Dream Comes to Los Angeles

Businessman Eugene Lang started something special when he promised a classroom of sixth-graders at his alma mater in New York City that if they stayed in school he would pay their way through college. His “I Have a Dream” program has also spread hope to a poor section of Los Angeles, thanks to the generosity of a San Marino woman.

Poor, urban children are more likely to quit school than other youngsters are. Although the dropout rate for the Los Angeles Unified District is an embarrassing 18%, it soars to more than 40% in several poor neighborhoods. Youngsters who are prone to quit need a little more motivation, a little more attention, a little more hope. “I Have a Dream” provides it.

Philanthropist Win Rhodes-Bea has pledged $1.5 million to prod 200 sixth-graders from South-Central Los Angeles. She will provide the counseling, tutoring, field trips, scholarships and whatever else it takes to help the youngsters from the Holmes Avenue Elementary School and the 52nd Street Elementary School. Her generosity is worth emulating; thousands of youngsters could benefit.

More than 100 generous Americans have followed Lang’s lead. They have made promises to 4,000 children in 16 cities Their guarantees teach youngsters, while they are young enough to profit from the lesson, that perseverance can pay off in spite of limited resources.

Lang made his offer to 59 sixth-graders in 1981. Eight have since moved away from his old East Harlem neighborhood. As many as three might not graduate; the remainder will receive their high-school diplomas. At least half the students expect to attend college in large part because one man cared enough to finance their dreams.