A quarter century ago, Ijamyn Gray was sent to state prison on charges tied to drugs and firearms. It was part of a cycle that derailed his early life in Coconut Grove, but would later inform his mission to build opportunity for others.
Gray estimates he has raised more than $300,000 since 2021 to support Encouraging Dreamers Breaking Barriers, the youth-employment initiative he founded in 2017 after Hurricane Irma displaced his family.
The program has served more than 1,500 young people across Miami-Dade County, offering paid work, mentoring and real-world exposure to entrepreneurship.
Youth with Dreamers Breaking Barriers washing police cars.
(Ijamyn Gray)
Gray was born and raised in the Grove. Both parents were in and out of prison. As a child, he hustled alongside his two siblings, washing windows and parking cars. Boxing became an early outlet for discipline and travel.
“I thought I was going to be a professional boxer,” Gray said. “But my dream was to become a doctor. I thought I was going to be the first person to cure AIDS.”
As a teenager, however, Gray was drawn into the street life.
“That eye candy they gave us…drugs…guns,” he said, “we thought that meant something.”
In 1999 and the early 2000s, he faced multiple arrests and convictions, including felony battery, firearm possession, and drug charges.
Ijamyn Gray with members of Dreamers Breaking Barriers.
(Ijamyn Gray)
After his release, he continued to struggle. But then his first son, Ijamyn Jr., was born in 2010.
“When I was able to have my son, I said I would leave everything alone,” Gray said. “I would get me a job. I would get on the right track.”
That commitment deepened in 2017 after Hurricane Irma severely damaged his family home on Charles Terrace. Ijamyn and his seven-year-old son checked into a shelter run by Chapman Partnership. The experience, he said, reshaped his perspective on opportunity and responsibility.
“At your bottom, the only way you can do is look up,” Gray said. “That’s where Encouraging Dreamers Breaking Barriers came from. It’s a second-chance youth escape program where we hire troubled youth.”
What began with basketball games and informal mentorship grew into a structured employment program built around a mobile car wash. But Gray stresses the work is about more than washing cars; it’s about teaching responsibility, financial literacy, teamwork, and self-worth.
Gray said then-Miami Mayor Francis Suarez reviewed his business plan and supported the initiative’s launch, giving him the opportunity to turn the concept into a working program.
“It’s not just money, it’s about changing their whole mindsets,” he said.
The initiative targets youth roughly between 13 and 24 years old. It focuses on those who face barriers to traditional employment because of previous trouble or a lack of a stable job history.
Last year alone, Encouraging Dreamers employed 50 young people for its summer program, giving each a $1,000 stipend to help with purchasing school clothes and other essentials.
“This car wash is really just a stepping stone into the real world,” Gray said.
Encouraging Dreamers Breaking Barriers cleans cars for Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue, Opa-locka Police and Jackson Health System, among others.
Through Encouraging Dreamers, participants have traveled to national car wash conventions in Tennessee, Houston, and Las Vegas, experiences Gray says expanded their sense of possibility.
“These people are talking about millions and billions of dollars,” he said. “Just experiencing that changed those kids’ lives.”
Some participants have gone on to college. Others have used the program as a launchpad into stable work and career goals.
In 2023, Gray ran for Miami mayor, pitching himself as a voice for the voiceless and advocating for housing affordability, youth empowerment and more. His bid ended after he suffered a rare, life-threatening infection at the beach. The condition required painful procedures and an ongoing recovery.
Despite limited mobility, Gray remains active in daily operations.
“I’ve learned how to be persistent and consistent, even from my bed,” he said.