1. The Greeley Dream Team was created in the late 1980s
by community leaders who recognized Greeley-Evans
School District 6’s severe school dropout problem. These
leaders understood the complex nature of the problem
and the academic, social and economic forces that
contribute to it. They sought a far-reaching, scalable
solution.
Modeling their vision on the Harlem Children’s Zone in
New York City, The Greeley Dream Team founders
initially set out to follow 200 6th graders for seven years
until high school graduation, providing support and
mentoring along the way. At the end of their Dream
The Greeley Dream Team turns dreams into reality. We
are optimists. We are problem solvers. We coach. We
support. We empower. We believe that a college
education is possible and necessary for students from all
walks of life. We are building the educated workforce
our community will depend on in the years ahead – one
student, one dream, at a time.
“To partner with the community
to help children succeed in school.”
The Greeley Dream Team plays a pivotal role in our
community’s answer to the call for more
home-grown talent. We believe that every young
person in District 6 deserves the chance to attain a
college education. In fact, the future prosperity of our
community depends on it.
The Greeley Dream Team’s mission is to partner with the
community to help children succeed in school. Each year,
we collaborate with over 30 public and private agencies
to serve a diverse group of over 1,100 middle and high
school students.
We have six full-time, year-round employees including
an Executive Director, Assistant Director of Educational
Talent Search (ETS) and four student advisors. We also
have a three-quarter time administrative assistant, a
contract accountant, and a handful of tutors.
The Greeley Dream Team believes that with challenge and complexity comes opportunity. The Greeley-Evans
community can capitalize on this momentum by expanding education programs that work. With a 28-year track
record, proven financial sustainability and a deep-rooted understanding of student challenges, The Greeley Dream
Team is poised to do more. Our priorities going forward are two-fold:
Serve More Students – Through our current suite of proven programs, we will serve at least 250 more middle and high
school students in District 6 who currently attend schools without pre-collegiate programs.
Launch an Alumni Advisor Program – Budgeted at $50,000, this program will help Greeley Dream Team students reach
college graduation by supporting them during their first and second years of college, the most at-risk period when
students are prone to dropping out. The program will also engage Greeley Dream Team alumni to create a
communication and support network for current students.
Our long-term vision is that the right support exists, at the right times, for students in our community to step through
the door of opportunity. There is no work more important than ensuring our children’s future. A college education is a
dream for many. The Greeley Dream Team makes it a reality for more.
Today, only one in five Colorado 9th
graders will earn a college degree (2016 Colorado Business Economic Outlook,
University of Colorado Leeds School of Business) .
To attend college, a student must first graduate from high school. District 6’s on-time high school graduation rate of
77.8% is slightly higher than the statewide rate of 77.3%. But for limited-income students who comprise 61% of
students in our district, on-time graduation rates are much lower. These students confront a web of challenges even
before they enter a classroom—poverty, unstable living situations, family health issues, lack of parental education,
and unfamiliarity with college application and financial aid processes. Any combination of these obstacles can derail a
student’s progress toward high school graduation and a college education.
To adequately support them, we must recognize the characteristics of District 6 students today. Today, 63% of
District 6 students qualify for free and reduced lunch. The number of students enrolled in District schools has risen
from 6,000 to over 21,000 today. Over 5,000 of these students are learning English as their second language. In
addition to immigrants from Mexico and central America, District 6 serves political refugees from Somalia, Burma
and Ethiopia, to name a few.
We are a majority-minority district. Our community is more complex than ever before and the needs continue to
grow.
Team journey, every student who completed high school
would receive a scholarship for college or other
post-secondary training. The most important lesson
learned in those early years, however, was that the
distant reward of a college scholarship alone was
insufficient to foster school success for most at-risk
students. These children faced immediate obstacles
every year, every month, and every week. They needed a
more robust, frequent system of support and
communication throughout their middle and high school
years, which The Greeley Dream Team now provides.
93% are first generation college students.
90% come from limited-income families.
(as defined by qualifying for free and reduced lunches)
80% of our Educational Talent Search (ETS) students are Latino.
30% of Dream Team students’ parents are not US citizens.
70%
93% 90%
80%
30%20%
10%7%
The Greeley Dream Team
1025 9th Avenue, Suite 336
Greeley, CO 80631
970.348.6380
www.thegreeleydreamteam.org
There are many ways to support student success in education by providing
financial support directly to The Greeley Dream Team. We are a 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization and all donations made are tax deductible. The Greeley
Dream Team is also a participant of the Enterprise Tax Zone credits.

2. To meet the multi-dimensional needs of middle and high school students in District 6, The Greeley Dream Team
operates four programs.
1,100
Students Served
Annually
95%
Graduated
High School
68%
Enrolled in College
By leveraging the power of relationships, The Greeley Dream Team
enables hundreds of local young people like Isabela, Zoe and Mateo to
achieve something no one in their family has done before.
EDUCATIONAL TALENT SEARCH
Educational Talent Search (ETS) is our program,
serving over 700 students each year. ETS is
a federally funded, pre-collegiate TRiO program
that supports limited-income and first-generation
college-bound students during secondary school.
