DREAAM Center partners with Cunningham Children's Home to expand services

URBANA, Ill. (WAND) — DREAAM (Driven to Reach Excellence and Academic Achievement for Males) is partnering with Cunningham Children's Home to expand programming for youth across the Champaign-Urbana area and Rantoul.

DREAAM will occupy two buildings on Cunningham's 37-acre campus — a school building and a recreational building — to house new and expanded programs for the more than 450 children the organization serves each year.

"We were spread out and we were in churches in Champaign primarily ... but now we can consolidate all of our programs here on campus and continue to expand and grow," said DREAAM Founder and Chief Executive Officer Tracy Dace. "When you are serving over 450 children each year, you need more space."

Dace said the new campus is intended to serve as a hub for youth from Champaign, Urbana and Rantoul, with plans to bring young people to the site by bus and on foot. DREAAM will host programs at the two buildings and utilize the outdoor space.

"We would have robotics teams, we would also create indoor gardens so that young people learn how to grow food, and we will also have other leadership clubs and academic clubs here in the school building," Dace said. "We plan to develop an esports lab ... also a music and media lab."

Cunningham Children's Home, which has operated for 130 years, provides a range of services including a therapeutic day school and residential services. President and CEO Marlin Livingston said the two organizations share a common focus on helping children thrive.

"It's a perfect partnership for us," Livingston said. "We were looking to partner with someone with like-minded vision and mission, and that's really to help children thrive and young folks thrive. That's the language that DREAAM has, as well as what we have."

Livingston said the partnership reflects a broader need for community organizations to work together. He sees the strength in the two organizations learning from each other and sharing resources.

DREAAM serves boys ages three through 24 through several academies, including an afterschool academy, summer academy, parent academy and workforce academy.

"These spaces are here for them," Dace said. "And we want them to feel like they can come here and feel safe and feel heard and also feel like this is a part of their community."

To learn more about DREAAM, click here. For more information about Cunningham Children's Home, click here.