dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Willowbrook DREAM Quarterly Report March – May 2015 Greetings from DREAM! In this quarter, youth at Willowbrook and their mentors had many enriching adventures together and have strengthened their bond throughout the term. Mentors have gone for summer vacation but youth look forward to summer programming! Highlights from the quarter include: DREAM teens from across the state came together for an identity retreat in South Burlington. They were glad to be reunited and had fun teaching tech skills to the elderly and learning about identities! Mentee Brianna Wilder won the Martin Luther King Jr. poster contest of “How do you help others?” and was awarded an acrylic paint set for her efforts! Go Bri! Weekly Programming: The youth spent a day learning about and playing with maple syrup! They were even allowed to take home some samples! The group has begun one-on-one programming and each mentee gets to pick their own activity! Mentors and mentees got together one Friday for origami and paper-mache making! The group has been busy as bees with one-on-one programming! Willowbrook mentors gather mentees off the bus and it is up to the mentees to decide what activities they would like to do including cooking, exploring, and going to the campus library! Then they always reconvene for snack and group activities! They also spent a day of one-on-ones where youth had the chance over a period of two weeks to create something out of clay, cook it, and paint it! All of their creations will be ready in May!
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:
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
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!
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. 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. 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!
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
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, 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