Abstract
The I Have a Dream (IHAD) program provides financial, academic, and social support to randomly selected classes of youth throughout the country. Each program is sponsored by a philanthropist who becomes personally involved with the youth he or she supports. This personalized philanthropic approach aims to forge relationships that bridge social class as well as racial and ethnic divides. When such bridges are built, proponents argue, the impact on both those who receive support and those who provide it can be substantial. Drawing on a 3-year study of IHAD, this study investigates whether such bridges can be built, the factors that enable and constrain these efforts, and the significance of philanthropists' personal involvement for themselves and for those they are trying to both know and help.
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