The DREAM Program, Pine Meadow/Peter Coe, September-November, 2017-2018

Pine​ ​Meadow/Peter​ ​Coe​ ​DREAM​ ​Quarterly​ ​Report September​ ​-​ ​November​ ​2017

Greetings​ ​from​ ​DREAM!​ ​ ​As​ ​the​ ​summer​ ​drew​ ​to​ ​an​ ​end​ ​and​ ​the​ ​children​ ​and​ ​college​ ​students​ ​all prepared​ ​for​ ​class,​ ​wonderful​ ​DREAM​ ​activities​ ​began,​ ​starting​ ​in​ ​September​ ​and​ ​stretching​ ​all​ ​the​ ​way​ ​to December.​ ​Middlebury​ ​College​ ​and​ ​the​ ​Pine​ ​Meadow​ ​community​ ​were​ ​brimming​ ​with​ ​DREAMiness​ ​and here​ ​is​ ​a​ ​summary​ ​of​ ​happenings​ ​that​ ​occurred​ ​during​ ​the​ ​fall.

Highlights​ ​from​ ​the​ ​quarter​ ​include: ● ● ●

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The​ ​mentors​ ​returned​ ​from​ ​summer​ ​break​ ​and​ ​were​ ​ready​ ​to​ ​get​ ​back​ ​into​ ​DREAM planning!

The​ ​co-chairs,​ ​Chris​ ​Adamo​ ​and​ ​Tara​ ​Santi,​ ​made​ ​a​ ​list​ ​of​ ​DREAM​ ​Fridays​ ​for​ ​the​ ​whole semester,​ ​and​ ​gave​ ​it​ ​to​ ​the​ ​parents​ ​of​ ​the​ ​mentees​ ​in​ ​the​ ​community.

The​ ​co-chairs​ ​also​ ​tabled​ ​at​ ​two​ ​activities​ ​fairs​ ​to​ ​recruit​ ​new​ ​mentors​ ​and​ ​many​ ​students showed​ ​interested!​ ​Throughout​ ​the​ ​quarter​ ​some​ ​new​ ​students​ ​join​ ​and​ ​became mentors!

Janice​ ​Zhang,​ ​a​ ​new​ ​mentor​ ​of​ ​this​ ​year,​ ​matched​ ​with​ ​Kaylee!​ ​This​ ​was​ ​the​ ​first​ ​match of​ ​the​ ​semester!

Participants-​ ​LOOK​ ​ON​ ​ROSTER​ ​FOR​ ​THESE​ ​NUMBERS Mentees Mentors Total:​ ​12 Total:​ ​11 Fridays​: ●

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For​ ​the​ ​first​ ​Friday​ ​of​ ​the​ ​quarter,​ ​the​ ​group​ ​drove​ ​to​ ​Lake​ ​Dunmore​ ​and​ ​spent​ ​the afternoon​ ​swimming​ ​in​ ​the​ ​lake​ ​and​ ​making​ ​s'mores!​ ​It​ ​was​ ​a​ ​beautiful​ ​sunny​ ​day​ ​and the​ ​kids​ ​really​ ​enjoyed​ ​the​ ​s’mores!

In​ ​October,​ ​Middlebury​ ​DREAM​ ​went​ ​apple​ ​picking​ ​at​ ​Happy​ ​Valley​ ​Orchard,​ ​and munched​ ​on​ ​some​ ​apple​ ​cider​ ​donuts​ ​and​ ​hot​ ​cider!

Another​ ​Friday,​ ​the​ ​mentors​ ​ventured​ ​to​ ​the​ ​Willowell​ ​Farm​ ​in​ ​Bristol.​ ​There,​ ​the​ ​group picked​ ​beets​ ​and​ ​black​ ​beans.​ ​Then​ ​made​ ​some​ ​delicious​ ​pizzas​ ​with​ ​ingredients​ ​from the​ ​farm.

At​ ​the​ ​end​ ​of​ ​October,​ ​the​ ​mentors​ ​threw​ ​a​ ​Halloween​ ​party​ ​for​ ​the​ ​kids!​ ​The​ ​kids painted​ ​pumpkins,​ ​bobbed​ ​for​ ​apples,​ ​ate​ ​donuts​ ​off​ ​a​ ​string,​ ​colored,​ ​and​ ​ran​ ​around​ ​in their​ ​costumes.

