About Us: Mission

"Partnering with parents and educators, DreamsWork focuses community resources, including tutor/mentors and financial supporters, to empower children to develop their God-given potential, culminating in a DreamsWork -funded post-secondary education."

The DreamsWork program intends to provide personal and educational enrichment opportunities for students, many of whom may be considered at risk, attending Hawthorne Elementary School in Elkhart, Indiana, through a multi-faceted, long-term mentoring program that includes post-high school "last dollar" financial assistance for tuition, room and books. The program is designed to enhance academic performance and social development, as well as to expose students to new cultural environments. In sum, the program seeks to offer, over the nine years of elementary and secondary schooling, the following:

• Weekly mentoring throughout the school year by a dedicated mentor who seeks to establish a long term, meaningful relationship with the student and family.

• Academic assistance such as homework help, tutoring (mandatory when a student's grade point average drops below 2.0 in any given any subject), and educational enrichment.
• Character education based on nine core character traits - courage, hard work, honesty, humility, kindness, perseverance, respect, responsibility and wisdom. Each month of the school year from the fourth grade through twelfth, the mentor is provided with a grade-appropriate handout giving the definition of each trait, a couple of apropos quotes, a short story of a person who exhibits the trait, discussion questions to promote conversation and thought, a "For Parents" section that the student can take home to encourage the same thoughtful dialog with their parents and a focus on one of 72 possible career choices that include an overview of the career, its educational requirements, potential salary and job outlook.
• Increased and improved parental involvement.
• Social and cultural enrichment activities to include museum and science trips, theatre experiences, opportunities to practice dining etiquette, etc.

• Life-skills education such as health and sexuality issues, conflict resolution, and drug/gang awareness. (1)
• The opportunity to serve as summer camp counselors.
• Regularly scheduled community service.
• Summer programming.
  • 7th - 8th Grade Camp.
  • High School Wilderness Adventure.
• Multi-media program that includes radio and video productions. (2)

• Career and employment awareness through monthly conversation, Drive of Your Life ™ (a middle and high school online program that helps each student begin to identify his/her vocational interests) and possible job shadowing opportunities during high school.
• College preparation: preliminary assessment of college costs, assistance with timely completion of Twenty First Century Scholars application, establishing readiness through grade monitoring/tutoring, monitoring timeline and completion of assessment tests (SAT,ACT), assistance with locating and applying for all scholarship and grant opportunities and providing college campus tours.

The issues faced by many students in this population are known well. They often include poverty, dysfunctional family structures, domestic and substance abuse, violence, crime and a sometimes crippling lack of hope. Any one of these factors may make it difficult, if not impossible, to see beyond the moment; a combination of any two or more of these factors can make this a near certainty.

DreamsWork believes that the long-term, consistent presence of an additional caring adult in the child’s life—who will encourage him or her to visualize a future well beyond current circumstances and support the student’s efforts to succeed academically and morally —will significantly complement the efforts of family and school. DreamsWork is a program that offers students positive alternatives to the lure of drugs, crime, gangs and casual sex.

The DreamsWork program at Hawthorne Elementary School is seen by the Board of Directors as a pilot program that could be replicated in other Elkhart elementary schools and beyond, depending on funding and other factors. The program is eminently transportable.

(1) Introduced when appropriate.

(2)  With support from the award -winning library of royalty free music at RoyaltyFreeMusic.com