On Saturday, hundreds of friends and supporters enjoyed the 20th annual A Better Chance of Westport Dream Event.
Among the highlights: heartfelt speeches by 3 alums, on the impact the program — which brings young men of color from underserved communities to Staples High School — has had on them.
Earlier in the day, nearly a dozen grads from the past 20 years returned to Glendarcy House, where the current scholars live. They met with the teens, and executive directors Dale Mauldin and Daniele Dickerson.
Dale and Daniele have taken ABC to a new level. Serving in multi-faceted roles — “house parents,” mentors, role models, confidantes and friends — they help the ABC scholars adapt to life in an unfamiliar town, and a challenging high school.
They (and their young daughter Sage) have created a safe, loving environment. The other day, Dale and Daniele joined me at the Westport Library, for a very interesting and insightful podcast.
They talked about the journey that brought them to Westport (spoiler alert: Daniele was part of the Ridgefield ABC program in high school); the challenges of “parenting” a house full of teenage boys, and the importance of A Better Chance — not just to the scholars, but to the town of Westport.
Click below, for an engaging and informative half hour.
