Our Mission

At Supplies for Dreams, we believe that every student in the Chicago Public Schools should have the opportunity to live up to his or her potential. In our society today, the key to opportunity is education. We believe that with the proper resources to obtain a good education, it can enrich the lives of students, prepare them for a successful career and help them contribute back to their communities. The organization is focused on two major initiatives; to encourage the pursuit of goals through the donation of critical school supplies and mentoring in order to facilitate and motivate young scholars to embrace learning and elevate their education.

Our Approach

Supplies for Dreams strives to facilitate the education of needy students within the Chicago Public School system through the application of aid in two important areas: basic school supplies and mentoring. While the donation of basic school supplies provides a critical material component, the mentoring program is structured to address the intangible aspects of pursuing higher education and hopes to provide inspirational role models to those that lack enough positive reinforcement.

   SUPPORT students. Every year, there continues to be a high rate of homelessness amongst the students in the CPS. In addition to the 10,642 students classified as homeless in June of 2008, 84.9 percent of students are classified as coming from low-income families. Th erefore, many students continue to lack the basic school supplies such as notebooks, pens, binders, and backpacks necessary to maximize on their education. Without the proper resources, it is impossible for students to experience a good education. We will work to:

-Develop and donate individual backpacks to students, containing all of the basic resources needed to properly pursue education

-Develop a correspondence program to ensure that the students continue to receive physical support throughout the year and replenish their supplies.

   EMPOWER students. Supplies for Dreams recognizes the inadequacy inherent in merely donating school supplies to students and endeavors to use the mentoring program to provide direction to the receiving students. The Dream Mentors Program was developed to address the growing need for academic counseling, guidance counseling, and social counseling in the Chicago Public Schools. We believe that through academic tutoring in important areas such as math and reading, guidance in transitions from middle school/elementary school to high school, and good social role models, we can enrich the lives of students and help place them on a track to individual success. Students will feel the power they have over their individual lives and futures and we will work to provide them with support in all facets possible. We will work to: 

-Develop and enact a mentoring program throughout a vast number of schools to begin providing academic support, guidance counseling, and social counseling to students

-Develop and enact an exchange program to foster community awareness, create social bonds, and opportunities for all students involved to expand their mind

-Encourage, empower, and support students to seek and utilize the resources and opportunities available to them