In​ ​November,​ ​the​ ​mentors​ ​took​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​to​ ​campus​ ​and​ ​taught​ ​them​ ​how​ ​to​ ​make​ ​their own​ ​pottery.​ ​The​ ​kids​ ​made​ ​some​ ​incredible​ ​works​ ​of​ ​art! ● The​ ​mentors​ ​also​ ​had​ ​an​ ​arts​ ​and​ ​crafts​ ​day​ ​on​ ​campus​ ​where​ ​they​ ​ironed​ ​beads,​ ​made origami,​ ​decorated​ ​cookies,​ ​and​ ​did​ ​some​ ​coloring. ●

Special​ ​Events​ ​for​ ​Children​ ​and​ ​Mentors: ● In​ ​October,​ ​DREAM​ ​staff​ ​hosted​ ​our​ ​annual​ ​mentor​ ​conference,​ ​DREAMstock!​ ​We​ ​had over​ ​50​ ​mentors​ ​in​ ​attendance​ ​from​ ​7​ ​different​ ​programs​ ​across​ ​the​ ​state.​ ​The​ ​day consisted​ ​of​ ​multiple​ ​trainings​ ​on​ ​topics​ ​including​ ​behavior​ ​management,​ ​cultural competency,​ ​healthy​ ​sexual​ ​development​ ​in​ ​youth,​ ​and​ ​a​ ​teen​ ​panel.

Capacity​ ​Building​ ​and​ ​Fundraising: ● We’re​ ​in​ ​the​ ​middle​ ​of​ ​our​ ​annual​ ​fundraising​ ​drive,​ ​where​ ​we​ ​raise​ ​close​ ​to​ ​⅓​ ​of​ ​our annual​ ​operating​ ​budget.

Camp: ● ●

Camp​ ​programming​ ​is​ ​off​ ​at​ ​the​ ​moment,​ ​but​ ​we​ ​are​ ​planning​ ​for​ ​Winter​ ​Adventure Camp​ ​in​ ​February​ ​and​ ​March.

Camp​ ​construction​ ​on​ ​our​ ​lodge,​ ​bath​ ​house,​ ​and​ ​more​ ​is​ ​currently​ ​underway.

Teen​ ​Accomplishments: ● The​ ​Fall​ ​Vermont​ ​Teen​ ​retreat​ ​took​ ​place​ ​on​ ​Saturday,​ ​November​ ​4​ ​at​ ​Champlain College.​ ​19​ ​teens​ ​from​ ​all​ ​across​ ​the​ ​state,​ ​5​ ​DREAM​ ​staff,​ ​5​ ​DREAM​ ​mentors,​ ​and​ ​6 guest​ ​speakers​ ​attended.​ ​The​ ​range​ ​of​ ​topics​ ​covered​ ​included​ ​career​ ​options​ ​and identity,​ ​as​ ​well​ ​as​ ​college​ ​club​ ​options​ ​and​ ​challenges​ ​that​ ​teens​ ​face​ ​at​ ​school​ ​and​ ​in their​ ​personal​ ​lives.​ ​It​ ​was​ ​a​ ​very​ ​successful​ ​event!

Alumni: ● The​ ​alumni​ ​council​ ​is​ ​rolling​ ​out​ ​an​ ​alumni​ ​directory​ ​intended​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​alumni​ ​connected and​ ​able​ ​to​ ​support​ ​the​ ​kids​ ​and​ ​organization. ● Alumni​ ​grants​ ​are​ ​also​ ​being​ ​reviewed,​ ​providing​ ​program​ ​sites​ ​with​ ​additional program-related​ ​funding.

Office: ●

DREAM​ ​welcomed​ ​14​ ​new​ ​Americorps​ ​members​ ​(six​ ​of​ ​which​ ​are​ ​serving​ ​in​ ​Vermont) and​ ​kicked​ ​off​ ​the​ ​new​ ​service​ ​year​ ​with​ ​a​ ​retreat.​ ​The​ ​retreat​ ​set​ ​vision​ ​for​ ​the​ ​upcoming year​ ​and​ ​included​ ​all​ ​members​ ​and​ ​staff​ ​from​ ​across​ ​our​ ​three​ ​locations​ ​(Boston, Philadelphia,​ ​and​ ​Vermont).

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The​ ​DREAM​ ​Office​ ​hosted​ ​its​ ​first​ ​site​ ​visit​ ​with​ ​our​ ​CNCS​ ​Grant​ ​Officer​ ​Rachel​ ​Turner.

The​ ​visit​ ​was​ ​very​ ​informative​ ​and​ ​helpful​ ​for​ ​us​ ​and​ ​Rachel​ ​was​ ​pleased​ ​with​ ​our progress​ ​as​ ​a​ ​new​ ​grantee.

DREAM​ ​Vermont​ ​has​ ​a​ ​“new”​ ​office​ ​at​ ​the​ ​Elm​ ​Street​ ​Community​ ​Center​ ​in​ ​Winooski, Vermont.​ ​ A​ ​few​ ​of​ ​our​ ​current​ ​staff​ ​members​ ​and​ ​AmeriCorps​ ​members​ ​will​ ​now​ ​call​ ​this their​ ​new​ ​home​ ​office.

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, Katie​ ​Nash Program​ ​Empowerment​ ​Director knash@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979