The DREAM Program, Johnson, Quarter 2, 2014-2015

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

Johnson DREAM Quarterly Report September-November 2014 Greetings from DREAM! Fall brought beautiful foliage and great weather, which DREAMers took full advantage of this quarter. Though the semester is drawing to a close, mentees are excited for the coming holiday season, especially the time off and promise of snow. Here is a summary of Johnson DREAM happenings from Quarter 2: Highlights from the Quarter Include:  Recruiting was quite successful at the beginning of the school year, as five new mentors joined DREAM.  New mentors have hit the ground running, engaging with mentees and helping create lots of exciting activities!  DREAM is excited to welcome five new mentees to the Johnson State College program!  Mentors have decided to take on an intern next semester through Think College, a pre-college preparation program at Johnson State.  Mentors are planning a culminating celebration for their last Friday on campus!

Weekly Activities with Youth:  One Friday mentors and mentees met on campus to decorate Frisbees and play field games.  Mentees played lots of Jenga, did some drawing/coloring, and challenged each other in ping-pong.  Taking advantage of the last warm days of the year, Johnson DREAMers played FROLF (Frisbee-Golf) on campus, as well as several other outdoor games.  During another Friday, Johnson mentors and mentees went to the gym on campus to play basketball, soccer and racquetball. Then, they all made cards for Megan, a mentor who is studying abroad this semester.  On October 31st, everyone dressed up in costume for a Halloween party featuring themed music, snacks, and games and, of course, lots of dancing.  Johnson DREAM spent one Friday afternoon in the Visual Arts Building, painting pictures and touring the photography center – the kids loved the dark room!

Then, everyone went outside for a big game of hide-and-seek.

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

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



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

DREAM big,

Adam Hurwitz Program Empowerment Director adam@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979