The DREAM Foundation was launched in July 2012 with a four-hour “DREAM Cruise” aboard the Freeport Princess. More than 75 guests and community advocates — including four high-achieving “Dreamers” — joined the newly installed DREAM Foundation board to raise awareness of the new DACA program for immigrant students.

The following year, the Foundation held a news conference at Bethpage Federal Credit Union in Central Islip to promote the 2013 DREAM Cruise and outline the foundation’s mission and goals. More than 100 guests and supporters climbed aboard the Freeport Princess for another cruise around Freeport Harbor.

In the summer of 2016, the Foundation was honored to have the renowned cardiologist Harold Fernandez join the DREAM Cruise. Dr. Fernandez gave an inspiring keynote speech about his experiences as an undocumented student who — through grit, talent, and hard word — graduated from Princeton University and Harvard Medical School. Dr. Fernandez wrote a memoir, “Undocumented,” which was the basis for a critically acclaimed documentary of the same name.