Catch the Dream

Humble Beginnings: From Los Angeles to Peoria

The first Dream Center was launched in Los Angeles, CA. with only 39 people. Today, they serve more than 30,000 people on a weekly basis, house and rehabilitate 500 people on average and have nearly 200 separate ministries.

Says Richard Riordan, former mayor of Los Angeles:

“As a result of (The Dream Center’s) work, the homicide rate in the Rampart area of Los Angeles has decreased by 73%, prostitution and gang activities have decreased, and social and economic revitalization is very visible in our community.”

The Dream Comes to Peoria

In 2002, Senior Pastor John King of Riverside Community Church flew to LA to experience their Dream Center for himself. He saw the huge effect a few simple programs were having on seriously run-down neighborhoods. He knew there were a lot of Peoria neighborhoods needing the same kind of help.

So he asked. He learned. He brought the concept home. Then it began to spread here. Individuals and families who saw the need were empowered with the tools to affect their community and to see a greater purpose in their own lives. Dreams grew and with them the need for more resources to further help turn dreams into reality.

By 2005, more than 130 independent Dream Centers were operational throughout the US and beyond.