The goal of the program is that students are
accepted and transition to a 2 or 4-year university
following high school. At the core of the ETS
program are the relationships that advisors build
with students. ETS advisors help students overcome
academic, transportation, family, employment and
financial obstacles. The value of this consistent
support is immeasurable.
DREAM TEAM AT BELLA ROMERO
The Greeley Dream Team and Bella Romero
Academy collaborate to promote school success for
students in grades 6, 7 and 8. Similar to ETS,
students are matched with an advisor who
promotes academic achievement, attendance,
positive behavior, community resources, and the
goal of graduation. The advisor meets one-on-one
with students regularly on-site and also collaborates
with parents. Dream Team students at Bella Romero
also participate in educational workshops and
college campus field trips as a group.
DISCOVERY: THE PEER LEADERSHIP PROGRAM
This program is a partnership between The Greeley
Dream Team, Jefferson High School, and United
Way of Weld County. Developed in the 1990s by an
alternative high school teacher in Fort Collins, the
Discovery program helps all Jefferson students
improve social skills, communication skills,
team-building and anger management strategies. To
put their skills into practice, students participate in
community service activities, and practice mediating
conflicts between their peers.
JEFFERSON CHILCARE PROGRAM
The Greeley Dream Team, along with District 6 and
several other local agencies, collaborated to support
a licensed childcare center for infants and toddlers
at Jefferson High School for the past four years.
Today, the Dream Team facilitates a class for teen
parents. As a class elective option, the Teen Parent
Class educates, prepares, and empowers teen
parents to become positive role models for their
children. Lessons are taught by outside experts on
topics such as early childhood brain
development, healthy relationships, nutrition, car
seat safety, music education, early literacy, baby
sign language and child health and wellness.
We are pleased to say that over the last 14 years, The Greeley Dream
Team has awarded $349,500 in college scholarships to 281 deserving
students in our Educational Talent Search (ETS) program.
The Greeley Dream Team serves over 1,100 students annually.
95% of ETS students graduated from high school within four years.
68% of seniors enrolled in a college or university in the fall
following graduation.
Isabela
Isabela was a Dream Team ETS scholar
attending Franklin Middle School. The
summer before her 8th
grade year, her
mother died of kidney disease. Her
father became an alcoholic. Then
Isabela got pregnant and a month be-
fore her baby was due, her father
passed away. After her child was born,
she moved in with her brother, worked,
attended school and found subsidized
childcare for her baby.
Her Dream Team advisor helped her
apply for college scholarships. Isabela
graduated from high school with a 3.0
GPA, won a Dell scholarship and a
Greeley Dream Team scholarship, and
was admitted to the University of
Northern Colorado. The two
scholarships provided a laptop and
enough money to pay tuition and cover
living expenses for four years.
Isabela is now a sophomore at UNC and
is studying psychology. She is still in
touch with her Dream Team advisor
today. Many of their conversations are
spent discussing finances and how to
manage her money long term.
Mateo
Mateo was a bright, but lazy student. He
toyed with the idea of applying to
college but wasn’t serious until his
Dream Team advisor told him he would
need better grades and a good ACT
score to be admitted. That was just the
encouragement he needed. Mateo
buckled down in school.
On the morning of the ACT test, Mateo
walked 2 ½ miles to the testing location
because he had no other form of
transportation. When he returned
home, his father was angry that he’d
been out for so long and promptly
kicked him out of the house. Mateo
tried to explain, but his father wouldn’t
speak to him. It was October of his
senior year and he was homeless.
Eventually, Mateo’s father agreed to his
return home, but only if he paid $100
rent per month. His advisor gave him gift
certificates for during the time he was
homeless and job hunting advice. Mateo
applied for every college scholarship he
could find. He was a strong writer and
one of the application questions asked
him to write about an experience or a
person in his life who had taught him a
lesson. Mateo wrote about his father.
He wrote that his father had never taken
him to the park, never given him a hug,
never once said “I love you.” That essay
helped him win a Daniels Fund
Scholarship. Mateo is the first in his
family to attend college. Now a
sophomore at University of Colorado
Boulder, he is studying psychology.
Zoe
Zoe came from a family of five children.
Zoe’s mother came to the U.S. from
Mexico without documentation. The
family struggled with health problems,
transportation and finding a stable living
situation. Zoe’s mother found a lump in
her breast, but had difficulty finding
treatment due to her undocumented
status.
Zoe had been an ETS student since sixth
grade, but missed most of her 9th
grade
school year due to thyroid problems.
She looked up to her older sister, who
maintained stellar grades throughout
high school, also participated in Dream
Team programs, and who became a
semi-finalist for a full-ride scholarship
opportunity. When Zoe’s sister
appeared at her interview, however,
she was visibly pregnant. The
scholarship committee turned her
down, afraid that the pregnancy would
derail the girl’s college career.
Inspired by her sister’s story and with
support from her Dream Team advisor,
Zoe became a semi-finalist, finalist, and
then winner of a Daniels Fund
scholarship. Zoe’s scholarship provides a
full ride for four years to any in-state
college or university. Zoe chose
Colorado State University and is
currently a junior majoring in human
services.
Over the past 28 years, like our students, The Greeley Dream Team has pursued a steady path to success,
surpassing expectations. We are inspired every day by the stories of our students’ lives, and the personal strengths
they bring to the process of growing up. For example: