The BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Awards 6 Scholarships and Announces June and July free visits by the BMOA Wheels of Dreams Bus to Atlanta Fulton County Library
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The BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation is helping to address the challenging issues of providing relevant programs and positive role models for “at-risk” high school students with Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Program and the Wheels of Dreams Bus Program. More than 7,000 students have participated in the unique Wheels of Dreams programs and have discovered pathways to their dreams of becoming an entrepreneur, going to college and becoming community volunteers.  

The Wheels of Dreams is a free, innovative and exciting supplemental educational program that provides low-income, at-risk and underserved students experiences in areas that include; entrepreneur ideas, mentors, computer skills, job, career, money management, healthy eating tips, exercise hints and civic responsibility lessons.

The mission of the Atlanta Region Black McDonald’s Operators Association, BMOA, is to provide entrepreneur education, mentors and civic responsibility lessons to help youth push back the negative influences of gangs, drugs and violence. The Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation was founded by the 30 members of the BMOA in 2003.

The Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation, Inc. is non-profit certified 501 (c)-3 organization and sponsors the Wheels of Dreams Bus.

The BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation congratulates the six students who are the awardees of the BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation 2008 College Scholarships. The following six students will receive a four year $1,000 a year college scholarship as part of the long standing commitment to education by the BMOA.

The students received the scholarships by attending programs on the Wheels of Dreams Bus, school grades, financial circumstances, personal achievements, community involvement and civic responsibility. This is the second year; six BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Scholarships have been awarded.

The 2008 BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation College Scholarship awardees from Benjamin Banneker High School are Jasmine Allen, Carolyn Kelly and LaBresha Gilmore. The awardees from Frederick Douglass High School are Frederick Johnson Jr., Miller Johnson IV, and Chamayne Reid.

 “With the support of our partners including the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association, The Coca-Cola Company and those who attend our Celebrity Golf Classic we are helping make dreams come true for youth who really need our help, “ said John Hurt, President of the BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation.
“We have found the measure of a student’s education should be determined by how many persons may profit as a result of their knowledge. We are helping youth who are committed to hard work, teamwork, and ethics and plan to give back to their community in a really big way,” added Hurt.  

2008 BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation College Scholarship Winner

(L-R Douglass High School Principal J. Austin Brown; BMOA Member, Shiroleen Hurt, Miller Johnson IV, BMOA Wheels of Dreams Bus Entrepreneur Educator, Mia Myers)

“I am honored to receive the BMOA Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation College Scholarship for my work at Douglass high school and my volunteer work in the community. The scholarship will help me as I attend the University of Florida and major in political science. I have a dream to one day practice law, become an elected official and help my community every way I can,” said Miller Johnson IV.
 
The BMOA Wheels of Dreams Bus will also provide free Library System visits that are open to middle and high school youth on a first sign-up, first seated ½ hour basis; June and July visits by the BMOA Wheels of Dreams Bus are to the Atlanta Fulton County Library System. Middle School and High School youth are invited to attend free of charge. To sign up; call the Atlanta Fulton County Library Branch contact.

The Wheels of Dreams Bus and Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation offers a number of different programs with the number of visits on weekdays and weekends modified to fit the school or organization’s schedule. Weekend visits of the Wheels of Dreams Bus program for organizations and special events average nine hours on Saturday or Sunday.

The typical High School program is a seven week, five days a week program. The Wheels of Dreams Bus program for High School students generally runs Monday through Friday 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM.

The Wheels of Dreams Bus program lessons are provided in English and Spanish. We work in concert with school principals, teachers and guidance counselors and the Wheels of Dreams program has provided a successful class-credit teaching program with outstanding results.

Students rotate every half hour to 45 minutes from the classroom to instruction on the Wheels bus. Students are tested three times on course content during the seven week program; the results are shared with the students, their teachers and guidance counselors.

In addition to the Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Student Motivation Rallies, Student Career Mentoring and the Wheels of Dreams Bus visits the Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation began a new college scholarship program in 2007. The Wheels of Dreams Scholarship program provides six students, four year $1,000 a year college scholarships to the awardees who have participated in the Wheels of Dreams Bus program, have displayed a commitment to their academic studies and have contributed to their community with volunteer work.
The 2007 Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Awardees from Washington High School are DeAundrea Hollie, Demitria Barlowe, Marquez Wilson and Toyia Wiley.  The Awardees from Clarkston High School are Candice Blacknall and Farah Rahmatullah.

In addition to the Wheels of Dreams Youth Foundation Scholarships high school students who participate in programs on the Wheels of Dreams Bus also can learn how to fill out college scholarship applications to apply for a $1,500 - one time scholarship award from the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, ARMHC. The 160 ARMHC college scholarships that are available are awarded to Black, White, Hispanic and Asian Students in Metro Atlanta who display academic achievement and civic responsibility.

Students have visited the Wheels of Dreams Bus from Cobb and Gwinnett High Schools, Jackson High School; Jackson, GA, Evans High School and Josey High School in August, GA. Students have visited the Wheels of Dreams Bus program from King Middle School, North Clayton Middle School, Connally, Grove Park, Brown, Sylvan Hills and Harper-Archer Middle Schools. The Wheels of Dreams Bus will continue to offer its programs free to students with visits to schools other locations through out the year. Wheels of Dreams Bus visits are also planned for schools and events through out Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. 

Since March of 2003 the Wheels of Dreams Bus has provided programs at locations and events that include:

The Wheels of Dreams Entrepreneur Educator, Mia Myers is an experienced entrepreneur, trainer and mentor. Mia provides the on-bus program instruction at eight interactive, earphone equipped computer workstations. The Wheels Bus also has a mentor presentation area and a computer cash register workstation to provide students customer service and hospitality skills. The Wheels of Dreams Bus is driven and parked at locations providing a safe, fun and educational environment. The Wheels of Dreams provides authentic options, hints and tips to help high school students focus their efforts on education, personal responsibility, free enterprise, hard work and not gangs, drugs and violence.

The Wheels of Dreams program content was developed, designed and approved during a nine month collaborative process by the Wheels of Dreams Education Task Force comprised of BMOA members, Georgia State University education advisors, Atlanta Public Schools, administrators, teachers, students, parents, neighborhoods leaders and business leaders.

Schools and organizations are provided an easy to follow Wheels of Dreams Starter Kit which is a step-by-step program instructional guide for student selection and scheduling. The Wheels Bus Entrepreneur Educator also assists in the survey and testing of the participating students with the results provide to the school guidance counselors or organizational program leader.

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