DREAM, a 33-year public charter school network and youth development organization that operates in East Harlem and the Bronx raised $5.6 million at its annual gala at DREAM Charter School on Monday, June 10, honoring Onex Chief Executive Officer and DREAM Board Member Bobby Le Blanc, with appearances by honored guest and New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson, DREAM Board Member Hank Azaria, and Broadway star Elijah Johnson.
Originally founded as Harlem RBI, DREAM traces its beginnings to 1991, when a group of volunteers transformed an abandoned, garbage-strewn lot into two baseball diamonds for the youth of East Harlem. More than 30 years later, the organization serves thousands of children across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of free, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools, youth development programming, and postsecondary supports.
“DREAM is all in for all kids. This stamps our commitment to and belief in every child and family that walks through our doors,” DREAM co-Chief Executive Officer Richard Berlin said. “Our city, our country, our world face extraordinary, seemingly intractable challenges. But if we are going to find our way up and out, it will take all of us.”
Le Blanc is responsible for setting and overseeing the execution of the firm’s growth and capital allocation strategy. He has served on DREAM’s Board of Directors since 2017, overseeing the merger of Harlem RBI and DREAM Charter Schools, as well as the expansion of DREAM’s programming and schools into the South Bronx. Additionally, Le Blanc serves on the boards of Ryan Specialty, Convex, First Berkshire Hathaway Life, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. He was honored Monday night for his unwavering commitment to DREAM’s students and families.
“Most of my mindshare outside of work and my family goes to one simple goal: ensuring every child has equal access to the things that matter most in their overall development,” Le Blanc said. “Having equal access to education, healthcare, sports, the arts, and sadly, sometimes food and shelter, should be an unwavering mission for all of us.”
Brunson was recognized for his youth advocacy work. Brunson is co-founder of Second Round Foundation, which creates equity for young people through education, sport, and community.
“It was my dream to play in the NBA, and without the push of my parents, I wouldn’t have achieved that. But most importantly, the way they pushed me off the court, in the classroom, is where I achieved the most,” said Brunson, who appeared on stage with his mother, Second Round Co-Founder Sandra Brunson, and Second Round President Nija Ali Williams. “I look forward to growing with DREAM and encouraging others to keep believing in themselves, to keep pushing, to never listen when someone tells you you can’t do something.”
DREAM’s commitment to its Grow the Whole Child model—focusing on rigorous academics, social-emotional learning, deep family and community engagement, and health and wellness—has resulted in outcomes across the PK-12 continuum that outpace the majority of DREAM’s public school district and charter school peers, including a 100% college acceptance rate for DREAM Charter High School graduates.
“My parents’ decision to send me and my siblings to DREAM has fundamentally changed the opportunities that we have,” said DREAM Charter High School senior Faatihah Koti, the night’s student keynote speaker, who will be attending Binghamton University this fall to study political science and international relations. “Because of their choice, a generation later, I have a path to realizing my own big, crazy, world-changing dreams.”
Rounding out the evening, Hank Azaria led guests in a paddle raise auction, adding more than $1 million to DREAM’s fundraising totals for the event. Elijah Johnson, currently headlining in MJ: The Musical on Broadway, performed with students from the DREAM East Harlem Chorus to conclude the evening.
“DREAM today exists in response to generations of underinvestment in our communities,” DREAM co-Chief Executive Officer Eve Colavito said. “We are building a world where every child can achieve. This makes a difference not just for individual students, but for their families, their communities, and the broader world where they go out and create change.”
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