The DREAM Program, Willowbrook, Quarter 4, 2013-2014

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The Village Mentoring Organization

Willowbrook DREAM Quarterly Report June – August 2014

Greetings from DREAM! In the past three months, Willowbrook youth have spent their summer participating in exciting and adventurous activities. With highly skilled Summer Community VISTAs Molly Kirschner and Kelsey Ryan planning activities, youth were able to have tons of fun during summer break. Although the summer has come to a close, youth at Willowbrook are eager to begin a new year of weekly programming with their mentors! Highlights of the summer happenings can be found below.

Highlights from the quarter include:  Interns Molly and Kelsey kicked off the summer with a smoothie-making party in the community, including both youth and their families.  On July 11th, the Willowbrook group held a car wash and lemonade stand as a fundraiser for their summer activities. Overall, the group raised $69! A special thanks goes to Advanced Auto Parts for their support.  The summer came to a close with a grand talent show put on by Willowbrook youth. Included in the talents were recorder-playing, paper airplane making, and singing.

Weekly Programming:  Willowbrook youth participated in puppet-making, teen-night, a scavenger hunt, and an ice cream social. They also played games, took a trip to Purple Carrot Farm, and tie-dyed!  Willowbrook youth picked strawberries with youth from the Poultney program and also learned how chocolate is made and took a swim at Lake Paran.  A trip to the bowling alley with Kelsey and Molly was a huge hit for several youth.  As a culminating trip, youth traveled to North Adams, MA to explore types of art and participate in arts and crafts.

Special Events for Children 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 off 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!

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

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Summer VISTA Gabi Kaplan and the tends 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!

Mentor Training and Workshops: ● This year’s team of 14 Summer VISTAs and Community Interns from across Vermont and the greater Boston area participated in a three-day orientation in Burlington and at Camp DREAM, where Camp staff joined them. Session topics included managing a budget and fundraising; purposeful activity planning, DREAM’s Mentor Boundaries, Transportation Guidelines, & Child Abuse Reporting Procedures; difficult conversations and trauma; and family involvement. Interns also took part in team building activities, went on a night hike, and learned more about the communities in which they would plan and lead enriching summer activities for DREAM youth!

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

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

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.

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

DREAM big, Ariana Walk VYT AmeriCorps VISTA Program Empowerment Director ariana@dreamprogram.org 802.681.3982

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