and Tag Team. These events are designed to encourage participation rather than discourage it in effort to create a life-long enjoyment of the sport. In addition, Dreamers address life skills and develop a variety of personal skills that translate into all areas of their lives during warm-up activities and exercises.
Many thanks to all the volunteers and sponsors, especially the USTA Serves program for a grant that helps support this program on an annual basis. |
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Upcoming Events
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Ryan Dreamer Class
Dedication CeremonyCentaurus High School
September 11
15th Annual Dream-Maker Luncheon
with NYT bestselling author and Dreamer Alum Rory Vaden
October 4
Adopt-a-Family Holiday Gift Drive
November 1 - December 6 |
| Crayons to Calculators |
Thanks to all of our wonderful supporters and volunteers who either donated supplies or helped fill backpacks as part of the Crayons to Calculators campaign this summer. This campaign helped provide backpacks and school supplies for over 250 Dreamers, with the entire campaign distributing over 8,500 backpacks to help those in need, making the first few days of school easier for the children of those families. Check out the Daily Camera article on Crayons to Calculators that featured a few of our Dreamer families helping out!
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| Staff | |
Central Office
Lori Canova
Chief Executive Officer
Terry Bittner
Chief Financial Officer
Cathie Williamson
VP of Programs
Shawna Peterson
VP of Development
Adam Million
Development Coordinator
Dan Sikkink Johnson
College and Career Coordinator
Program Directors
Enrique Franco
Phoenix Dreamer Class
Elyana Funk,
Sanchez Dreamer Class
Francisco Meijas
Iris Dreamer Class
Marissa Seuc
Ryan Dreamer Class
Rigo Tostado
Casa Dreamer Class
Jovani Valdez
Eagle Dreamer Class
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Dreamers flourish during summer internships at Intrado and CU
by Dan Sikkink Johnson
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Dreamers are recognized during CU Internship Completion Ceremony
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The 2012 "I Have a Dream" Internship program wrapped up this month, and was, once again, a huge success. At the University of Colorado-Boulder, eight Dreamers interned with various departments on campus ranging from the Office of Orientation to Science Discovery, a science based summer camp for youth, and Intrado hosted four Dreamers as part of an ongoing partnership, allowing Dreamers to develop hands-on workplace skills.
The five-week internships at Intrado provided experience for Dreamers in a variety areas, including the call center fielding calls, as tech support dismantling old computers and wiping data, and as special projects coordinators helping organize company events. Dreamers work in this high-security environment improving their communication skills, applying their education, and learning essential skills.
"I had to work in a direct customer service environment and that is something that I had never done before. It will definitely help me be more patient in whatever job the future holds for me" said David Meza, a Broadway Dreamer and recent graduate from the University of Denver.
This summer was especially exciting due to the fact that a majority of the interns at CU are freshmen there this fall. Many of the Dreamers were able to intern with multiple departments on campus, allowing them a broad range of experiences, as well as opportunities to became familiar with campus and many of its resources.
Kenny Nguyen, a Sanchez Dreamer and incoming freshman at CU, said that, "due to working with two different departments at CU, I've really become more adaptable in my working environment and around myself in general now."
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Save the Date!
Dreamer Alum and New York Times
bestselling author to speak at the
15th Annual Dream-Maker Luncheon
 On Thursday, October 4 from 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. at the Omni Interlocken Hotel, the "I Have a Dream" Foundation of Boulder County will host its 15th Annual Dream-Maker Luncheon featuring special guest Rory Vaden, Dreamer alum and New York Times bestselling author of Take the Stairs. In lieu of ticket sales, attendees will be asked to make a donation that will help the organization launch a new Dreamer class and fulfill the dreams of 50 additional Boulder County youth. For more information or to RSVP, please contact Paulette Warembourg by email at paulette.warembourg@ihaveadreamboulder.org, or phone at 303-444-3636 x10.
To get an idea of what Take the Stairs is all about, click on the image above to watch a short video.
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Honey of a Deal!
