PolkMoms.com

Eugene Lang brought into being the idea of financing the educational and mentoring needs of the children belonging to low income and high violence zones, through the ‘I have a Dream’ foundation. This was mainly due to the high drop out rates found in these children. The I have a Dream foundation empowers children in low-income communities to achieve higher education and fulfill their leadership potential by providing them with guaranteed tuition support and equipping them with the skills, knowledge, and habits they need to gain entry to higher education.

The IHAD foundation was started in Dallas in September 1986, by Bill and late Elaine Farrell. The first class of almost 1,000 sixth grade ‘Dallas Dreamers’ was adopted in May 1987, making Dallas the first city outside of New York to start an I Have a Dream Foundation program. The adoption of a second class of 1,000 ‘Dreamers’ was in 1988. In November 1990, Education Secretary Lauro Cavazos helped kick-off the adoption of eight new fourth grade classes into the Dallas program In December of 1991, Rev. Zan W. Holmes, Jr., Senior Pastor of the St. Luke ‘Community’ United Methodist Church, was the keynote speaker at the kick-off announcement of the church's adoption of three fourth grade classes of approximately 50 students In September 1994, the Foundation adopted another class of students from the Cedar Springs Place Housing Project. This new and innovative home-based program allows the Foundation to begin working with students and their parents as early as the first grade; thereby, enabling us to have greater impact on the family unit.

Presently the IHAD-Dallas has a team of board members which include David Disiere of the Deep South Surplus of Texas, Helen M. Dorsey, Dr. Pepper/Seven Up Inc. James W. Loose Galloway-James Inc. and others