Eighteen years ago, Tracy Wilkes and a few others formed a program called DREAMS of Wilmington, Inc., with the goal of providing an arts education for youth in need. DREAMS presents its annual gala Sept. 27, a Roast and Toast to honor Wilkes as she steps down from her position as founder and executive director.
As in past years, the evening will feature a performance by DREAMS students and an art sale showcasing work created by DREAMS teaching artists. Artists will donate 50 percent of their proceeds back to DREAMS.
Events throughout the night will pay tribute to Wilkes and both the past and future of the organization she created. To honor the past, several alumni of the DREAMS program, who are now adults, will speak during the event.
Cache Barnes, who enrolled in DREAMS in 1998, described how the program has expanded over the years due to the hard work of Wilkes and the other staff.
“We used to be holed up in this little church, and now they’re in this huge building with all these studios,” Barnes said during a Sept. 18 phone interview. “When I first started it was just an art class, maybe a dance or guitar class, and now they have photography, ceramics, jewelry making, and movie filming and all kinds of different programs.”
Barnes participated in DREAMS from age 10 to 17, and said the program was a safe haven where she could express herself and learn how to deal with bullying and other challenging situations.
“That’s one of the best aspects of DREAMS,” she said. “If you need to go in a room and scream for 10 minutes, nobody’s going to tell you to stop, they’re going to let you vent whatever frustration you need to vent, and then they’re going to come up and say, tell me about it and maybe we can come up with a solution so it doesn’t happen again.”
Barnes said she will attend the 2014 gala to honor Wilkes, whom she said was like a second mother to many of the DREAMS participants.
“She took us under her wing,” Barnes said. “I was one of the ones that was rough around the edges and it was nice having somebody willing to walk down that road with you no matter what.”
As the DREAMS program expands, its influence on the lives of Wilmington’s youth continues to grow. Current students Faliah Baity and Lakasha Daniels spend their time in the DREAMS building taking art classes and rehearsing the routine they are preparing for the gala.
Daniels said she enjoys showing off her hard work, whether through singing and dancing on stage or hanging her photographs in the hallways of the DREAMS building.
“I’ve always loved singing and dancing, and photography kind of became my thing because [DREAMS teaching artist Matthew Baumgardner], I met him and I was like yeah, he’s a cool dude,” she said.
Not only will Wilkes be honored through the performance of her past and present DREAMS students, she will be roasted and toasted by Wilmington Mayor Bill Saffo, Tony Rivenbark and others. She said the night will also contain several surprises, including the announcement of her successor, whom she said was chosen for his passion and vision for DREAMS.
“I know that I have the same passion and commitment, but maybe not the same level of energy that I did, so I think it’s time for another vision,” she said. “We did a national search, and I think initially they had 130 applications so it was very competitive. The evening will be chockablock full of tears, a lot of laughs, but I think the most important message is we’re looking forward to the future.”
