The “I Have a Dream”® Foundation – Los Angeles’ “Dream Keeper Awards” At 11th Annual Gospel Brunch March 1, 2009

Keke Palmer, Actress/Recording Artist and star of Nickelodeon’s “True Jackson, VP,” along with Carla Christofferson, managing partner of O’Melveny & Myers LLP and owner of the Los Angeles Sparks, and Matt Johnson, partner at Ziffren Brittenham will be honored with the Dream Keeper Award at the 11th Annual “I Have a Dream”® Foundation - Los Angeles’s Gospel Brunch on Sunday, March 1st in honor of their devotion to education.

Nely Galan will host the brunch which includes presentations by Michael Cooper, head coach of the Los Angeles Sparks and actor Michael Keaton. In addition, Dreamers, students served by the Foundation, will be in attendance for live gospel music and a fabulous Southern-style buffet at the Sunset Strip House of Blues.

The Dream Keeper Award is presented annually to members of the community who share the foundation’s vision of a strong commitment to mentor and foster the academic development and aspirations of children in Los Angeles. The recipients of the Dream Keeper Awards are celebrated, as well as honors the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose words inspired the “I Have a Dream”® movement.

“We are excited to present the 2009 Dream Keeper Award to Keke Palmer, Carla Christofferson, and Matt Johnson for their extraordinary endeavors to improve our children’s education,” said Wendy Free, Executive Director, “I Have a Dream”® Foundation Los Angeles. “All three recipients embody what it takes to be a ‘Dream Keeper,’ giving back to our community today to ensure that our children will feel empowered to make a remarkable change in the world tomorrow.”

The “I Have a Dream”® Foundation - Los Angeles, founded in 1987, has helped to fulfill the academic dreams of nearly 1000 Dreamers in the Los Angeles area. “I Have a Dream” selects an entire first grade class in an area of the city where the dropout rate approaches 60% and provides that class with free, year-round programs, services and individualized case management for 12 consecutive years until high school graduation. Dreamers stay in school and graduate high school at twice the rate of other students in Los Angeles’s public schools. After graduation each Dreamer receives a college scholarship.

Official Website: http://www.ihadla.org/