College Dreams

College Dreams

This is it! The last of my charity highlights for the month of giving! Tomorrow will be a recap of the 30 charities I highlighted this month.

Today's post is a guest post by a college classmate of mine. You may recall back in November I posted that I competed in a speech contest for a $100 donation to my chosen charity. I had chosen the Oregon Food Bank. I didn't win. I came in second. The author of today's guest post, Sabrina Miller, was the winner. Sabrina spoke about an organization near and dear to her own heart, one that has helped her achieve and succeed in ways she at one time did not think would be possible. Sabrina not only was helped by College Dreams, but now works there as well. She is a real success story!

Please take a moment to read about College Dreams, and Sabrina's story.

College Dreams promotes healthy youth development, academic excellence, and college preparation for students, especially those who face life challenges. The basic goals of College Dreams are to reduce school dropout, delinquency, and substance abuse among youth. Our high level goals are to promote academic excellence, college preparation, and post-secondary education or vocational training.  A study of Dreamers and matched comparison students from the high school class of 2005 demonstrated that Dreamers were arrested 74% less often by the end of 10th grade, and dropped out of high school 62% less frequently by the end of 12th grade. Dreamers were more than twice as likely to be a member of the National Honor Society, and to be fully prepared for college admission. Dreamers received four times the amount of scholarship awards at their high school senior awards celebrations.

College Dreams told me I could, when the rest of the world told me I couldn’t.

When I first became a College Dreamer in the sixth grade I had no idea that my life was going to change so drastically. By the time I graduated high school, I had already, moved twenty-three times. My days were constantly filled with drugs, alcohol, and abuse. But, no matter where I was in the world or what circumstance my life was in, my College Dreams mentor Monet was always there for me. My life was all over the map, and College Dreams gave me a stable family to rely on.  In 2008, I defied odds and graduated high school. It was a moment I had been waiting for my entire life. I also received $20,000 in scholarship awards, a part of that being from College Dreams! College Dreams helped me to prepare for college, and focus on my dreams. They taught me how to see past the trials in my life, and plan for my future. They truly have changed my life in a way I thought nobody could. To me, College Dreams is more than a college incentive program that I participated in, they are my family!

-Sabrina Miller, College Preparation Associate, College Dreams

Donation information available on our website.

Additional College Dreams information, updates, and pictures are available on our Web Site at www.collegedreams.org.

For any specific questions, please call Judie Drummond at 541-476-8146 or contact her by Email at  jdrummond@collegedreams.org.

Thanks Sabrina! Congratulations on all your accomplishments!