The "I Have a Dream" Foundation began in 1981 when a New York businessman was compelled to make a difference in the lives of a graduating class of sixth graders. His vision was to see an entire cohort of students in a low-income community graduate high school and pursue higher education. Nearly thirty years later, over sixty programs now share the dream of giving children from similar situations the tools they need to pursue brighter futures.Our mission is to motivate and empower children from low-

income communities to reach their education and career goals by providing a long-term program of mentoring, tutoring and enrichment, and tuition assistance for higher education.

The Asheville project launced in the fall of 2006 and began with 18 students. We are currently serving 38 students in our main program and look to continue growing it until we reach 40 to 45 students.  We are passionate about loving, teaching, growing with and learning from our students and their families.  We recognize that simply because someone is not wealthy does not mean they are not bright and capable of reaching their dreams. 

We welcome you to be involved in the "I Have a Dream" Program and to become familiar with our project here in Asheville. The Foundation has a long track record of creating the conditions for success and we would love to have you be a part of our team.

There are many ways one can support our success. In addition to financial donations, there are opportunities for mentoring, volunteering and donationing supplies.

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world"

                                                         Nelson Mandela