The DREAM Program, Franklin Square, Quarter 4, 2013-2014

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dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

Franklin Square DREAM Quarterly Report July-September 2014 Greetings from DREAM! Summer brought warm weather and plenty of DREAMing this quarter. Youth participated in activities in their community, trips to nearby attractions, and sessions at Camp DREAM. They were sad for summer to end, but excited to see their mentors again in September. Here is a summary of Franklin Square DREAM happenings from the summer and September: Highlights from the Quarter Include: ● Many Franklin Square DREAMers attended Camp DREAM this summer! ● DREAM thanked Rachel Zelouf, Meagan Borofsky, and Amna Mustafic for a summer of great programming at their End of Service Celebration on August 1st. ● The mentors enjoyed a bonding evening together to celebrate the coming DREAM year, barbecuing at Leddy Park. ● The group spent their first Friday together apple picking at Shelburne Orchards! Weekly Activities with Youth:  Summer VISTAs took a few groups of mentees to North Beach.  Franklin Square teens enjoyed a teen popcorn and movie night.  Mentees went berry picking in the morning, and then in the afternoon made pies with the berries they picked.  5 Franklin Square youth went sailing on Lake Champlain thanks to the generous support of the Community Sailing Center.  Mentees went on multiple expeditions to the Winooski pool.  Summer VISTAs took a group of mentees to Shelburne Farms, where they played with the animals and learned about food!  Incoming students at Saint Michael’s College visited Franklin Square, where Summer VISTAs introduced them to youth, played some games, and shared their experiences with DREAM.  Franklin Square mentees visited the Ethan Allen Tower in the New North End.  Summer VISTAs took a group of mentees to Church Street, where Ben and Jerry’s was showing the Lego movie.  Franklin Square youth went to a Lake Monsters game.  Mentees visited Flatbread to make their own pizzas.  Summer VISTAs organized a girls’ night at Franklin Square.  Youth visited the Echo Center for a day of exploration and learning.

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


Franklin Square and Riverside mentees joined together for an epic talent show, hosted by Amna, Rachel, and Meagan. Thanks to BHA, Parks and Rec, and many others for the generous donations of food and time! With the money raised from the talent show, Franklin Square youth went on the Spirit of Ethan Allen for a ferry tour across Lake Champlain!

Special Events for Youth and Mentors: ● 9 teens participated in DREAM’s Teen Sailing Program, accompanied by our Adventure Program Coordinator, Zoe Hoffman, where they lived on a sail boat for a week in the Atlantic Ocean of the coast of Maine. Participants learned how to sail the boat, visited one of the oldest lighthouses on the East Coast, and experienced life as a sailor while challenging their comfort zones! ● 5 teens from across Vermont participated in the College Road Trip! ● Summer VISTA Gabi Kaplan and the teens went on tours of Vermont and New York City colleges and universities, navigated the metro, toured the 30 Rock building, and spent some free time practicing college essay writing and exploring NYC! A highlight of the trip was staying in the dorms and eating at the dining hall at Southern Vermont College, as well as meeting with faculty and staff there to learn all about the college application process and college life. ● The Young Women’s Interpretation Program had its second successful summer, sponsored by the Vermont Women’s Trust Fund. Three teens from Elm Street and Franklin Square, with the support of intern Alexandria Bacheller, spent the summer knocking on doors in the Salmon Run and Franklin Square communities. The teens communicated with families, interpreting and translating information about DREAM as well as soliciting feedback and ideas in the hopes that DREAM will reach more families! Capacity Building and Fundraising: ● This year’s Summer Appeal raised over $36,000 from 89 donors. This has been our biggest summer appeal to date. Thank you to all who supported DREAM’s summer programs! ● DREAM is working to expand our summer programming for next year by raising funds for new facilities at Camp. With the opportunity to host more kids for longer periods of time, our summers at Camp will have even more of an impact! Camp: ● Camp DREAM celebrated another wonderful summer! This year, Camp welcomed 73 campers, 9 teen counselors-in-training, 8 VYDC AmeriCorps VISTAs and staff members, and several volunteers over five sessions.


● During these sessions, campers and counselors swam, canoed, sailed, hiked, built fires, took nature walks, ate healthy and delicious food, watched and performed in skits, played oodles of games, made new friends, and learned more about themselves, their communities, and their environment! ● 6 Camp staff served as AmeriCorps members through the Vermont Youth Development Corps (VYDC) AmeriCorps State program, serving as the Adventure Program Coordinator, Lifeguard/Lead Counselor, and Local Foods Program Coordinator/Iron Chef. Alumni Involvement: ● DREAM is excited to have Kylie Edwards, Franklin Sq./Saint Mike’s alumnus, returning to DREAM as an AmeriCorps VISTA with Dartmouth College’s Local Programs. Kylie also spent the summer running programming supporting our summer VISTAs at Elm St. in Winooski. We are thrilled to have her back! ● One Elm St/UVM alumnus and ongoing program partner, Steph Baer, will be the new Money Initiative Head on the Alumni Council. Thanks for all you do for DREAM, Steph! ● Zoe Hoffman, Riverside/UVM alumnus, spent the summer up at camp and sailing in Maine with DREAM youth as DREAM’s Adventure Program Coordinator. Zoe did an outstanding job helping our youth take healthy risks and challenge themselves through adventure this summer! Office: ● DREAM said goodbye to Mark Hengstler, and Katie Purcell, who finished their AmeriCorps terms this quarter. Mark and Katie plan to continue participating in DREAM as volunteers! ● Ali Siegel, who has served two years with our Southern VT programs as a Vermont Youth Tomorrow VISTA, finished up her AmeriCorps term this quarter as well. We are thrilled to have Ali continue with us through October in Boston doing interim program work as we are conducting our hiring process for a new Program Director! ● Staff welcomed three new AmeriCorps VISTA members who are serving through Vermont Youth Tomorrow (VYT). Adam Hurwitz, Ariana Walk, and Kylie Edwards will be supporting DREAM’s Local Programs in Chittenden, Rutland, and Windsor counties. A fourth AmeriCorps VISTA member, Kate Cahalane, joins them for her second year with Vermont programs. 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,

Sarah Caliendo Program Director scaliendo@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979


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