When you’re tackling poverty, creating opportunities and building a stronger workforce, time can get away from you.
Just ask Eric Müller of DREAM Alive, a nonprofit having a banner year.
“We’re trying to catch our breath in the best way,” said the CEO of the Indianapolis dedicated to doing all three through its career-focused mentor programs. Regions Bank and its associates have supported those programs since 2010 by hosting an annual budget workshop for DREAM Alive’s scholars. “We’re entering three brand-new middle school sites this year. I anticipate we’ll more than double the number of middle schoolers we serve.”
In June, DREAM Alive achieved another milestone, becoming a United Way of Central Indiana (UWCI) accredited agency. The nonprofit was one of two selected to join UWCI’s ranks of 90 Central Indiana nonprofits.
We sat down with Müller to learn what this means, while also discussing funding DREAM Alive received from community partners like the National Basketball Association (NBA) Foundation and the Regions Foundation, a nonprofit primarily funded by Regions Bank. We said it was a big year, right?
What factors prompted DREAM Alive to apply for United Way agency accreditation and why now?
“We preach to our scholars you can’t do anything alone. We can’t tell other people you can’t do it alone and then try to go it alone ourselves in reaching and serving as many students as possible.
“United Way has the credibility of being a transparent organization that stewards funds well, of doing what they say they’re going to do and doing it well. Those are qualities we at DREAM Alive are dedicated to embodying, so it was a natural fit.
“Related to timing, for the past 13, years we’ve shown what we’re doing to help create career paths for our youth. We’ve also grown significantly during that time. It was the right time for our organization.”
What benefits are you already realizing?
“United Way offers so many professional development and networking resources benefitting our staff and us as an organization. The first training session I attended discussed A.I. and how to leverage it as a nonprofit. It’s helping us rethink our approach with data.
“Also, there were between 50 and 60 fellow CEOs in that room who are now a resource. I think it will only continue to open collaboration opportunities for us.”
What’s something you didn’t realize about United Way prior to becoming accredited?
“I don’t think I grasped United Ways’s role of bridging the gap between the corporate and nonprofit community, of bringing them together. People sometimes think you make your United Way donation, and United Way just distributes it. But United Way is constantly assessing where to allocate resources and how to best serve our community’s greatest needs. Yes, that means addressing basic, immediate needs like food and housing, but it also involves addressing it from a two-generational approach of identifying ways to attack poverty and serving the entire family.”
How do you think DREAM Alive can give back as a United Way agency partner?
“I’ve been dreaming for a couple of years how we can grow our volunteer opportunities. Our challenge is, as a mentoring organization, how do we do something for one day? I think the answer is through the United Way Day of Caring. Along with our team volunteering, we have a great opportunity to invite some of our community partners to also participate. I’m really pumped about that possibility.”
“To call it an incredible time for us would be an understatement. We’ve always considered ourselves this grassroots entity. To be placed on a national stage thanks to the NBA Foundation’s generosity was bigger than we could have ever imagined.
“We’re also grateful to work with the Regions Foundation and Regions Bank and humbled they would entrust us to steward their funds to impact youth in Indianapolis. We feel so privileged to be able to do this work. Our growth has allowed us to hire a Grant Impact director exclusively focused on our data impact and grants. There’s been so much change – in a good way. We’re extremely blessed.”
DREAM Alive is empowering its scholars to be successful in their careers and in life through its unique, experiential approach. When you see a model this impactful, you want to be part of its growth to ensure more students benefit from it. The Regions Foundation is proud to reinvest in DREAM Alive’s commitment to helping students build a brighter future for themselves and the Indy community and we celebrate other funders doing the same.
About Regions Foundation
Regions Foundation supports community investments that positively impact the communities served by Regions Bank. The Foundation engages in a grantmaking program focused on priorities including economic and community development; education and workforce readiness; and financial wellness. The Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation funded primarily through contributions from Regions Bank.
About DREAM Alive
DREAM Alive (DA) is a local nonprofit which helps break the cycle of poverty by mentoring vulnerable youth from 7th grade through 12th grade, helping youth discover career paths. DA was originally co-founded by retired Indianapolis Colts Left Tackle, Tarik Glenn during his playing career. For a decade-plus, DREAM Alive has empowered scholars who complete their 6-year program to graduate high school, with 96% of those scholars planning to enlist in the military, go to college, or enter straight into the workforce upon commencement. To learn more about DREAM Alive, please visit www.dreamaliveinc.org