Basked in the summer sun off the fertile banks of the Mississippi, deep in the humidity of the south, in a city where so many dreams have been made, yet also so many more haven't been realized and may never be.

A dream perchance gives hope and hope is eternal. Here where natural disasters ebbs and flows with the tide, hope is a savior for so many. And so many have we given hope to this summer in New Orleans. 

Dreams cannot be measured, hope cannot be quantitative. It is the little things that come about from just a small dose of care, love and support that are unseen and  seem in sequential to us all as they hold no value to those that live at and above the means.

Changes in life start in small steps at young ages when the minds are still developing, unnoticed by us outside but only noticed by the ones that live day by day and truly care about these young formative dreamers of hope.

Change a life, change a destiny. We are very fortunate to enable those life changers to make their way, their difference and provide a platform, an opportunity to make a difference.

There are boys here that can't  hold their focus for 5 minutes in a organized classroom, boys that can't add subtract read but street smart way beyond their ages, boys that can read, do algebra, academically blessed  but are not street smart at all. Both types of boys suffer in their home environments to succeed and go beyond their self imposed limits to settle for failure in our eyes but survival in theirs.

Boys that live in distress, struggle for daily essentials we would not think about. Boys that have had their own brother and family members shot and killed for no reason by  random drive-bys, not questioning nor complaining  about it but accepting it as part of life like the rain and weather.

A few weeks of love, support and a bond of brotherhood with themselves in a structured volunteer small team of 25 or so form a pack of brothers that carry the bond of being able to see the light, see a dream and surrounded by a few men and women from their own community that led them from within, alongside, behind to inspire, to show them and to relate to them that we on the outside cannot do, not even for a day. A trust of fellowship we don't have and a respect nor true understanding of each of the boys’ symptoms, attitudes, personalities, strengths and weaknesses.

These young dreamers who have dared to dream this summer in Tulane leave the program, the structure, the discipline, the vision of what they saw to go back to their parish their ward, their social network of what they were taken out of. But they go back with the knowledge, the confidence that they have seen another way. They go back to know their student athletes from Tulane that they can watch develop and can come back too in their own community of New Orleans. They go back knowing that the same teachers that were with them in Tulane are with them at School to be there for them. They go back with the great memories forever imprinted in their minds that Tulane is a great place.

They go back with better skills to cope with their situation, better academic skills and learning techniques, better bonds with each other and a better chance to succeed to make their dreams come true. And they certainly go back with exceptional football skills to enable them to use the sport on their upward climb.

No matter how small or how big their dreams are, they can believe, they can make the first steps and begin to break with the self imposed limitations they and their environment puts on them.

The National Football League, and The Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints can be proud of this program which they support with us, as the venue of full contact 11 man on 11 man football was the catalyst, the passion that drove these young boys to be placed and freely participate in a environment that changed   their community now and in the future for the better. They love and cherish the game of football and football has been great to them.

We thank them, the University of Tulane, its President Scott Cowan and its Athletic Director Rick Dickson for their enduring support and belief of this program that made their dream makers dreamers and their University better.

The credit of making it happen goes to the Dream makers;

12 Student Athletes on scholarship from Tulane University

6 public school teachers from the Jefferson parish and the 9th ward of New Orleans

4 staff from the Tulane Athletic Department.

1 National Staff

100 or so 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade boys from the rough neighborhoods in Jefferson Parish and the 9th Ward.

Our Field of Dreams this summer is a patch of 120 yards of synthetic astro turf, 4 class rooms, a dining hall and the campus of Tulane University located in the City of New Orleans.

We have built it, they have come.

Riki