The DREAM Program, Franklin Square, Quarter 1, 2012-2013

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

Franklin Square DREAM Quarterly Report September – December 2012 Greetings from DREAM! The Franklin Square DREAM program has finished up another wonderful semester of DREAM activities. The children were sad to see the mentors leave for winter break but are looking forward to their return in January. Here is a summary of all the Franklin Square DREAM Program happenings from the last quarter.

Highlights from the quarter include: • The Franklin Square teens put on a very successful teen dance which was attended by teens and mentors from the Elm Street and Birchwood DREAM programs • Five Franklin Square DREAM mentors attended DREAMstock, the South Burlington DREAM office’s annual mentor training event. This year’s event featured sessions on: being a co-chair, how to be a mentor, working with teens, open space opportunities, and behavior management.

• Six Franklin Square teens attended the Teen Futures Retreat. Teens learned about preparing for college, summer opportunities, and applying for jobs, all while bonding with other DREAM teens from around the state.

• The Franklin Square program welcomed Birchwood Alumna Nicole Stevenson as their program partner. The South Burlington DREAM Office also welcomed alumni Caitlin Patey, Steph Baer, and Laura Kingston as Burlington-area Program Partners.

Friday Activities: • Franklin Square DREAM kicked off the semester with a first Friday in the community.

Mentors were re-acquainted with the youth and their community.

• New prospective mentors joined current mentors and mentees for a Friday of Tie-Dye near the town houses and basketball in the St. Mike’s Gym. • Mentors and youth went apple picking at Allenholm Farm in South Hero.

• Franklin Square mentors and mentees celebrated a group birthday party! Mentees made their own pizzas and of course there was Birthday Cake and Balloons.

• Franklin Square DREAM collaborated with the St. Michael’s College Basketball Team to host a clinic for DREAM kids.

• Mentors spent Friday in the community to show new mentors around and get to know DREAM families a little better.

• Mentors and mentees celebrated fall and Halloween on campus at the annual St. Mike’s Harvest Festival

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

•

• •

•

DREAM teens and their mentors designed decorations and picked the music for their upcoming dance. While the teens were planning their dance, the younger DREAM youth planned their acts for the talent show.

The Franklin Square teens put on a very successful teen dance which was attended by teens and mentors from the Elm Street and Birchwood DREAM programs.

Mentors worked hard to solicit donations for their annual DREAM Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanks to the generosity of students and faculty at St. Michael’s College, the event was a huge success with two twenty-pound turkeys.

Mentors and mentees worked together to make baked goods to sell in Alliot. All of the proceeds went towards a charity of the mentees’ choice.

Special Events for Children and Mentors: • Five Franklin Square DREAM mentors attended DREAMstock, the South Burlington DREAM office’s annual mentor training event. This year’s event featured sessions on: being a co-chair, how to be a mentor, working with teens, open space opportunities, and behavior management.

Capacity Building and Fundraising: • Franklin Square mentors made baked goods that they sold to students in Alliot.

• On November 19th, DREAM launched its Annual Appeal! Keep a look out for your letter and please consider donating. So far the annual appeal has raised $45k from 73 donors.

• Mike Foote re-joined the DREAM office as the Director of Strategy and Growth in early October and will be spearheading expansion efforts into Philadelphia.

Mentor Training and Workshops: • Mentors received their annual Mentor Boundaries and Guidelines Training to kick off the semester and help orient new mentors to DREAM. Camp and Teens: • Six Franklin Square teens attended the Teen Futures Retreat. Teens learned about preparing for college, summer opportunities, and applying for jobs, all while bonding with other DREAM teens from around the state.

• Teen Futures Retreat—November 3-4. 60+ mentors and teens gathered to hear about future opportunities available to them. If you would like more information, check out this article from our Alumni Newsletter, the Blue Wagon, http://www.dreamprogram.org/about/announcement/teen-futures-retreat-skyrocketingfuture.

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

•

• •

• •

Camp Work Days and Days of Caring occurred in late September and early October.

Approximately 100 volunteers assisted staff in various work projects around camp in order to clean up from the summer and prep camp for Winter Adventure Camp in January.

On September 30th, mentors and alumni joined DREAM Support Staff for the DREAMstock camp workday.

On September 30th a group of Elm Street Mentors and Teens hiked a portion of the Long Trail as part of the Catamountain Classic. The event was in honor of mentor Avi Kurganoff.

Other clubs from UVM also volunteered by hiking their own sections of the Long Trail.

This fundraiser helped to set up a scholarship for a DREAM teen to attend an Outward Bound Program. The event planners hope to make this an annual fundraiser to keep the scholarship available to DREAM teens in the future.

Camp DREAM has partnered with Yestermorrow, a sustainable design school, to create a sustainable design plan for the new bathroom facilities and kitchen at Camp DREAM. Camp DREAM was proud to be awarded a VT Buildings and General Services Recreational Facilities grant to help fund the new septic system that will be installed at camp.

Alumni Involvement: • The Franklin Square program welcomed Birchwood Alumna Nicole Stevenson as their program partner. The South Burlington DREAM Office also welcomed alumni Caitlin Patey, Steph Baer, and Laura Kingston as Burlington-area Program Partners.

• The South Burlington DREAM office welcomed alumni: Danielle Jenkins, Andrew Lassiter, Nicole Stevenson, Phil Ortego, Rachel Kauppila, Jenna Rae Genest, Caitlin Patey, Paul Espina, and Megan Kerrigan as volunteers at DREAMstock and the Teen Futures Retreat. th • On October 18 we launched our annual Alumni Appeal. For the appeal, a group of Franklin Square mentors participated in the annual Alumni Phone-a-thon. So far, the Franklin Square Program has received donations from 17 of their alumni. Overall, the alumni appeal has raised $33k from 196 donors.

• Two former DREAM mentors, Kate Piniewski and Alison Siegel joined the DREAM Support Staff as Program Empowerment VISTAs serving in the White River Junction and Bennington offices.

• DREAM Support Staff have begun the process of engaging with DREAM alumni in Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC to gauge opportunity for DREAM to have impact in these new cities.

Office: • •

DREAM launched its new website in October, check it out at www.dreamprogram.org Mike Ewan, former South Burlington DREAM office member, has recently transitioned into a new role as the Program Director, Advanced Support working with all of the DREAM offices.

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

• • •

The DREAM office welcomed back former Program Empowerment VISTA Sarah Caliendo as the Program Director, Direct Support for the South Burlington DREAM office.

DREAM has recently extended its support network through opening a DREAM office in White River Junction at the Northwoods Community.

DREAM moved one step closer to attaining its goal of opening programs at all the State Colleges in Vermont by launching a program at Johnson State College this past fall.

Thank you for your ongoing support of DREAM. If you would like additional or more detailed information, please contact me by email or by phone. You can always look back at past reports or other programs’ reports by visiting the “program reports” section of our website.

DREAM big, Britt Wedenoja Program Empowerment VISTA Britt@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979