dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Franklin Square DREAM Quarterly Report April-June 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: • This May DREAM about 25 DREAMers gathered at Camp DREAM for our annual Staff/Board/Alumni retreat. The retreat served as a chance to connect with one another, work on some big picture visioning, and engage in a training with Outright VT about creating safe spaces in our programs for queer identified youth. • Mid-June DREAM welcomed Summer Community AmeriCorps Members (formerly D-Unit or Community Interns) Dana, Noah, and Mikayla. The trio attended a three day orientation at Camp DREAM and began running activities with the Franklin Square kids starting on Monday, June 15th. Summer Programming with Youth: • Noah, Dana, and Mikayla joined forces with the Parks and Rec and Housing Authority staff to enjoy an ice cream social with Franklin Square families to kick off the summer right! • This June a group of DREAMers tackled the Mount Philo hike. • The group has been playing a lot of games in the community and getting to know each other. 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: • This quarter our DREAM summer staff attended orientation at Camp DREAM to learn the ropes of their new jobs!
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
Camp: • 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. • This quarter Camp DREAM sessions started up 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 has completed our hiring process for Program Empowerment Directors (PEDs) for next year. We are thrilled to welcome back our very own Kylie Edwards, and to welcome Julia Dillavou, Tiffany Bernard-Trowbridge, and Kelsea Moulton to the team! • 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 conversations 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/local-program-reports.
DREAM big, Kate Cahalane Program Empowerment Director AmeriCorps*VISTA kcahalane@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979