Thirty years ago, a dream was born on what The New York Times once called “the worst block in New York City.”

That first, endless dream – that the youth of our communities have a safe, beautiful place to play, learn, and grow – blossomed from a scruffy Little League into afterschool and summer programming that leverages the power of teamwork, a network of DREAM Charter Schools that balance rigor and joy to serve the whole child, and wraparound supports for school families ranging from food distribution to financial assistance and more.

In this anniversary year, as we look to our past and plan for our future, we are still dreaming big—arm-in-arm with the volunteers, youth, families, staff, partners, and supporters who have helped to write DREAM’s 30-year story.

In 1991, DREAM, then Harlem RBI, was founded when a group of volunteers transformed an abandoned, garbage-strewn lot into two baseball diamonds for the youth of East Harlem. Thirty years later, we’ve served thousands of youth across East Harlem and the South Bronx through a network of free, extended-day, extended-year DREAM Charter Schools and community sports-based youth development programs.

We have evolved, pivoted, and grown to meet our community’s needs. But our founding purpose – and the mission that connects us all – is the same as it’s always been: To level the playing field by giving all children the tools and opportunities to recognize their potential and realize their dreams.

Whether on the field or in the classroom, in our first humble one-room office on 100th Street or a brand new state-of-the-art school, DREAM has been and always will be a place that is built on relationships. On the surface, we look very different than we did three decades ago, clearing litter off that abandoned lot and scraping together funds for bats and uniforms. But no matter what, we’ll always be a place full of caring peers and adults. We’ll always be a place that holds children to high expectations and supports them endlessly. And we’ll always be a place to dream.

Our history gives us the foundation to dream big and bold for the future – and our strategic plan for the next decade gives us the blueprint to do so. It means ensuring transformative outcomes for youth and being a workplace driven by a unified sense of purpose and a shared commitment to equity. It means expanding to dream even bigger, including growing to serve over 2,500 scholars in our New York City charter schools. And it means working ceaselessly toward postsecondary outcomes for our students that equal or exceed those of their affluent peers across the nation.