Going to college is not the only answer to poverty, but a four-year degree increases the chances that an individual will make the leap to a stable, middle-class life.
 
With this in mind, philanthropists in Milwaukee are ensuring 82 first- and second-graders at Clarke Street Elementary School in the impoverished Metcalfe Park neighborhood will have the financial, academic, personal and social support necessary to successfully attain entry to college and receive a four-year degree. 
 
Mary and Ted Kellner and their Kelben Foundation are the lead sponsors for the first-graders at Clarke.  The Brady Corporation Foundation is the lead sponsor for the second grade.  Other funders including the Elizabeth A. Brinn Foundation, Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation, Manpower Inc., and Weiss Family Foundation are supporting the effort. 
 
The program at Clarke is the first attempt in Wisconsin to work together with the I Have a Dream Foundation, which developed from a businessman's impulsive decision to guarantee a group of sixth-graders college tuition.
 
 "Having heard about the program in the 1980s and its effectiveness in other low-income communities was the catalyst for our decision to participate in the I Have a Dream-Milwaukee program," said Mary Kellner, President of the Kelben Foundation, who holds a doctorate degree in education leadership.
 
Over $1 million has been committed in private donations to help make certain students will have the money they need, in conjunction with whatever financial aid and scholarship dollars they're able to secure on their own, to make it through college.
 
In addition, the 'I Have a Dream' program provides after school and summer academic support, along with mentoring, cultural and recreational enrichment programs for the students. 
 
The program in Milwaukee is broadening its focus to include the needs of the Dreamers' family members in addition to leveraging dollars and resources from Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) and the City of Milwaukee. For instance, the City plans to grant the parents of Dreamers first priority to "lease to purchase" new homes in Metcalfe Park that were financed through City investment. 
 
"I applaud the many people who are working to change the way we approach urban education and help students be successful," said Mayor Tom Barrett.  "I'm grateful to the many partners who are supporting 'I Have A Dream' in Milwaukee."
 
"The funders of the program will be instrumental in sharing their ideas and insights into this dynamic, long-term process to make sure that these kids make it to college in the fall of 2019 and 2020," added Sharon Robinson, an employee of the city who has worked on the partnership.