Letter from the Executive Director
Dear Friend,
The Board of Directors and staff of The Dream Come True Foundation cordially invite you to participate in An Evening in Disguise — our 11th Anniversary Gala! Mark your calendar for 6:30 PM CST on Thursday, October 15, 2020. We will be hosting the Gala online as a “virtual event” with live and silent auctions as well as have opportunities for small, in-person events for select sponsorships with attention to social distancing.
As a special feature, we plan to honor our Dream Achievers serving on the front lines of healthcare. Come celebrate with us. We hope it will be fun, informative and provide the resources to support 20 new Dream Achievers in 2021.
Our Story: In 2005, founders Carol Kallendorf, PhD, and Jack Speer, raised a fundamental question not often raised by non-profit organizations at the time. Out of millions trapped in intergenerational poverty, how could we find high potential people and move them into high paying middle-class jobs in about two years - something rarely accomplished by traditional charities. Dream Come True built a model that has accomplished the goal of helping many people and their families achieve their dreams. These are miracles that are happening every year. Our success is measurable:
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>90% of Dream Come True graduates obtain good paying jobs and have not returned to poverty.
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A Dream Come True family's life-time payback is >250:1, by eliminating $77,000 annually in government welfare spending and contributing $50,000 per year back into the economy as employed tax paying citizens.
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Our graduates represent the diversity of our community with 30% Black, 52% Hispanic and 65% Women.
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Many are front line healthcare workers during the COVID 19 crisis.
See our full story at https://www.dctf-austin.org.
An exclusive invitation: We are at a critical point in our history as the need for our services is growing, especially for low income families working to break the cycle of poverty. The opportunity to grow our program in numbers and geography is dependent on donors, like you. Dream Come True is inviting you to help create new opportunities through your generous sponsorship of our 2020 Virtual Gala.
There are opportunities at all sponsorship levels to participate in and support this year’s Virtual Gala. We also have an open registration with no fee for individual participation to encourage broad support. Please review the attached information for details. If you would like more information or to discuss other sponsorship options, contact me at 512.506.1385 or bob@everyonesdreamcometrue.org.
We are grateful to our donors, mentors, volunteers, and community and corporate partners for making the last 11 years a great success. We look forward to celebrating with you at our Virtual Gala on October 15, 2020!
Sincerely,
Bob Riazzi
Our History
Carol Kallendorf-Speer, PhD, and Jack Speer formed their vision on the back of a napkin in 2005 to address this question, “is there a small population that wants to get out of poverty?” Fifteen years later, the results prove the success of the Dream Come True model. Our graduates, along with their families, continue to move forward professionally, socially and personally. They have achieved advanced degrees, built successful careers in healthcare, IT and software development, and contributed in their communities after graduating Dream Come True. In our unique voice, we exist to serve the most underserved portion of the population in poverty: those that want to get out.
Our Mission
Partnering with individuals of exceptional potential to move out of poverty through education, mentoring, financial assistance, and access to community partnerships.
Our Success
In less than two years with an average cost for tuition and other financial assistance of $15,000 per Dream Achiever, greater than 90% of our Dream Achievers have graduated and joined the workforce earning >$50,000 annually. They have financial independence, pay taxes, are homeowners, save and have 401Ks. They are a parent who is able to provide education, security and a bright future for their children.
Our Impact
It is exciting to see the impact our model of delivering intimate, wrap around services has on our program participants. Our Dream Achievers are often the first in their families to get a post high school education and to have a real opportunity to break the cycle of poverty and move to independence and success. That impact is multiplied! Not only is there the direct financial benefit for the individuals and their families and public resources, we also see the value of the Dream Achievers paying it forward in their communities. Many Dream Achievers are in the medical field who are on the front lines serving Austin and Central Texas during this urgent Covid-19 crisis.
Gala Sponsorship Packages
Help us break the cycle of poverty. Your sponsorship will help a highly motivated individual gain the education and skills to become financially independent and pay it forward in their communities. See the high impact sponsorships below along with examples of what those sponsorships can fund.
Special Thanks to our 2019 Gala Sponsors
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Allie & Chris Thompson
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Apple
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Aspire Allergy (Texan Allergy)
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BCL of Texas
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Beverly & Will Crenshaw
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Bluebonnet Electric
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Cooperative
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Carol & Harold Cain
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Carol Kallendorf & Jack Speer
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CBRE
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Charles Larkam
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Christopher Lofton
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Clayton & Carly Christopher
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Clearhead
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Debra & Bret Hurt
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Delta Associates
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Ellen McCaffery
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Ernst & Young
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Frost Bank
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Heather Bailey
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Heather Brunner
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James McDermott
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Jessica Sager
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Joe Warnock
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Joel Knight
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John Gump
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Judy Abelman
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Judy Myers
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Kirk Natwig Family and Friends
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Kyle Bunting
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Maxwell Locke Ritter
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Pavithra Chidambaram
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Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
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Pioneer Bank-Sugar Land
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Porter Company
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RBFCU
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Rick Cloud
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Round Top State Bank
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Sam Myers, Family and Friends
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St Mary Missionary Baptist Church
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Stacy & Doug Alexander
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Steve Shook
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Susan Sager
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Terri Szeneri
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Thomas Martin
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Thompson- Westbank Dev LLC
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Trendline Interactive
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Upland Software, Inc
The Dream Come True Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Donations are deductible for income tax purposes to the extent allowed by law.
For more information contact Bob Riazzi at or (512) 506-1385.
Learn more about The Dream Come True Foundation at https://www.dctf-austin.org/.