The DREAM Program, Poultney, Quarter 1, 2014-2015

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

Poultney DREAM Quarterly Report September – November 2014 Greetings from DREAM! Poultney you are as excited as ever to come to DREAM each week. They have spent a lot of time being active, playing games, and using creativity to make crafts. The group was able to pair up and being one-on-one time this quarter!

Highlights from the quarter include:  The Poultney program welcomes 4 new mentors this quarter!  Poultney mentors are planning ahead for future weekly programming, a community meet-and-greet, and culminating experiences.  Mentors from Green Mountain College attended DREAMstock retreat for a weekend of networking and training, thus improving their skills as a mentor!  Poultney has officially matched up this quarter!

Weekly Activities:  The group kicked off the quarter with an Olympic Games Tournament with activities like three-legged races, relay races, and never-ending hula-hooping!  Mentors lead mentees on a photo scavenger hunt around town!  In the spirit of Halloween, the Poultney program dedicated two separate Wednesdays for pumpkin painting and a Halloween costume party!  Youth leadership skills have been strengthened by playing team exercises and group initiatives, building confidence and trust.  The Poultney program had its first one-on-one time this quarter!

Special Events for Children and Mentors: 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.

Mentor Training and Workshops:

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

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

For our annual mentor conference, DREAM Stock, 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 Program, we are thrilled to have someone with such energy and passion for getting youth outdoors!

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!

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

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

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

back at past reports or other programs’ reports by going to: http://dreamprogram.org/mentor-program/vermont/local-program-reports.

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