The DREAM Program, Windsor-Union Square, Quarter 2, 2012-2013

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The Village Mentoring Organization

Windsor/Union Square DREAM Quarterly Report December 2012 – February 2013 Greetings from DREAM! We hope you have all had as a great of a winter as we have had at DREAM. This quarter mentors and mentees took full advantage of the beautiful snow and cooperative weather in the Upper Valley. Here is a summary of happenings from this winter.

Highlights from the quarter include: •

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Dedicated mentors Patrick Gould and Cody Cushing supported the Windsor/Union Square Local Program as co-chairs this quarter. They encouraged mentor-led fundraising efforts, organized Friday activities, and invited new youth to DREAM. Three new mentees from Union Square joined the program. We welcome them, and their family, to DREAM! Eight new mentors joined Windsor/Union Square on February 13th. They shadowed more experienced mentors during the winter and will be officially matched during the spring term.

Fridays: • There were no DREAM Fridays in December. Mentors were on winter break.

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The three Dartmouth College Local Programs met on Friday, January 11th to prepare for the winter term. Mentors reviewed DREAM’s Boundaries and Guidelines, elected leadership positions, and welcomed new mentors!

Windsor/Union Square mentoring pairs spent five Friday afternoons on Dartmouth College’s campus. One-on-one mentoring pairs played basketball, went to the movies, baked cookies, and played pool. A favorite activity for two mentoring pairs was Harry Potter reenactment games.

Special Events for Children and Mentors: •

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One Windsor mentee joined other Dartmouth DREAM teens at Camp DREAM for Teen Winter Adventure Camp (WAC) on February 2nd. Mentees met DREAM teens from seven other Local Programs throughout Vermont.

On February 16th five youth and six mentors traveled to Camp DREAM for Winter Adventure Day. Mentoring pairs participated in a day of outdoor games and friendly competition.

Capacity Building and Fundraising: • • •

DREAM’s 2012 Annual Appeal officially came to a close at the end of February. This year’s appeal raised more than $100k from 210 donors!

Windsor/Union Square mentors sold tacos on a Friday night to students on campus. They raised money for their program and also bonded as a group during the fundraiser.

Mentors joined their Dartmouth DREAM peers for a joint fundraiser. They made over $200 selling hamburgers during the College’s Winter Carnival.

Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org

Mentor Training and Workshops: •

On February 1st all new mentors met with the Tucker Foundation Student Director for a guided reflection on their first three weeks with DREAM. New mentors spoke about their experience with each community and indicated which program they would like to be placed in.

Camp: •

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Three Camp Work Days occurred in December and January. DREAM staff and volunteers prepared for Winter Adventure Camp (WAC) by moving hay, setting up tarps, and building a warm space (nicknamed the Zombie Apocalypse Shack) at Camp DREAM. DREAM staff members were busy this quarter preparing, collecting forms, and talking to families about WAC, which took place over several weekends in February.

The 2013 WAC season was a success! After some last minute changes due to a lack of snow, 29 teens and 15 mentors celebrated Camp DREAM’s history by participating in games and competitions at Teen WAC. DREAM staff organized a Winter Adventure Day for youth in the Northern Vermont Local Programs. Activities included sledding, broomball, and cross-country skiing. This year, 43 mentees and 33 mentors attended Winter Adventure Day, which originally had to be postponed due to cold temperatures.

After Winter Adventure Day, 7 youth and 3 mentors attended Overnight WAC. Highlights included night broomball, roasting apples, and sleeping at the Town Grange in Fletcher, VT! For the Poultney and Willowbrook programs, Winter Adventure Day took place at Emerald Lake State Park in East Dorset, VT, where 6 youth and 4 mentors joined staff members for a day of sledding, broomball, and making fairy houses.

Alumni Involvement: •

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The 2012 Alumni Appeal wrapped up after setting a record for the number of individual Alumni donors! The Appeal raised over $40,000 from 273 donors. Five Local Programs reached or exceeded their goals of 25% giving.

The Alumni Organization launched its first annual scholarship opportunity for DREAM mentee alumni who are pursuing college degrees. This year, three former mentees were awarded $1,000 scholarships to help pay for college.

Alumni members in DC and Philadelphia have organized and participated in fundraising events to support DREAM’s expansion into those cities. So far, they have raised several thousand dollars!

DREAM Alumni members Paul Espina, Evan Eckstein, Devin Kulick, and Travis Near volunteered at several WAC weekends in February.

Office: •

DREAM staff learned how to update DREAM’s new website at a staff retreat in December.

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Vermont Programs Staff reflected on the fall semester and looked ahead to spring semester and summer planning at a Programs Staff retreat in December.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., DREAM staff and volunteers participated in several Day of Service events on January 21st. In Vermont, several staff members and volunteers headed to Camp DREAM to prepare for the WAC weekends ahead. Others prepared a meal at the Ronald McDonald House in Burlington and coordinated volunteers and service projects in Bennington. In Boston, staff members volunteered with one of DREAM’s housing partners, Madison Park Development Corporation and on campus at Northeastern University.

On January 24th, DREAM’s Executive Director, Mike Loner, and Evaluation Coordinator, Elizabeth Haag presented at the National Mentoring Summit in Washington, D.C. They presented DREAM’s Village Mentoring model and approach to working with college student volunteers to mentoring supporters from across the country.

Lisanne Hegman joined the DREAM staff as a bookkeeper in the South Burlington Office.

DREAM observed National Mentoring Month by holding a mentor appreciation night for mentors from the Northern Vermont programs. Mentors, staff, and volunteers enjoyed ice cream from Ben and Jerry’s as a thank you for all of the time and hard work they have given to DREAM. DREAM’s newest Local Program at Johnson State College held its first DREAM Friday on February 1st. The group participated in activities including building a newspaper fort, playing games, and dancing to music from a jukebox on campus!

DREAM staff distributed surveys to parents of DREAM youth. More than 65% of parents responded! The surveys are part of DREAM’s commitment to assessing the impact DREAM has on families in the program.

DREAM was named a Champion in Action by Citizen’s Bank in Boston. The award includes a $35k unrestricted grant, media coverage, and extensive promotional and volunteer support for DREAM's work in the Boston area

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 going to: http://dreamprogram.org/mentor-program/vermont/localprogram-reports.

DREAM big, Kate Piniewski Program Empowerment Director kate@dreamprogram.org 781.820.4838