[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[Senate]
[Pages 22819-22820]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



     IN RECOGNITION OF THE EUGENE M. LANG I HAVE A DREAM FOUNDATION

 Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, today, I would like to recognize a 
remarkable individual whose efforts rank high among those that have 
marked the great history of this Nation. Eugene M. Lang is a dedicated 
philanthropist and supporter of education. His selflessness, sense of 
pride, and love for his country have been demonstrated in his 
commitment to the present and the future of young people all across 
America, through his I Have a Dream Foundation. This weekend, November 
15-17, 2001, Mr. Lang and the Foundation will celebrate 20 years of 
education achievement.
  The path leading up to 20 years of education successes began on June 
25, 1981. It was then that Eugene Lang, a New York businessman would 
return to his old elementary school, P.S. 121, in East Harlem to 
address the graduating sixth-graders. His original plan was to deliver 
a standard message that if you worked hard you would succeed. However, 
after arriving at his alma mater, he was told that his old school had 
changed--that 75 percent of P.S. 121's children would never graduate 
from high school, and that even those who did get high school diplomas 
would probably lack the skills needed for college. The startling news, 
prompted Mr. Lang to make an extraordinary promise to the sixth-graders 
that day. He made an impromptu decision and announced that if the 61 
middle schoolers graduated from high school he would provide financial 
assistance to help them pay for college. This wonderful benefactor told 
the children that they must have a dream for the future, and that he 
would help them achieve it.
  Having made a promise, Lang went even further to help the P.S. 121 
sixth-graders. He provided the children with support services and hired 
a social worker to work with them. With the involvement of education 
and social science professionals, Mr. Lang's vision evolved into the I 
Have a Dream program and the P.S. 121 kids became the first 
``Dreamers.''
  In August 1985, after 4 years, all of Lang's Dreamers were still in 
school garnering national attention including a front page story in the 
New York Times and a segment on 60 Minutes. This spurred Lang to 
organize the national I Have a Dream Foundation in 1986 and help launch 
a new generation of Foundation projects.
  Of the 54 original Dreamers who remained in contact with Mr. Lang's 
project, more than 90 percent earned their high school diploma or GED 
certificate and 60 percent went on to higher education, mostly at 
public 4-year or community colleges. In June 1991, the first Dreamers 
received baccalaureate degrees from colleges such as Bard and Barnard; 
others subsequently graduated from Swarthmore, Rensselaer

[[Page 22820]]

Polytechnic Institute, Hunter, AZ, and other schools. At least two-
thirds of the P.S. 121 Dreamers have had 2 or more years of higher 
education and some continue to work on earning their degrees. Almost 
all hold fulfilling jobs and many have children who, they vow, will go 
to college.
  Today, the I Have a Dream program is a nationally recognized model 
that helps children stay in school, graduate, and go on to college or 
vocational education training and meaningful employment. The children, 
called Dreamers, participate in a year-round program of mentoring, 
tutoring, cultural exposures, and community service activities from 
elementary school through high school. Upon graduation, Dreamers 
receive financial assistance for either a college or vocational 
education. ``I Have a Dream'' has grown from one man's promise to 61 
middle schoolers to over 175 projects in 58 cities, serving more than 
13,000 children from low-income communities, including the Dreamers 
from my home State of Michigan. In Michigan, the Dreamers from Detroit 
have graduated while the Battle Creek programs support 11th graders who 
are close to achieving their dreams and in Port Huron, 7th and 8th 
graders are well on their way to fulfilling their own goals thanks to 
Eugene Lang's remarkable vision.
  Through his hard work, dedication and unshakable belief in our 
nation's children, Mr. Lang has helped many a dreamer fulfill his or 
her educational goals with his I Have a Dream Foundation. This kind and 
generous man is a role model to us all and I know that my Senate 
colleagues join me in congratulating Eugene Lang for his commitment and 
success with his I Have a Dream Foundation.

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