dreamprogram.org The DREAM Program @DREAMprogram
The Village Mentoring Organization
Riverside DREAM Quarterly Report October – December 2014 Greetings from DREAM! Riverside DREAM had a very successful quarter together, with a lot of exciting events and news to report! Special Events for Children and Mentors: • DREAM staff members were excited to host teens for our annual Teen Futures Retreat! Teens from all over the state got together to talk about their future plans regarding educational goals and career choices. Teens participated in a small service project at a local farm. • The Chittenden County Mentoring Network hosted mentors from several different Chittenden County mentoring organizations to honor their hard work and dedication. DREAM mentors were invited to attend the function which was held in Burlington. • High school senior, Safia, was accepted to multiple colleges with large scholarships. Congratulations to her and her family on a very exciting accomplishment! • Riverside mentors organized a mentor retreat, potluck style. Mentors gathered at a co-chair’s apartment and had some thoughtful discussions about DREAM’s Theory of Change and their vision for the program next semester. Weekly Activities with Youth: • For their first Friday after summer break, mentors and mentees had a potluck at Riverside. The group played games and hung out in the community for the afternoon. Parents were also excited to see mentors again! • One Friday this fall the mentors and mentees played dodge ball at Roosevelt Park, enjoying the time they could spend outside while it lasted. • The group held a scavenger hunt on Church Street, running around downtown taking lots of funny photos and having fun. • The group took a trip to Shelburne Orchards for an afternoon of apple picking. Mentors organized another Friday to bake apple pie with their mentees at one mentor’s apartment. • Mentees had fun one Friday playing games at the UVM gym. • Mentors and mentees spent an afternoon on Athletic campus, playing soccer and basketball outside, slime making inside, and lots of other fun!
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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For Halloween, the group went trick or treating with their mentors around Burlington and some made it up to UVM. In November, Elm St. hosted their annual Chili Cook Off fundraiser at UVM, which Riverside attended with chili and cornbread to share. Riverside had some afternoons of one-on-ones and smaller group activities.
Mentor Training and Workshops: • For our annual mentor conference, DREAM Stock, we got together at Bolton Valley with mentors from all of our Vermont programs. This year we were excited to have two Philadelphia mentors attend. Mentors attended informational sessions, collaborated with mentors from different programs, and made exciting plans for enhancing their local programs! Camp: • This year Camp DREAM turned 10 years old! To celebrate the milestone DREAM held a birthday bash at Camp in Fletcher, VT. Staff, DREAM alumni, mentors and youth, and friends of DREAM enjoyed fresh baked flatbread pizza, games, and an informational discussion on the history of Camp DREAM and what the years to come will look like! Alumni Involvement: • We are very excited to announce that alumnus Matt Karkut has taken the position of Camp Programming and Operations Manager. Matt was a Champlain College mentor and spent a summer with DREAM as an Adventure Programming Coordinator. While we were sad to say good bye to Rosetta Morse, who moved on to join Burton's Chill Program, we are thrilled to have someone with such energy and passion for getting youth outdoors! Capacity Building and Fundraising: • DREAM received a grant from the Green Mountain Fund to help in sustaining and expanding programming at Johnson State College. DREAM also received a grant from Hills and Hollow to aid in the continued support of our programming at Green Mountain College. DREAM was honored to receive a generous grant from the Donley Foundation to aid in delivery of general programming to all of our Vermont programs.
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Our development team met in Philadelphia for a biannual retreat. The team was able to discuss what the coming years will look like for DREAM and got to see the Philadelphia programs in action.
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DREAM's annual appeal has kicked off. Staff members have been working hard to get letters out to donors. Mentor's also contributed by calling alumni and thanking them for all the work they have done for DREAM and the support they continue to give!
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, Kate Cahalane Program Empowerment Director kcahalane@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979