During an event commemorating the nonprofit’s 25th anniversary, Oprah Winfrey stunned the Silver Spring-based US Dream Academy with a $2.5 million grant.
When she appeared on a video message complimenting the work of the team and founder and CEO Dr. Wintley Phipps, the media mogul stunned the crowd of roughly 400 supporters assembled Monday for the group’s “Power of A Dream” celebration.
Winfrey concluded the video with a $2.5 million gift pledge. Her most recent act of kindness builds on more than two decades of support, during which she has donated more than $10 million to The U.S. Dream Academy’s purpose.
“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,” said Oprah Winfrey in the video message.
“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,” said Phipps. “This donation will be life-changing to so many more kids who will benefit from our afterschool and mentoring programs.”
The group raised a total of $3.5 million. The United States Dream Academy, created in 1998, offers afterschool and mentoring programs to children of incarcerated parents.
Dream Centers can be found in Baltimore, Houston, Orlando, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, Washington, D.C., and almost everywhere else.