Driving The Dream welcomes three new partners in May: Bodine School, Libertas School of Memphis, and Tennessee Voices. 

The Erika Center at Bodine School joined the network as a Tier 3 outreach and education partner. The mission of the Erika Center is to provide individuals with dyslexia and the Mid-South community with practical resources to transform and empower. 

When asked about why they decided to join Driving The Dream, Gay Landaiche, Director of The Erika Center at Bodine, said, “The Erika Center at Bodine School wanted to be a part of the Driving The Dream initiative as the Mid-South’s leading expert in providing resources, services, and in promoting awareness of dyslexia.” As this partnership expands, Driving The Dream hopes to collaborate with The Erika Center at Bodine School to offer dyslexia training and screenings through community partnerships and events.

The Driving The Dream network expanded with another education partner, Libertas School of Memphis. Libertas is a school for human flourishing: cultivating the minds, hands, and hearts of children in Memphis for lives of wonder, work, and love, and it offers personalized education for students. It is a charter school serving the Frayser neighborhood and is the only public charter school in the state to provide Montessori education.

Jordan Schatz, Family Engagement Coordinator, shared that the main reason the school sought a partnership with Driving The Dream is “to give our families more access to resources than what we currently have for them here in the community. ” Jordan and the rest of the staff are eager to begin using CaseWorthy to begin accessing services and connecting their students and families to the programs and services available through the Driving The Dream network.

Lastly, Tennessee Voices, formerly known as Tennessee Voices for Children, joined the network as a family social support provider. The staff and leadership provided this statement.

“As the collaborative leader guiding mental health transformation in our state, TN Voices is a proud participant in United Way’s Driving The Dream initiative. We believe that, in order to serve all Tennesseans, it is imperative that we coordinate with and support other agencies which share our mission. Together, we can create a state in which all people have equitable access to resources and needed support. It is an honor to participate in this program with our colleagues and work together with them to build a better tomorrow for those in need of the services both of our organizations provide.”

Driving The Dream is excited about the growth and partner expansion experienced over the last month. Our new partners are eager to jump in and begin actively engaging with the network and participating in the referral process.