dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Salmon Run DREAM Quarterly Report September-November 2015 Greetings from DREAM! The Salmon Run program has enjoyed a fun filled fall semester and has lots of exciting news to report on!
Highlights from the Quarter Include:
Salmon Run mentors collaborated with the Elm Street and Riverside mentors to plan a Thanksgiving celebration for all three programs! The event was held at ArtsRiot in Burlington and food was donated by Hannaford. Three new mentors joined the program!
Weekly Activities with Youth:
DREAM Fridays started up on September, 11th, mentors and mentees were happy to be reunited after the summer! Mentors took mentees to North Beach for swimming and soccer! The group went hiking at Mt. Philo. Mentors and mentees participated in a scavenger hunt on Church St. Mentees and mentors baked a rainbow cake and had a dance party at a mentor’s house. The group went apple picking at Shelburne Orchards! To raise money for the program, mentors and mentees had a bake sale on campus. Mentors put on a fall celebration with bobbing for apples, donuts on a string, and Halloween movies! The group had fun rock climbing at Petra Cliffs!
Special Events for Children and Mentors:
This fall DREAM hosted its annual mentor conference, DREAMstock, at Bolton Valley Ski Resort. Mentors from all over the state attended for a weekend full of trainings, fun activities, exchanging of ideas, and bonding. Mentors talked about teen programming, how to connect with families, meeting facilitation, and fundraising ideas. Amanda Rhodenburg from Outright VT came and talked with mentors about how to create safe spaces for our youth.
Capacity Building and Fundraising:
DREAM staff members kicked off the annual appeal this November. Through the help of staff, volunteers, mentors, board members, and alumni we are over half way to our goal of $200,000. Hannaford gave a generous gift of $10,000 to DREAM. The Merchant’s Bank gave a gift of $7,500 toward Camp DREAM.
Camp:
We had a great Day of Caring this year with volunteers from Green Mountain Keurig. The day was filled with completing important tasks such as bedding the garden for the winter and dismantling old structures for materials. Camp Programs and Operations Manager, Matt Karkut, has been working hard on building structures at camp. Matt, along with volunteers, broke ground for a new cabin this fall. The group
Office: 30 Community Drive, South Burlington, VT | Mail: P.O. Box 361, Winooski, VT 05404 │ (802) 338-8979 | info@dreamprogram.org
has constructed a foundation and a subfloor for the structure. Matt also got the roof completed on the bathhouse.
Office:
In September staff from Boston, Philadelphia, and Vermont got together for a retreat. The retreat focused on how staff can strengthen local programs, work across regions, and more. DREAM is excited to announce that we have a new VYDC AmeriCorps member. Alicia Pacelli has joined the team to serve as a Teen Coordinator. Alicia will be working closely with our teens throughout the state. She will be working on post-graduation plans, teen programming, teen retreats, and summer programming opportunities. Former VYT AmeriCorps member Kate Cahalane received a Governor’s Service Award for her dedication to DREAM during her two years of service. Kate was a mentor at UVM for four years, a summer intern, supported our three Dartmouth programs as a PED, and supported our three UVM programs as a PED. Kate’s dedication to DREAM has impacted many youth and mentors throughout the state.
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, Kelsea Moulton Program Empowerment Director VYT AmeriCorps VISTA kelsea@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979