Allen G.

A dream is a clear vision of hope.  And you’ll see as you continue in life, if you haven’t already, that there will always be a need for a dream.  One reason for that is that human beings by nature have no choice but to imagine.  It’s within our DNA to imagine. No one had to teach us how to dream when we go to sleep at night, it just happens.  That’s one proof if there ever was that there’s a God.  Another reason for dreaming is life can often times be difficult and present all kinds of challenges.  Challenges that train us to become champions or failures, and I’ve come to find that the difference between the two lies within who’s more willing to pursue their dream.   For example, take two people confronted with the same problem—a money problem.  One dreams of becoming a real estate guru, building multiple streams of income, and the other has no dream.  The other has no creativity on how to tackle the problem.  Who’s more likely to solve the issue of the money problem?  The on

Allen Gabriel was in first grade when he started drawing sneaker designs that would pop into his head. Around that time, his father walked out, leaving his mother to raise three kids in Asbury Park. Those experiences — one enlightening, the other jarring — planted seeds for a dream that is on the verge of coming true. ​ Gabriel, now 32 and living in Neptune City, has started his own brand of luxury sneakers. He has samples, the interest of at least one high-end boutique and plans to start taking orders online in the coming weeks. ​ And there is a twist: His new company’s long-term goal is to employ local teenagers, especially the ones he encounters at his day job as a drug-addiction counselor, through internships and other resume-building positions. ​ “I want to be able to go into rehabs and get kids — kids who I know are going back into negative environments, and let them be a part of something like this,” said Gabriel, a Rutgers University alum. “I want to give them