dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Johnson 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: Fridays: • • • • •
On one Friday in March, some mentees went sledding, while others played board games inside and did arts and crafts. Another Friday, mentors and mentees played games in the gym and had snacks together. Johnson DREAM is happy to announce that Kirsty Greeno will be stepping into a leadership role, serving as the program Chair next semester! Johnson DREAM finished up another successful semester, and the kids are all looking forward to summer programming and summer at Camp DREAM! Julia Dillavou, who ran programming last summer in several DREAM communities, will be returning for a second summer, working with communities in Milton and Johnson!
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.
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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: •
DREAM had some great help from volunteers at our Camp Work Days this quarter. IBM brought st three volunteers on May 1 and Hickok and Boardman Insurance brought 15 volunteers on May nd 22 . 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:
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
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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 16-17. • 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/local-program-reports.
DREAM big, Adam Hurwitz Program Empowerment Director AmeriCorps*VISTA adam@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979