Dream Cities | Washington, DC
3855 8th Street, S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20032
Phone: 202-562-9001
Fax: 202-562-9002
Learning Center DirectorTanya Callendertcallender  usdreamacademy [dot] org | Mentor CoordinatorChristopher Grosscgross usdreamacademy [dot] org |
Feature Story
When the DreamKids at Ferebee Hope Elementary school decided they wanted to give back to the community, they had no idea that they would be receiving themselves. Eager to “pay forward” all that they were receiving through the Dream Academy, the DreamKids decided to raise money to create care packages for the homeless in the surrounding community. The project; sell cupcakes, called “Dream Cakes” to friends, family and other students at the school.
The DreamKids, however, knew that they would not be able to do this alone. They were helped in this project by Mr. Farruk Tate who gave them a presentation on Youth Entrepreneurship. Mr. Tate encouraged the DreamKids to get organized by breaking up into business teams. Eager to make the project successful, the DreamKids broke up into three work groups, marketing, research, and development. The teams discussed issues such as how to sell the cupcakes, the most popular flavor of cupcake, and how the cupcakes were going to be made. That process resulted in an organized and very successful project.
“We were excited that our kids wanted to give back to the community,” said Center Director Tanya Callendar. “What made it even better was that we were able to teach some critical business skills in the process.” Overall, the DreamKids were able to raise $321. The highlight of the project came when Mr. Tate promised to match each dollar earned. That was when the DreamKids of Ferebee Hope knew they were on to something big!
Our History in Washington, DC
The Learning Center at Ferebee Hope was the inaugural Learning Center site. The center was commissioned in March of 2000 with an address by President Bill Clinton. Ferebee Hope Community School is located in the 8th Ward, south of Anacostia, in the southeast section of the nation’s capital. The school serves approximately 300 students in grades PreK-5 and will add grade 6 for the 2009-10 academic year. With support from the 21st Century grant, DALC, in partnership with Communities in School for the Nations Capital is able to provide a state of the art model for afterschool programming for the children of southeast DC. The recreational resources offered at Ferebee Hope are a direct result of community activism to foster both positive social and physical activity for the children of the Washington Highland community of southeast, DC.
About Our Staff
Learning Center DirectorTanya Callender leads the U.S. Dream Academy’s flagship D.C. center in the role of Center Director. Providing ten years of experience in non-profit and public management, Ms. Callender combines direct experience developing youth programs with hands-on classroom expertise. Ms. Callender has experience working with a broad spectrum of nonprofit as well as government organizations including FEMA, The Friendship Edison Collegiate Academy, the Department of Housing and Community Development and the Baltimore Urban League. Ms. Callender possesses a Bachelor of Arts degree in Africana Studies from the University of Maryland and has done work in Language/Culture from University of Valladolid Valladolid, Spain and Urban Community Planning University from Maryland College Park | Mentor CoordinatorChris Gross serves the D.C. center as the Mentor Coordinator. Mr. Gross, or CJ as he is affectionately called, is an influential life coach, speaker, and published author. CJ has 10 years experience conducting case work, mentoring, team building and program analysis with D.C. Department of Employment Services, D.C. Department of Parks and Recreation, Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, as well as private consulting. |
Our Washington, DC Partners in the Dream
Communities in Schools
Urban Families House of Hope
Far Southeast Family Collaborative
Howard University
George Washington University
Black Artists of DC
Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events scheduled for this learning center at this time. Please check back later.
