Dream Keepers Foundation to host inaugural gala Sept. 28

In just over a year, a new nonprofit focusing on the needs of Kent and Sussex countians has exposed youth to career opportunities, and provided comfort and support to the vulnerable.

The Dream Keepers Foundation was chartered in August 2023 to serve as a philanthropic assist of the Dover Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, which formed in 1956 to serve Kent and Sussex counties, said foundation president and founder Cliff Howell.

“So we’ve got that 68-year legacy of service to Kent and Sussex counties which has enabled us to make an impact in a short period of time,” he said.

The foundation focuses on providing youth mentoring and scholarship programs, working with women fleeing domestic violence and serving the aging population, he said.

So far, he said, the group held a coat drive for mothers and children in domestic violence shelters and provided a Christmas dinner box giveaway. 

With the Dream 13 Kappa League, the group took 20 middle and high school students to visit National Basketball Association headquarters to meet Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum and learn about the business side of sports entertainment, he said.

The Dream 13 Kappa League is a national, evidence-based model created by Kappa Alpha Psi and is the oldest mentoring program in the country with chapters nationwide, Howell said. Local chapters have licensure to operate such programs, Howell said, making the partnership particularly valuable and giving youth access to hundreds of professionals and career opportunities.

Howell, a 1995 Cape High grad, said Dream Keepers Foundation is a completely volunteer-run organization with deep Cape Region roots. Former Lewes mayor and Cape district educator George H.P. Smith was a charter member of the Dover chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi, he said, and 1999 Cape High grad Malik Lopez is an associate board member of the foundation.

Even though he now lives in New Castle County, Howell said it’s important to focus on Kent and Sussex counties, which are underserved in comparison. He said his philanthropic focus formed at age 10, when West Side New Beginnings founders Diaz Bonville and Brenda Milbourne took him on a college tour with high school students and exposed him to the importance of mentoring and community service.

“I saw there is a responsibility to give back to the people and the communities that produced you,” he said.

Dream Keepers Foundation is now gearing up its inaugural Black Tie Scholarship Gala to raise scholarship funds for high school seniors who have enrolled at an accredited institution of higher learning; college students matriculating at four-year institutions; and students attending trade schools or licensed certificate programs.

Howell said he expects more than 500 guests at the event, which will also recognize Delawareans who have provided community service throughout Kent and Sussex counties. Cape Region honorees are Bill Collick and Dana Paskins, he said.

The Black Tie Scholarship Gala will be held Saturday, Sept. 28 at Bally’s Casino & Resort, Dover. The event begins with a red-carpet arrival social hour at 4:30 p.m., followed by dinner and presentation of Community Excellence awards at 6 p.m. Best Kept Soul will kick off the live concert at 8:45 p.m.

“I’m very excited about what we’re going to continue to do this year,” Howell said.

Tickets are $125, and sponsorships ranging from $1,500 to $30,000 are still available. Email Howell at president@dkfi.org and go to dkfi.org for more information.