Lead Story
Dream Center Helps People Do Just That: Dream
It may sound like a sleep disorder clinic, but the Peoria Dream Center’s mission is to help people in need realize their dreams. Whether a dream is as simple as a meal for the day or as complex as starting down the path of a new and better life, the Dream Center offers hope.
The non-profit organization is relatively new to the area, according to Peoria Dream Center Director Steph Walsh. "The idea for the Peoria Dream Center first came from Pastor John King of Riverside Community Church after he visited the Dream Center in Los Angeles in 2002. He saw what a tremendous effect they were having revitalizing a run-down neighborhood by implementing a few simple programs. Upon returning to Peoria, he realized there were many neighborhoods right here in our hometown that needed similar help."
Indeed. According to Dream Center literature, "The child poverty rate is 50 percent higher in Peoria than in any other city in the state, and Peoria is recognized as one of the most racially segregated communities in the nation. The purpose of the Dream Center is to give the people of Peoria the freedom to dream again by working to meet a person’s needs. The Dream Center works in conjunction with other not-for-profit resource agencies in the city to provide physical, emotional, and psychological assistance to those seeking help."
Initially, she said, the concept of the Peoria Dream Center involved the unified efforts of several Peoria area churches: First United Methodist on Hamilton, Riverside Community Church, and Christian Family Life Center. "The three churches worked together to build a foundation and framework for a successful community outreach."
In a matter of two years, the Dream Center has put together an impressive collection of programs. Adopt-A-Block, the largest service provided by the organization, is an activity wherein a team of 60 to 80 volunteers go to 25 "adopted" neighborhoods on the North side of Peoria every Saturday for two hours. Residents on each adopted block are visited by volunteers who pick up trash in the neighborhoods, build relationships, and do small service projects for the residents.
The Dream Center has hosted two block parties at Morton Square Park for residents in the surrounding area, with average attendance of more than 200 people. Volunteers grilled out, and clothing was distributed.
On Friday evenings, the Dream Center hosts a special children’s program, Friday Night Lite, as an alternative for the children of Taft Homes. A hot meal is served, and a team of volunteers puts on a program for the children.
Every Thursday morning during Ladies Day Break, area women have an opportunity to come together, make friends, and learn basic life skills such as sewing, cooking, budgeting, personal finance, and health and beauty. Many times, the participants make something they can take home.
New Beginnings was created to bring help and hope to people who struggle to provide the essentials of life for themselves and their children. The program provides furniture, beds, appliances, clothing, baby items, and more.
In August, the Dream Center distributes more than 1,500 backpacks filled with all of the district-required school supplies to children returning to school through a program called Backpack Peoria.
Walsh said the majority of the programs were developed in response to needs evident in the community. "Because we believe in networking with other not-for-profits, we try to understand what each group is doing. This has been helpful in preventing duplication of services. However, with the great needs in Peoria, sometimes duplication isn’t all negative, as long as you can work together. We know the Dream Center is never going to be able to meet all the needs that may arise by ourselves. Besides, why should we repeat a successful service being offered by another agency? We actively work to be up to date on services offered in the community. After being around for more than a year, the community has now heard of us, and we often receive phone calls from individuals and other agencies seeking to find out more about us."
The Dream Center’s many programs require a large cadre of volunteers, and Walsh said currently there are more than 100 regulars. "Most of our volunteers are recruited by people already volunteering for our programs. Helping people is contagious. Once a volunteer gets involved, he usually wants to share the joy helping others brings with the people in his life. However, we’re constantly looking for more people to get involved. The more volunteers we have, the more lives we can change."
The organization’s success so far is astounding. Walsh said there are more inspiring stories than she can count, but a few stand out in her mind. "We first met ’Bill’ on Adopt-a-Block. Bill is a single dad raising two teenage children. After talking with him a few times, we learned Bill had serious debt, and his house was in danger of foreclosure. In addition to money issues, Bill was also at risk of losing his driver’s license due to a DUI he’d had. Bill realized he needed help, and he willingly worked with a counselor to help reduce his debt and deal with his legal problems. Today, Bill is still working through some of his issues, but every time I see him, he has a smile on his face. His life has found purpose, again.
"’Jenny’ lives in Taft Homes with her two young sons. She’s able to pay the bills due to a disability check she receives for her oldest son. When we first met Jenny, her boyfriend was living in her apartment with her. While he benefited from the shelter and food, he didn’t help pay any of the bills. Still, Jenny’s biggest goal was to have a baby girl with this man. Jenny started attending our women’s classes on Thursday mornings. While learning how to cook, sew, and paint nails, Jenny became friends with the ladies who run the class. Jenny opened up about her boyfriend and her desire to have another baby. As the ladies became friends, they began to help Jenny see she should decide what she wanted to do with her life. They told Jenny she could be someone and do something, and just because she was born and raised in Taft Homes didn’t mean she had to stay there.
"Jenny has since kicked out her boyfriend, and she’s making decisions about what she wants to do in the future. She’s learning what it means to dream."
While ecstatic with their current success, Walsh said the Dream Center has lofty goals. "In the future, we want to have a building where people can go to get the basic skills they need to improve their life. We would offer English as a second language classes, tutoring classes, job training, drug/alcohol rehab, parenting classes, etc. We’d like to continue to serve the near North side area and, eventually, expand to other areas in Peoria."
As with most not-for-profits, there are many daily highs and lows. "The best part of my job is really being able to help people who feel like society has cast them out," Walsh said. "The most difficult part of my job is trying to help people who don’t want to change."
