Greensboro Dreamers creates big dreams for rural children

GREENSBORO - Second-grader Timothy Hollis has traveled to New York City, visited Atlanta museums and received free after-school tutoring in the Greensboro Dreamers program. <br> <br> But the most important part of the Greensboro Dreamers is a guarantee that a lack of money won&#39;t keep Timothy and the 53 other children in the program from going to college. <br> <br> The Greensboro Dreamers, created by retired health care executive Tom Kelly, is an offshoot of the New York-based I Have a Dream Foundation. A sponsor adopts a group of children and promises to help them pay for college. <br> <br> Businessman Eugene Lang found the first I Have A Dream program at his East Harlem alma mater in 1981. Since then, similar programs have been created in cities, such as Atlanta, Chicago and Los Angeles. <br> <br> But only four of the 175 programs are in rural areas like Greensboro. <br> <br> The Greensboro program serves children from Greene County, 75 miles east of Atlanta. Like many inner-cities, children there are often impoverished, jobs are scarce and many single mothers find it hard to make ends meet. <br> <br> Raising money for the program has been a struggle. Kelly said he needs about $200,000 a year to run the program and pay college expenses not covered by scholarships and financial aid. <br> <br> Each week, more than 50 volunteers work with the children after school, reading stories, playing games and taking them places.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/1/199839