The DREAM Program, Johnson, Quarter 2, 2016

dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram

The Village Mentoring Organization

Johnson –DREAM Quarterly Report December 2015 – February 2016

Greetings from DREAM! This quarter, Johnson mentors and mentees wrapped up another fantastic semester and parted ways for Johnson State College’s winter break.

After a long month apart, the group reunited and jumped right back into another semester of exciting programming!

Highlights from the quarter include: • On Martin Luther King Jr Day, DREAM hosted a group of teens from across the state at Camp DREAM for a day of service and bonding.

• On Martin Luther King Jr Day, DREAM hosted a group of teens from across the state at Camp DREAM for a day of service and bonding.

• Several Johnson mentors and mentees joined DREAMers from across the state at Winter Adventure Camp held at Camp DREAM on January 30th. The group spent the day sledding, hiking in the snow, playing broomball on the frozen pond, and getting to know DREAMers from other programs!

• DREAM held Teen Winter Adventure Camp at the beginning of the month during which mentors and mentees from across the state attended the Penguin Plunge and then went ice-skating! Several DREAM staff members, mentees, former camp counselors, and program alumni participated in the Penguin Plunge and dove into Lake Champlain!

• Three new mentees joined Johnson DREAM! Fridays: • Mentees spent multiple DREAM Fridays splashing around in the Johnson State College pool with their mentors!

• Mentors and mentees did arts and crafts together on campus!

• The group spent their first DREAM Friday of the Spring semester sledding on campus!

Special Events for Children and Mentors: • This quarter DREAM held two Winter Adventure Camps (WAC), one for teens and one for 8-12 year olds o WAC for 8-12 year olds took place at Camp DREAM. We had a total of 117 attendees, including 42 mentors, 12 staff and volunteers, and 63 youth. The group enjoyed activities such as broomball, sledding, magical winter hikes, and of course, plenty of hot chocolate!

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

•

o We had a total of 48 attendees for Teen WAC, including 21 teens, 15 mentors, 10 staff, and 2 volunteers. A team of 6 DREAMers, made up of staff, teens, and alumni, participated in the annual Penguin Plunge to benefit the Special Olympics, jumping into the freezing Lake Champlain waters while the rest of the group cheered them on! The team raised a total of $900 for the Special Olympics and won a facebook photo contest!

After the plunge, the group spent the afternoon ice skating and bonding at Cairns Arena.

This January DREAM teens from across Vermont, including one Middlebury DREAM teen, convened at Camp DREAM on Martin Luther King day to do service, reconnect, enjoy some sledding, and share a meal.

Capacity Building and Fundraising: • We had a strong annual fundraising drive, raising $326K in individual support, far exceeding dollars raised in previous appeals!

Mentor Training and Workshops: • This quarter a small group of Vermont mentors, teen mentees, and staff made the trek to Boston to attend their annual DREAMstock, mentor conference for DREAM mentors. Our two teen mentee attendees hosted a Q&A panel for mentors, answering questions about their experiences and opinions on mentoring.

Camp: • We are about 4/5 of the way to completing our capital campaign for Camp DREAM and plan on breaking ground this summer, permits allowing, for a large multi-purpose lodge. We hope this building will be heated and have a large great room, a nurses station with a bathroom, a working office with internet and phone access, and more!

• Work on the bathhouse facilities continue. The frame is up and we are well on the way to completing this project. Once finished the bathhouse will have both composting toilets and shower facilities. The youth could not be more excited to have shower at Camp DREAM soon!

Alumni Involvement: • This quarter we have begun recruiting Alumni Liaisons from current mentors in our programs. These Liaisons will work closely with the Program Liaisons from the Alumni Council to help keep alumni updated on current program happenings.

Office: • DREAM has hired a Student Employee from Champlain College to be our Board Assistant. The Board Assistant will provide support and clerical assistance to our Board of Directors and CEO. 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, Julia Dillavou Program Empowerment Director, VYT AmeriCorps VISTA Julia@dreamprogram.org, 802.338.8979