She said the simple goal of the Dream Center-giving people the freedom to dream again-is attainable through community participation. "If you’re looking for an exciting place to get involved where you can really help people, we have a place for you." TPW
The non-profit organization is relatively new to the area, according to Peoria Dream Center Director Steph Walsh. "The idea for the Peoria Dream Center first came from Pastor John King of Riverside Community Church after he visited the Dream Center in Los Angeles in 2002. He saw what a tremendous effect they were having revitalizing a run-down neighborhood by implementing a few simple programs. Upon returning to Peoria, he realized there were many neighborhoods right here in our hometown that needed similar help."
Indeed. According to Dream Center literature, "The child poverty rate is 50 percent higher in Peoria than in any other city in the state, and Peoria is recognized as one of the most racially segregated communities in the nation. The purpose of the Dream Center is to give the people of Peoria the freedom to dream again by working to meet a person’s needs. The Dream Center works in conjunction with other not-for-profit resource agencies in the city to provide physical, emotional, and psychological assistance to those seeking help."
Initially, she said, the concept of the Peoria Dream Center involved the unified efforts of several Peoria area churches: First United Methodist on Hamilton, Riverside Community Church, and Christian Family Life Center. "The three churches worked together to build a foundation and framework for a successful community outreach."
In a matter of two years, the Dream Center has put together an impressive collection of programs. Adopt-A-Block, the largest service provided by the organization, is an activity wherein a team of 60 to 80 volunteers go to 25 "adopted" neighborhoods on the North side of Peoria every Saturday for two hours. Residents on each adopted block are visited by volunteers who pick up trash in the neighborhoods, build relationships, and do small service projects for the residents.
The Dream Center has hosted two block parties at Morton Square Park for residents in the surrounding area, with average attendance of more than 200 people. Volunteers grilled out, and clothing was distributed.
On Friday evenings, the Dream Center hosts a special children’s program, Friday Night Lite, as an alternative for the children of Taft Homes. A hot meal is served, and a team of volunteers puts on a program for the children.
Every Thursday morning during Ladies Day Break, area women have an opportunity to come together, make friends, and learn basic life skills such as sewing, cooking, budgeting, personal finance, and health and beauty. Many times, the participants make something they can take home.
New Beginnings was created to bring help and hope to people who struggle to provide the essentials of life for themselves and their children. The program provides furniture, beds, appliances, clothing, baby items, and more.
In August, the Dream Center distributes more than 1,500 backpacks filled with all of the district-required school supplies to children returning to school through a program called Backpack Peoria.
Walsh said the majority of the programs were developed in response to needs evident in the community. "Because we believe in networking with other not-for-profits, we try to understand what each group is doing. This has been helpful in preventing duplication of services. However, with the great needs in Peoria, sometimes duplication isn’t all negative, as long as you can work together. We know the Dream Center is never going to be able to meet all the needs that may arise by ourselves. Besides, why should we repeat a successful service being offered by another agency? We actively work to be up to date on services offered in the community. After being around for more than a year, the community has now heard of us, and we often receive phone calls from individuals and other agencies seeking to find out more about us."
The Dream Center’s many programs require a large cadre of volunteers, and Walsh said currently there are more than 100 regulars. "Most of our volunteers are recruited by people already volunteering for our programs. Helping people is contagious. Once a volunteer gets involved, he usually wants to share the joy helping others brings with the people in his life. However, we’re constantly looking for more people to get involved. The more volunteers we have, the more lives we can change."
The organization’s success so far is astounding. Walsh said there are more inspiring stories than she can count, but a few stand out in her mind. "We first met ’Bill’ on Adopt-a-Block. Bill is a single dad raising two teenage children. After talking with him a few times, we learned Bill had serious debt, and his house was in danger of foreclosure. In addition to money issues, Bill was also at risk of losing his driver’s license due to a DUI he’d had. Bill realized he needed help, and he willingly worked with a counselor to help reduce his debt and deal with his legal problems. Today, Bill is still working through some of his issues, but every time I see him, he has a smile on his face. His life has found purpose, again.
"’Jenny’ lives in Taft Homes with her two young sons. She’s able to pay the bills due to a disability check she receives for her oldest son. When we first met Jenny, her boyfriend was living in her apartment with her. While he benefited from the shelter and food, he didn’t help pay any of the bills. Still, Jenny’s biggest goal was to have a baby girl with this man. Jenny started attending our women’s classes on Thursday mornings. While learning how to cook, sew, and paint nails, Jenny became friends with the ladies who run the class. Jenny opened up about her boyfriend and her desire to have another baby. As the ladies became friends, they began to help Jenny see she should decide what she wanted to do with her life. They told Jenny she could be someone and do something, and just because she was born and raised in Taft Homes didn’t mean she had to stay there.
"Jenny has since kicked out her boyfriend, and she’s making decisions about what she wants to do in the future. She’s learning what it means to dream."
While ecstatic with their current success, Walsh said the Dream Center has lofty goals. "In the future, we want to have a building where people can go to get the basic skills they need to improve their life. We would offer English as a second language classes, tutoring classes, job training, drug/alcohol rehab, parenting classes, etc. We’d like to continue to serve the near North side area and, eventually, expand to other areas in Peoria."
As with most not-for-profits, there are many daily highs and lows. "The best part of my job is really being able to help people who feel like society has cast them out," Walsh said. "The most difficult part of my job is trying to help people who don’t want to change."
She said the simple goal of the Dream Center-giving people the freedom to dream again-is attainable through community participation. "If you’re looking for an exciting place to get involved where you can really help people, we have a place for you." TPW