THIRTY MORE DREAMERS AT DE HOSTOS-WISE KICK-OFF

BIG DREAMS The De Hostos-Wise Community Center in Manhattan is the newest “I Have A Dream” site.

It’s no surprise that the importance of keeping focused and working hard on the long road to high school graduation and beyond emerged as the dominant themes at the De Hostos-Wise “I Have A Dream” (IHAD) Kick-off, at P.S. 84 on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on February 3rd. In the seventh New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)/IHAD collaboration, 30 more third-graders who live in NYCHA’s De Hostos Apartments, Wise Towers and the West Side Urban Renewal Area (WSURA) Apartments, will receive free after-school programming, extra-curricular enrichment, tutoring and mentoring through the 12th grade, with the promise of tuition assistance for college or vocational school once they successfully graduate from high school.

In a ceremony featuring staff from the I Have A Dream Program, Dreamers, and former Dreamers, General Manager Douglas Apple represented the Housing Authority. Mr. Apple had words of encouragement and admiration for the youngsters as he compared them to his own children and told them to “stay focused, work hard, and take advantage of this opportunity.”

There were many bright spots in the evening’s ceremony, but the highlight was when IHAD founder Eugene Lang led the young “Dreamers” (as program participants are called) in the Dreamer Pledge. With their right hands raised, the third-graders earnestly reaffirmed their commitment to work hard and stay in school. Mr. Lang also spoke briefly about the promise he made to support a group of sixth-graders at P.S. 121 in East Harlem in 1981, which was the beginning of the IHAD program.

De Hostos-Wise Program Director Makeda Jordan served as living proof that the program works. Ms. Jordan is a former Dreamer herself from the first Chelsea-Elliott Project. She told the audience how, after earning her bachelor’s degree in psychology, she realized she would need further education to make her dream come true. Thanks to help from her sponsor, she was able to return to school to complete a master’s degree in urban planning.

And two Dreamers who are currently freshman in highschool — Linda Cruz and Peggy Allende from the Melrose IHAD Project in the Bronx — spoke of their joys and challenges so far. Ms. Allende in particular gave an emotional account of how the support of her fellow Dreamers and Project Coordinator helped her stay on track. Both young women volunteer as mentors two evenings a week at the De Hostos Site.

Other speakers included IHAD Executive Director Kara Forte, P.S. 84 Principal Robin Sundick and Wise Towers Resident Association President Victor Gonzalez. NYCHA Board Member JoAnna Aniello was also on hand to lend her support.
The IHAD Program relies on the long-term personal and financial commitment of each project’s sponsor. De Hostos Wise sponsor Rick Aidekman, who owns real estate in the area, commented on the rewards of being a sponsor.

Thanks to Community Operations’ D’Andra Van Heusen for reporting on the event, and to IHAD Deputy Director Thierry Cazeau and Community and Development Associate Hilary Cramer for the photos.