WASHINGTON, DC — The U.S. Dream Academy hosted an exciting 17th Annual “Power of A Dream” Galathemed Living the Dream recently at Washington, D.C. Marriott Marquis presented by Amway in honor of the organizations 20th Anniversary.
The gala fundraising goal of $1 million for the 450 attending guests was exceeded when global media leader Oprah Winfrey had Mpumi Nobiva, an alumna from the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy who was being honored at the event with the DreamBlazer Award, make a surprise announcement that Winfrey would match all donations made during the gala celebration.
“Oprah Winfrey is a long-time supporter of U.S. Dream Academy, but this generous donation from Oprah and our other critical supporters, such as Amway, make our programs to serve children all over the country through our afterschool tutoring, mentoring and our dream building possible,” said, Wintley Phipps, founder & CEO, U.S. Dream Academy. “We were thrilled to honor Mpumi as our DreamBlazer Awardee and then to have Oprah surprise us with this announcement, was a great way to end the evening,” said C. Diane Wallace Booker, founding executive director for U.S. Dream Academy.
The gala was co-hosted by popular award-winning actor, producer and director Larenz Tate (Girls Trip & Power) along with WHUR popular radio personality Triscina Grey. This year’s honorees also included Cicely Tyson (President’s Award) and David Shapiro, CEO of National Mentoring Partnership, who received the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Service Award.
The U.S. Dream Academy, founded in 1998, aims to break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration. The program is currently operating in 7 cities nationwide. For more details: https://www.usdreamacademy.org or contact Priscilla Clarke at 240-476-9643 or priscilla@clarkepr.com.
