THE NEW AMERICAN DREAM FOUNDATION INC

The New American Dream Foundation is a vehicle to create meaningful change for generations of immigrants to come:

EDUCATION
Providing Scholarships Through the American Dream Awards
Since 2016, The New American Dream Foundation, in the area of education with the generous support of its donors, has provided over $68,000 in scholarships to immigrant students, and financial incentives to Immigrant parents, immigrant veterans, and local organizations in the Fairfield County area through the American Dream Awards Gala.

HEALTH
Supporting Mission Health Day Event in Danbury
Mission Health Day is an event that provides the uninsured, and underinsured with essential health screenings, and services free of charge, no questions asked. Since 2016 TNADF has reverted proceeds from ticket sales of its annual American Dream Awards Gala as a donation towards defraying some of the cost of Mission Health Day. To the present time, TNADF has donated $89,800 towards Mission Health Day.

Addressing Food Insecurity - Covid-19 Hot Meals Program
In light of the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on families in the Danbury area, The New American Dream Foundation postponed its annual scholarship gala in 2020 and placed all of its efforts on supporting the immediate needs of the community as we fight the virus.

The TNADF COVID-19 Hot Meal Program for children and families served nearly 8,000 meals from April 13 through June 13, 2020, the end of the academic year in the Danbury area. It raised over $60,000 through small online contributions from individuals and grants from local corporations, financial institutions, and foundations such as Linde, the RobyDodd Family Charitable Foundation, Inc., and Union Savings Bank.

Over the summer, the foundation shifted the focus of the meal program to support older adults and special needs adults living in the Danbury area by providing 500 meals during July, thanks to Union Savings Bank and Savings Bank's generosity in Danbury.

Committed to continuing the seniors' COVID-19 Hot Meal program, TNADF, with the support of The United Way of Western CT, began a monthly delivery schedule in August, surpassing the 11,500 meals purchased from the Amber Room Colonnade and served by over 30 local volunteers.

In the Fall and Winter, with the support of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation in the form of a $10,000 grant to help communities affected by COVID-19, and of the CT Health Foundation, TNADF was able to add 150 residents of Danbury Commons to the meal program and provided 650 special holiday meals during Thanksgiving and Christmas.

With the continued generosity of our business community and private donors, the number of meals delivered, from the beginning of the pandemic thru October 2022, has surpassed 35,000.

The hot meals are delivered to all 650 residents at:

-Palace View, 132 Main Street, Danbury
-Kimberly Place, 19 Main Street, Danbury
-Danbury Towers, 40 Williams Street, Danbury
-Bishop Curtis/Augustana Homes, 88 Main Street, Danbury
- Putnam Towers, 25 Beaver Street, Danbury
- Glen Apartments, 25 Memorial Drive, Danbury
- Crosby Manor, 84 West Wooster Street, Danbury
- Danbury Commons, 51 Main Street, Danbury
TNADF also supported the Danbury Senior Center and the Bethel Senior Center with emergency meals.

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to impact Connecticut, many older residents around the state are feeling scared, confused, and isolated. Our program provides hope, a warm meal, and safe human contact to the most vulnerable seniors in our community.

TNADF will continue to look for funding opportunities to extend the Hot Meals program in 2022, and for as long as our seniors need it.
More information is available on our website: https://www.thenewamericandreamfoundation.org/

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
Most Americans are immigrants or descended from immigrants who sought opportunity and freedom on our shores. They and their children worked hard, assimilated, and added to our nation’s prosperity. Immigrants of past generations have paved the way for immigrants of today. Although the paths they have taken to reach our country may differ, they share a common goal – Love for this country.

Our foundation created The New American Dream Center to support that common goal.
The New American Dream Center is an in-person resource center to guide and support new immigrants who dream of becoming American citizens. From the moment they arrive in our community to the moment they become eligible for citizenship.

The center will run two programs, Newcomers and New Americans.

In our newcomer’s program, connecting immigrants with existing resources in our community through partnerships with local organizations, streamlining their access to these resources by helping them gather all the appropriate paperwork and documents they need to access health care, education, and other services.
We will also provide a guide with crucial state laws and municipal ordinances, available in multiple languages in addition to workshops, in partnership with several City departments to help them understand what they should know about living in our community.

In our New Americans program, we will support immigrants eligible for citizenship by removing the financial barriers to the application process with grants for low-income families to cover the application fees. We are also working on acquiring U.S. Department of Justice recognition and accreditation that would allow our team to provide direct legal assistance to those seeking citizenship status.

The goal of the center is to create equitable access to the resources we have available in our community to all immigrants and assist those eligible to achieve the ultimate American dream – Citizenship.