Sueños 2020

The DREAM Project's 8th Annual Benefit will take place Thursday, February 27th, at The Mezzanine, 55 Broadway on Wall Street, with an opportunity to meet the DREAM Board, our VIPs and Dominican American Community Leaders. This exclusive networking hour will be accompanied by Executive Chef Ricardo Cardona, Taye Diggs from Rent, singer Pavel Nuñes, and a Brugal 1888 pairing. At 7:30pm our main event will begin, headlined by our awards and The DREAM Bachata Academy. All proceeds go towards DREAM Early Childhood Education, At Risk Youth and Workforce Development Programs. DREAM is dependent on financial support to make a difference, so please buy your ticket and join us.

WHO WE ARE

DREAM (Dominican Republic Education and Mentoring Project), was founded in 1995 by our Chairman, Michel Zaleski, who after seeing schools without adequate sanitation, electricity, books and supplies, decided to try to improve Latin America’s worst performing education system. In 2002 DREAM was formalized as a USA and DR non-profit. The DREAM Board of Directors is composed of dedicated Dominicans, Americans and global citizens, including acclaimed author and Pulitzer Prize winner Junot Diaz, Adriano Espaillat, the first Dominican born US Congressman, and includes actors, business people, educators and others leading the charge to bring high quality education to the children of the Dominican Republic. DREAM serves more than 8,000 children and youth through 17 different quality educational programs. These programs include new parent education, pre-schools, after-school and at-risk youth programs, summer schools and camps, vocational training for teens and young adults, libraries and computer labs. At DREAM’s annual book fairs, students build their own libraries by choosing among 25,000 age-appropriate, new, free books. DREAM generates more than 800,000 hours of high-quality teaching in small class groups, thus providing transformative educational experiences for otherwise under-served children, so they can reach their full potential. DREAM, alongside its hundreds of annual volunteers, now has a remarkable paid staff of 100, ----with all but one living in the Dominican Republic. Staff are originating and managing schools in 27 communities. The DREAM approach clearly has made an impact on the well-being of its students and their communities. What distinguishes the DREAM project is excellent results and accountability in combatting the effects of poverty on children.