Irving Fradkin and Gilda Arruda have a connection. Both had parents who moved to the United States from other countries with dreams of better lives.

Irving Fradkin and Gilda Arruda have a connection. Both had parents who moved to the United States from other countries with dreams of better lives. Fradkin's parents came from Russia and his father worked as a baker. Arruda's parents came from the Azores and her father worked in construction.

Now the two are linked together in another way.

Arruda has written a book about Fradkin, the Fall River man who has been helping young people achieve their dreams for more than 50 years through the Dollars for Scholars program.

"We want a better life for our children and grandchildren," Fradkin said. "This is what we're fighting for. Everything starts local."

The book, "Dr. Irving Fradkin: Words to Ignite the American Dream," focuses on the retired optometrist's tireless efforts to raise money for city teens attending college.

Fradkin said the strength of democracy is in people giving back.

"God's gift is a brain," Fradkin said. "If you give it an education, you have a better life for yourself, family and the community."

Fradkin's father came to the United States in 1912 with no skills and, in 1917, sent for his wife and five children in Russia. Fradkin was born in Chelsea in 1921. Although it has been several decades since Fradkin was a young man, he knows all too well how expensive a college education can be. Education, which he calls the cornerstone of democracy, is denied to too many people because of money, he said.

Fradkin said he believes crime is a result of a lack of education. If one cannot get what he wants with an education, he might seek with a gun. Fradkin said making education accessible to more young people would decrease gang activity, drug abuse and the prison population.

"If you give that kid a dream and a hope, you will find he's going to be a productive citizen," Fradkin said.

Arruda, a Somerset resident, met Fradkin in 2003 and said she believed in his values.

"His love of God and country helped in developing this book because nothing starts overnight," Arruda said. "Everything starts with an idea."

Fradkin started Dollars for Scholars in 1958 with a $1 donation from former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. The organization now has about 1,000 chapters in 42 states. Since 1958, the organization has generated $3 billion for college scholarships and helped 2 million students, according to Fradkin. He said he was inspired, in part, by the young patients at his optometry business who said financial difficulties would make a proper education impossible. "I tried to give that dream back to my patients, tell them to stay in school," Fradkin said. "I felt so bad when they would say 'I'm not a good student. I don't have the money.' This is America, the golden opportunity."

Arruda said one need not start a scholarship foundation of their own to have a positive impact on the world. She said she wrote the book to encourage people to pursue their dreams — whatever they are — and have confidence in their abilities.

"He's still trying to promote that everyone counts, everyone matters and you can't rely on your ancestors, you can't rely on your great-grandfather," Arruda said of Fradkin. "You have to go out there and make a difference."

Proceeds from book sales will support Dollars for Scholars.

"That's dedication and I think she should be given much credit for that," Fradkin said of Arruda not accepting payment for writing the book. "She has a grandchild and she wants that grandchild to grow up and realize a dream."

This story also appeared in The Spectator, The Fall River Spirit's sister newspaper serving Somerset and Swansea.