dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Willowbrook DREAM Quarterly Report March – May 2014 Greetings from DREAM! The Willowbrook/Bennington College DREAM program has finished up another wonderful semester of activities. Though youth are sad to see their mentors leaving for summer break, they look forward to their return in September and have a whole summer of exciting programming to keep them busy! Here is a summary of all the Willowbrook DREAM happenings from the last quarter.
Highlights from the quarter include:
The Willowbrook Local Program was awarded an Alumni Grant of $175 to help fund an end-ofyear camping trip. The mentors have been hard at work planning for this trip, which will take place over a weekend in May. Willowbrook mentors held a bake sale to fundraise for their camping trip and made $44 selling delicious treats during Bennington College’s Sun Fest. DREAM youth are excited for summer to begin, so they can visit Camp DREAM, and participate in activities around the community with Summer Community VISTAs Kelsey Ryan and Molly Kirschner.
Fridays:
Willowbrook mentors and youth completed a scavenger hunt on campus. For three Fridays in March, the Willowbrook mentees spent one-on-one time with their mentors or participated in small group activities. DREAM youth had one-on-one time with their mentors for two Fridays in April. The group spent two Fridays playing games in Willowbrook and at the playground. To prepare for their camping trip, the group decorated water bottles and made trail mix to bring as a snack. Mentors and mentees had one-on-one time together on campus. For their final Friday of the semester, Willowbrook youth and mentors played group games and making s’mores.
Special Events for Children and Mentors:
The Willowbrook Local Program’s hard work and planning paid off May 10-11 during their camping trip to Jamaica State Park. There, the group went swimming, made s’mores around the campfire, and went on a hike to a nearby waterfall. The DREAM Office hosted a Teen Identity Retreat April 4-5, where teens gathered in Burlington and participated in informative sessions about health and identity, talked with panelists from local organizations, had a Q+A with a Burlington Police Officer, tried out Zumba and made connections with teens from all over Vermont. DREAM welcomed 100 mentors and mentees into the Alumni Organization this quarter!
Capacity Building and Fundraising:
DREAM is thrilled to share the start-up of a new DREAM program at UVM, paired with the Salmon Run Apartments in Burlington. The new mentors and mentees held their first DREAM Friday this quarter.
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
DREAM was honored to receive a $5,000 unrestricted grant from Merchant’s Bank to support the Vermont DREAM Programs.
Camp:
This May three productive work days up in Fletcher, VT with the help of many volunteers from IBM helped prep Camp DREAM for summer!
Alumni Involvement:
The DREAM Alumni Organization is currently electing new leadership. Nominations flooded in for the two positions to be filled: Alumni Council President and Constitution Keeper. A major focus with alumni will be raising money to build facilities at Camp DREAM, improving the experience for our youth.
Office:
The DREAM office was a very busy place this quarter as hiring began for summer interns, as well as full time AmeriCorps members! This quarter, DREAM staff said good bye to Development Director Sandy Mervak. Sandy has left DREAM to go back to graduate school. The DREAM staff and board members gathered at Camp DREAM in May for a successful third annual retreat. New staff members all the way from Philadelphia and Boston were able to attend, making the retreat a very special one. The Elm St. office in Winooski got some TLC from Burlington DREAM staff this May with a major cleaning and sprucing up to get organized for summer!
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/local-program-reports.
DREAM big, Alison Siegel Program Empowerment Director VYT AmeriCorps VISTA alison@dreamprogram.org 802.681.3982