"Never, ever let go of your dreams!"

That was the message to children, teenagers, parents and grandparents from a man who knows first-hand how important dreams are. Chris Gardner, author of "The Pursuit of Happyness," which became a blockbuster movie starring Will Smith, shared the amazing story of how he made his dreams come true during the third 'Building Leadership in the African American Community for Kids' (BLAACK) Conference, held Oct. 3 at Overland High School in the Cherry Creek School District.

More than 2,000 people listened intently as Gardner explained how he went from a successful career in medical research and medical equipment sales, to being homeless and unemployed while raising his young son. He talked about what it was like to live on the street, sleep in bus stations, and go without food so his son could eat. He said through it all, he never let go of his dream to become a stockbroker and always kept his promise to be there for his son. Today Gardner is a proud father and grandfather, CEO of his own investment firm and a popular motivational speaker.

Afterward, Gardner took time to shake hands and autograph copies of his book, which many students had read.

"It's a beautiful story," said Jason Sisneros, a seventh-grader at Prairie Middle School. "It's very inspiring."

More inspiration came from renowned educator and attorney, Dr. Crystal Kuykendall, who challenged everyone in the audience to be a "merchant of hope," someone who makes a difference in the life of another by believing in them, supporting them and challenging them. She said many "merchants of hope" helped her rise from her humble beginnings as a "poor black child in Chicago" to become a successful mother, teacher and author of the national best-seller, "From Rage to Hope: Reclaiming Black and Hispanic Students."

Inspiring students, parents and community members was part of the goal of the conference, which was sponsored by Prairie Middle School and its African-American Parent and Student Leadership Groups, in conjunction with Overland High School and the Cherry Creek School District. The conference supports the district's goals of Excellence and Equity, or raising the achievement of all students and closing the achievement gap through culturally-relevant instruction and parent and community involvement.

For more information on the district's Excellence and Equity efforts, visit http://www.ccsd.k12.co.us/StudentSuccessMulticultural/ClosingAchievementGap/

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