Bringing Communities Together.
One San Diego and the Dream Support Network partnered to bring Ice Cream for a Dream to over 300 elementary schoolchildren in San Diego at Webster Elementary School, located in Southeastern San Diego. Ice Cream for a Dream is a national community initiative that uses ice cream as a motivational tool to encourage communities to share their dreams and make them a reality.
The schoolchildren shared their dreams of becoming teachers, doctors and lawyers with dozens of caring adults ranging from school administrators, faculty and their families, in exchange for a cool, sweet treat.
One San Diego is especially proud of Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s participation in the Ice Cream for a Dream initiative. He, along with Webster Elementary School Principal Carmi Storm teamed up to both host and handout ice cream to the schoolchildren. One child was particularly excited to see the mayor and shared that she wanted to be Mayor of San Diego!
Mayor Faulconer had always wanted to make an investment in community improvement, education and expanding opportunities for everyone. This motivated him and First Lady Katherine Stuart to launch One San Diego, a 501(c) 3 non-profit dedicated to promoting equal access to economic prosperity, safe and vibrant communities and an enhanced quality of life that ensures every San Diegan has the opportunity to succeed.
The importance of dreaming and working together in our communities to make these dreams a reality serves as the fabric that brings our diverse communities together here in San Diego. For many, elementary school is when we begin to formulate our dreams and as we get older – we run the risk of giving up on those dreams and by default – ourselves. Fortunately, we can draw upon several instances in our history as Americans when dreams that seemed beyond reach actually served as catalysts to bring about important changes to our communities.
This initiative is especially significant when we think about the transformational role that dreams have played in our history as Americans. In August 1963, a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr. shared his dream of equality with over 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial on a hot, summer day in our nation’s capital. In his “I Have a Dream” speech, Dr. King’s words changed attitudes and laws to ensure that life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, as our forefathers declared in our constitution, is a right for all.
We as caring members of San Diego must work to prevent our youth from giving up on their dreams. It is why One San Diego works tirelessly to raise funds for its Youth Opportunity Priority- an initiative focused on supporting enhanced afterschool programs, job readiness and skills training and college access education. It is through these types of efforts that we not only keep our dreams alive – we turn them into a reality for all.
Through its work, One San Diego seeks to support the organization of the Mayor’s Office and City, engage neighborhoods through collaboration and community involvement, and better connect San Diegans with local leaders to build more communities that are resilient. For more information or to volunteer email Barbara Ybarra at barbara@1sandiego.org