Phoenix Dreamers Adopt a Tiger in Conjunction with CU Boulder's Public Achievement Program
During the 2011-2012 school year, 4th grade Phoenix Dreamers from Columbine Elementary School and undergraduate volunteers from the University of Colorado, Boulder, adopted a rescued tiger from The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) in Keensburg, Colorado. The Dreamers conducted a number of bake sales at Columbine Elementary and a fundraiser on Pearl Street in Boulder to raise awareness about animal abuse. Ultimately, the Dreamers were able to raise $360 to donate to TWAS, providing Honey with food, care, and love for the duration of the next year. Dreamers went through the TWAS website and selected Honey because of her personal story: Rescued from El Paso, Texas, Honey was being used as a roadside attraction at a gas station. She is the oldest Tiger at TWAS and is nearly 25 years old. The Dreamers were able to visit Honey in May 2012 where they made their adoption official. This project was one of many service learning projects administered by CU Boulder's Public Achievement program, teaching Dreamers how to address social issues they are passionate about. In addition to the Phoenix Dreamers, Public Achievement will be offered to Eagle Dreamers at Pioneer Elementary during the 2012-2013 school year as well.
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Welcome New Staff!
"I Have a Dream" is pleased to announce the addition of two new staff members: Development Coordinator and College and Career Coordinator. Both staff members were previous AmeriCorps members with the organization.
 Adam Million holds a B.A. in English from William Woods University, a M.A. in English from Clemson University, and a M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Wyoming. He taught courses in literature and writing both as a graduate student and as a full-time lecturer from 2007 to 2011. In 2008, he co-founded and organized the Clemson Literary Festival, developing relationships with school officials, authors, and community members which helped create a foundation for the annual festival that has hosted a range of award-winning authors. In addition to being the 2011 editor-in-chief of the Owen Wister Review at the University of Wyoming, he helped organize and secure funding for a monthly reading series featuring local, national, and international writers. Adam brought his talents to Boulder and the "I Have a Dream" Foundation in September 2011 as an AmeriCorps member, and in August 2012, he joined the staff full time as Development Coordinator where he will continue writing grants, coordinating the organization's marketing efforts, working with Dreamers on their writing, reading, and college preparation activities, and collaborating on special events with development staff.
"Adam's contributions to 'I Have a Dream' are recognized throughout the organization. His writing knowledge transfers so well to our needs and what we are working to accomplish. He makes a continued effort to be involved in all of our programs, as well as mentor a Dreamer. We are thrilled that he is officially a staff member," stated Shawna Peterson, Vice President of Development.
Daniel Sikkink Johnson received his B.A. in Political Science and International Studies from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. He was a member of the National Civilian Community Corps from 2009-2010. During his time with NCCC, he worked in New Orleans as a volunteer supervisor with the St. Bernard Project, an organization helping to rebuild homes destroyed by hurricane Katrina. In 2010, he began working with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation as an AmeriCorps - Program Coordinator. During his first year as an AmeriCorps member, he worked with the Pioneer Class, helping them navigate their senior year of high school and prepare for the transition to college. As a second year AmeriCorps member in 2011-12, Dan transitioned to work in the College and Career Department at "I Have a Dream," providing case management to Alumni Dreamers, coordinating pre-collegiate, job shadow and summer internship programs, working with high school students on the college application and financial aid processes, and collaborating on events such as graduation ceremonies and the local Dreamer Conference.
"I am very excited that Dan will join our staff this year as our College and Career Coordinator! Over the course of the past two years, Dan took on any challenge and filled any role needed to achieve our mission. He exemplified the ideals of service and team as an AmeriCorps member, and he is now an important source of experience and knowledge for our Alumni Dreamers as well as our College and Career programs as a whole. He will be an asset to 'I Have a Dream' in his new role," said Cathie Williamson, Vice President of Programs.
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Since 1990, the award-winning "I Have A Dream" Foundation of Boulder County has helped 550 children from low-income areas achieve 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 adopts entire groups of students from elementary schools, or from low-income housing sites, and works with these children and their families through high school graduation and into post-high school education. Currently, there are six active "I Have A Dream" classes in Boulder County, two in each Boulder, Longmont, and Lafayette. The program has doubled expected graduation rates for its graduating classes of students and has awarded over $1 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
3012 Sterling Circle, Suite 200
Boulder, Colorado 80301
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