This Dream Center's Bold New Plan for Transforming Lives

The Dream Center Los Angeles is known for its ministry to homeless youths, veterans, and sex trafficking victims, but now the foundation behind this organization is taking on a new humanitarian venture---education. 

The Dream Center Foundation will acquire the Education Management Corporation, one of the largest providers of post-secondary education in the United States. 

So, what is their plan?

The foundation will be converting the schools into not-for-profit institutions and will invest a percentage of the revenue back into the charitable programs supported by the Dream Center Foundation. 

"Education is inherently humanitarian. Nothing betters the life of an individual more quickly than affordable, accessible and quality education," said Brent Richardson, CEO and Co-Chairman Dream Center Education Holdings. "We look forward to taking these institutions to higher heights while simultaneously expanding their humanitarian reach."

Although the opportunity to serve through education is not new for the foundation, it was only three short years ago that they made the decision to get into higher education.

"Education has always been at the heart of the Dream Center Foundation's mission," said Randy Barton, the Executive Chairman of Dream Center Education Holdings. "While the Dream Center will continue to operate these institutions as they have operated, we will bring to them an expanded vision; they will be community-focused, not-for-profit institutions coupling their quality programs with a humanitarian culture that values social responsibility."

"We want to use the 60-some campuses we will be acquiring...to do community outreach programs,"  Barton told CBN News. "As a for-profit enterprise, these campuses are not focused on serving their community". 

The new program will expand GED training on each campus as well as offer the graduates, staff, and volunteers of the Dream Centers around the U.S. the opportunity take online courses.  

"There's a lot synergy both direct and indirect," Barton said. 

He explained that being a not-for-profit institution will open the door for more scholarship and grants for students. 

"There will be a lot of new resources that will be opened up," he said. "We're all about investing back into the community that we serve."