dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Birchwood DREAM Quarterly Report March-May 2015 Greetings from DREAM! As the school year drew to an end and the children and college students all prepared for summer, wonderful DREAM activities began, starting in March and stretching into May. Our Local Programs and communities were brimming with DREAMiness and here is a summary of happenings that occurred during these three months. Highlights from the quarter include: • One Friday, mentors brought snacks and played games in the community center with their mentees. • Before leaving town for spring break, mentors took mentees to downtown Burlington for pizza and ice cream. • On the first day of spring, mentees were on campus for a St. Patrick’s Day party. St. Patrick’s Day snacks were a big hit, and some mentees played cards while others watched a movie called “Luck of the Irish.” • Mentors talked to Nikki (graduating mentee) about what she wanted for her last DREAM Friday, and they decided to go to SkateLand in Essex for rollerskating! • On the last Friday of the year, Birchwood/Champlain DREAM held a culminating barbeque at Oakledge Park in Burlington. They played games and had hamburgers and hot dogs by the lake. Everyone had a blast, although they were sad that Kate and Nikki are saying goodbye to DREAM. Special Events for Children and Mentors: • Elm Street planned, fundraised for, and challenged themselves to a high ropes course at Northern Lights Rock and Ice this quarter for their culminating event, to celebrate another successful year together. Capacity Building and Fundraising: • Dartmouth College DREAM Programs underwent a fierce season of fundraising for the High Adventure trip they will take in June. Look for updates from the trip in our next report! • DREAM continues to raise funds for our capital campaign, reaching about $200,000 of our $500,000 goal so far. We will be building up Camp DREAM to allow more youth from our programs to get to camp. Plans involve a bathhouse, a lodge and an infirmary. Mentor Training and Workshops: • There were no mentor trainings this quarter Camp:
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
•
DREAM had some great help from volunteers at our Camp Work Days this quarter. IBM brought three volunteers on May 1st and Hickok and Boardman Insurance brought 15 volunteers on May 22nd. Volunteers helped with carpentry work on framing for our newest building, the bathhouse. They provided skilled tree services and helped stock fuel wood for our Camp oven that feeds kids all summer long.
Alumni Involvement: • DREAM welcomed many new faces to our Alumni Organization this quarter. We had 11 high school graduates who have big plans for next year, we can’t wait to see what they accomplish next! We also welcomed many mentor graduates who we hope will stay involved and engaged as they transition to post-college life. Well done everyone! Office: • DREAM staff gathered at Bolton Valley Resort for a Sprinter retreat on March 1617. • The DREAM staff and board members gathered for a retreat in May to talk about DREAM’s future, engage in meaningful converstations about our programs and participate in a Safe Spaces training. 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/mentoring/vermont/localprogram-reports.
DREAM big, Adam Hurwitz Program Empowerment Director AmeriCorps*VISTA adam@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979