SILVER SPRING, Md. — The U.S. Dream Academy, based in Silver Spring, was in for a big surprise when Oprah Winfrey opened her wallet to celebrate their milestone of 25 years.
Founded in 1998 by Grammy-nominated singer Wintley Phipps, the national after-school program has a mission to inspire, as well as invest, in children of incarcerated parents and families in communities harmed by systematic inequalities.
To mark its 25th anniversary, the nonprofit held a "Power of A Dream" celebration, which welcomed 400 supporters on Monday at the Museum of the Bible in D.C.
For the event they had a fundraising goal of $3.5 million to continue its programs and outreach. During the event, guests found themselves in for a shock when Oprah Winfrey appeared before them in a video message praising the organization. But, in Oprah style, she ended with a jaw dropper by pledging a $2.5 million donation.
“Education is one of the forces that helped me be who I am in the world today. I’m a believer in helping children be the best that they can be, as this Academy has done for a quarter of a century,” Winfrey said in the video message.
The gift is in line with the two decades of support from Oprah to the academy, who has donated over $10 million to support the mission.
“The U.S. Dream Academy is so blessed to consider Oprah Winfrey as our biggest champion and supporter over the course of these 25 years,” Dr. Phipps, U.S. Dream Academy Founder and CEO said. “Words cannot express our deep gratitude to Oprah as we celebrate our 25th anniversary. This donation will be life-changing to so many more kids who will benefit from our after-school and mentoring programs."
The U.S. Dream Academy said they were able to not only meet their goal, but exceed it with the help of Oprah, their corporate sponsors, and many individual donors.