Niwot High School  July 2011
BY TINA EDEN
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2011 Casa Dreamer Class Graduates

In 2000, Debbie Lane and Steve Szabo, along with the I Have a Dream Foundation of Boulder County “adopted” 50 children in grades from kindergarten through eleventh grade from the Casa de la Esperanza low-income public housing site in Longmont. Fast forward to 2011 and meet 11 of those same students as they graduate from high school.

Photo courtesy of Casie Zalud Photography

The Casa Dreamer class of 2011 was honored by class sponsors

Debbie Lane and Steve Sabo, Niwot High School Principal Dennis Daly,

and Longmont Mayor Bryan Baum at a graduation celebration.

A celebration was held for the Casa Dreamers at the Xilinx Retreat Center the evening of May 25. Guest speakers included Longmont Mayor Bryan Baum and Niwot High School Principal Dennis Daly.

NHS Dreamer graduates are Yaneth Amaya, Julio Chavez, Nancy Chavez, Omar Chavez, Alvaro Cintora, Frida Comaduran, Amy Corchado, Karime Dominguez, Irvin Moreno, Victor Perez, and Gustavo Rosas.

The students have participated in year-round individually focused enrichment for 11 years, and will receive four-year tuition assistance scholarships.

Lane and Szabo have provided the financial support for the program, which is administered by mentors, tutors, AmeriCorps volunteers, and program director Rigo Tostado.

Tostado feels the strength of the program lies within its longevity. “We build long-term relationships with the kids and stick with them and their families,” he said.

In her address to the students, Lane recalled what it was like in 2000 when the students were in second grade and dreamed of being firemen, doctors and the president.

I Have a Dream Foundation CEO Lori Canova told the students, “You would not be defined by the statistics,” as she referred to the graduation rate of program participants: 90 percent compared with 60 percent of their peers. All of the graduates have plans to attend either college or vocational school.

The I Have Dream program began in Boulder County in 1990, and currently serves 300 students in six sites. It is a year-round program of tutoring, mentoring, after-school enrichment, computer technology training, life and social skills, and college and career preparation for students until they finish high school.

In the words of Casa Dreamer graduate Victor Perez, “They helped my dream come true.”