dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Franklin Square DREAM Quarterly Report October - December 2014
Greetings from DREAM! In the past three months, the Franklin Square program has been alive and well. With exciting activities like basketball with the college team and ice skating, youth have been able to become very close with the mentors. The program has paired up new members and is ready to begin another semester of meaningful mentoring! Highlights from the quarter include:
This quarter the program recruited 5 new kids and 10 new mentors! Early this quarter several mentors worked at the Ben and Jerry’s Factory as a way to raise money for their program. Through their efforts they raised a combined $360 for their program! Mentors invited Sumeya, a teen representative, to a mentor meeting at the beginning of the year to provide her thoughts and ideas to the group. She came to the first meeting that new mentors attended and shared her thoughts with the group on how important it is to be consistent with your mentee. She also shared some ideas for culminating and ways to improve the program. Her presence was so valuable and mentors new and old appreciated her thoughts!
Weekly Programming:
One Friday this quarter the group went to North Beach to eat S’mores and play! The group went to Alliot, the college dining hall, one Friday to eat dinner together. Afterwards they frolicked outside where some tween girls taught mentors some awesome new dance moves! One Friday the DREAMers teamed up with the college basketball team. The mentees loved playing basketball with the student players! As Halloween landed on a DREAM Friday this year, mentors and mentees celebrated by trick or treating on campus at St. Mikes and then had a Halloween Party. The first Friday after new mentors and mentees got matched was spent doing one on ones so the new pairs could have some bonding time. One Friday mentors worked together to cook up a delicious Thanksgiving feast to share with their mentees. The most popular DREAM Friday of the semester was ice skating at Leddy Park. Youth and mentors alike loved it, and it was amazing to see how good some of those kids were at ice skating!
Special Events for Children and Mentors:
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
DREAM staff were excited to host teens for our annual Teen Futures Retreat! Teens from all over the state got together to talk about their future plans regarding educational goals and career choices. Teens participated in a small service project at a local farm. The Chittenden County Mentoring Network hosted mentors from several different Chittenden County mentoring organizations to honor their hard work and dedication. DREAM mentors were invited to attend the function which was held in Burlington.
Capacity Building and Fundraising:
DREAM received a grant from the Green Mountain Fund to help in sustaining and expanding programming at Johnson State College. DREAM also received a grant from Hills and Hollow to aid in the continued support of our programming at Green Mountain College. DREAM was honored to receive a generous grant from the Donley Foundation to aid in delivery of general programming to all of our Vermont programs.
Our development team met in Philadelphia for a biannual retreat. The team was able to discuss what the coming years will look like for DREAM and got to see the Philadelphia programs in action.
DREAM's annual appeal has kicked off. Staff have been working hard to get letters out to donors. Mentor's also contributed by calling alumni and thanking them for all the work they have done for DREAM and the support they continue to give!
Mentor Training and Workshops: ● For our annual mentor conference, DREAMstock, we got together at Bolton Valley with mentors from all of our Vermont programs. This year we were excited to have two Philadelphia mentors attend. Mentors attended informational sessions, collaborated with mentors from different programs, and made exciting plans for enhancing their local programs!
Camp:
This year Camp DREAM turned 10 years old! To celebrate the milestone DREAM held a birthday bash at Camp in Fletcher, VT. Staff, DREAM alumni, mentors and youth, and friends of DREAM enjoyed fresh baked flatbread pizza, games, and an informational discussion on the history of Camp DREAM and what the years to come will look like!
Alumni Involvement: We are very excited to announce that alumnus Matt Karkut has taken the position of Camp Programming and Operations Manager. Matt was a Champlain College mentor and spent a summer with DREAM as an Adventure Programming Coordinator. While we were sad to say good bye to Rosetta Morse, who moved on to join Burton's Chill
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
Program, we are thrilled to have someone with such energy and passion for getting youth outdoors!
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 802.681.3982
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org