USA Funds President and CEO Honored by U.S. Dream Academy

Carl Dalstrom, USA Funds^® president and CEO, received the President’s Award at the sixth-annual U.S. Dream Academy Power of a Dream Gala May 22. Guests at the Washington, D.C., event — including executives, celebrities and education advocates — raised more than $1 million in support for children of prisoners and children at risk of falling behind in school.

The President’s Award honors individuals who have made great strides in improving the well-being of children who are at significant risk of incarceration. 

“Carl has been such a tremendous supporter and model by providing significant leadership to advance the lives of children and youth who have a parent in prison,” said Wintley Phipps, U.S. Dream Academy founder, president and CEO. “His enthusiasm, determination and love for the work that he does are precisely the attributes we urge our students to achieve.” 

This year’s gala also featured the presentation of special awards to former President Bill Clinton and Billy Tauzin, CEO of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, for their continued support of the U.S. Dream Academy and commitment to helping youth achieve their dreams.

“Higher education holds the key to a brighter future," Dalstrom said. “The U.S. Dream Academy is working to make positive changes in the learning environment for at-risk students. I am pleased to work closely with the U.S. Dream Academy, and I am honored to receive the President’s Award.”

USA Funds also contributed $100,000 to the gala. Money raised during the gala supports U.S. Dream Academy Learning Centers. The centers offer youth instructional approaches that help them develop personalized learning strategies and teach them skills to be successful students. Currently, U.S. Dream Academy Learning Centers operate in 10 cities throughout the United States, with plans to open centers in Indianapolis and Charlotte, N.C., in 2008.

Gospel singer Phipps founded the U.S. Dream Academy in 1998 to support programs that help break the cycle of intergenerational incarceration and school failure among children. The mission of the U.S. Dream Academy is to help children who are at risk of incarceration to maximize their potential by providing them with academic, social and values enrichment through mentoring and the use of technology.

In the United States, there are 2.8 million children whose parents are in prison. Statistics show that children of offenders are six-times more likely than other children to become incarcerated themselves. With nearly 2-million people in local jails, state and federal prisons, the odds are against many youngsters. The U.S. Dream Academy’s Learning Centers work to change these odds. 

“All children deserve and desire a chance to succeed,” said Phipps. “We have to do all we can to help guarantee children of prisoners and at-risk youth have a brighter future. Eliminating the barriers to a good education is the first step in helping a child to succeed.”

USA Funds and the U.S. Dream Academy also are members of the Learning Communities Coalition, which created a comprehensive, community-based program working to create new cultures of learning and improve the college-going rates of students in six communities.