The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

Riverside DREAM Quarterly Report September – December 2012 Greetings from DREAM! The Riverside DREAM program has finished up another wonderful semester of DREAM activities. The children were sad to see the mentors leave for winter break but are looking forward to their return in January. Here is a summary of all the Riverside DREAM happenings from the last quarter. Highlights from the quarter include:

• Riverside DREAM joined Elm Street DREAM in hosting the annual chili cook-off, which raised $222 for both programs.

• Three Riverside mentors attended DREAMstock, the South Burlington DREAM office’s annual mentor training event. This year’s event featured sessions on: being a co-chair, how to be a mentor, working with teens, open space opportunities, and behavior management.

• One Riverside teen attended the Teen Futures Retreat accompanied by his mentor. Teens learned about preparing for college, summer opportunities, and applying for jobs, all while bonding with other DREAM teens from around the state.

• The Riverside program welcomed Birchwood Alumna Caitlin Patey as their program partner. The South Burlington DREAM Office also welcomed alumni Steph Baer, Nicole Stevenson, and Laura Kingston as Burlington-area Program Partners.

Friday Activities:

• Mentors picked up their mentees at The Riverside Community and headed to Oakledge Park for a day of barbecuing and games.

• Poor weather stopped the mentors and youth from hiking Mt. Philo and instead they played games at the Burlington Waterfront.

• Riverside youth and mentors went apple crazy at Shelburne Orchards! • The Riverside program mixed fun with functional by splitting up mentees for Zumba and a

discussion of the rules and expectations for this year of DREAM mentoring. • Mentors and mentees made some delicious baked goods and sold them during UVM’s

parents’ weekend earning $99.28 for the program. • Riverside DREAM joined Elm Street DREAM in hosting the annual chili cook-off which

raised $222 for both programs. • Veteran DREAM mentors showed new mentors around the Riverside Community and

introduced mentors to families. • Mentors and mentees got lost at Sam Mazza’s corn maze. • Mentors hosted a Halloween party for DREAM youth with pumpkin painting, donuts on a

string eating contests, and bobbing for apples.

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

• Mentors and youth engaged in some friendly competition during a bowling event at Champlain Lanes.

• Youth and mentors got to know each other a little better with one-on-ones before the mentors left campus for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

• Mentors spent the day cooking for the Riverside Thanksgiving dinner. • Mentors finished out the semester with optional Fridays of one-on-ones.

Special Events for Children and Mentors:

• Three Riverside mentors attended DREAMstock, the South Burlington DREAM office’s annual mentor training event. This year’s event featured sessions on: being a co-chair, how to be a mentor, working with teens, open space opportunities, and behavior management.

Capacity Building and Fundraising:

• The Riverside DREAM Program hosted a successful bake sale during parents’ weekend which raised $99.28 towards this past semester’s DREAM events.

• This year, Riverside DREAM paired up with Elm Street DREAM to host the annual Chili Cook-off which raised $222 for both programs.

• Mentors volunteered at the Ben and Jerry’s Factory in Waterbury Vermont to raise money to support their program.

• On November 19th, DREAM launched its Annual Appeal! Keep a look out for your letter and please consider donating. So far the annual appeal has raised $45k from 73 donors.

• Mike Foote re-joined the DREAM office as the Director of Strategy and Growth in early October and will be spearheading expansion efforts into Philadelphia.

Mentor Training and Workshops:

• Mentors received their annual Mentor Boundaries and Guidelines Training to kick off the semester and help orient new mentors to DREAM.

Camp and Teens:

• One Riverside teen attended the Teen Futures Retreat accompanied by his mentor. Teens learned about preparing for college, summer opportunities, and applying for jobs, all while bonding with other DREAM teens from around the state.

• Teen Futures Retreat—November 3-4. 60+ mentors and teens gathered to hear about future opportunities available to them. If you would like more information, check out this article from our Alumni Newsletter, the Blue Wagon, http://www.dreamprogram.org/about/announcement/teen-futures-retreat-skyrocketing-future.

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

• Camp Work Days and Days of Caring occurred in late September and early October. Approximately 100 volunteers assisted staff in various work projects around camp in order to clean up from the summer and prep camp for Winter Adventure Camp in January.

• On September 30th, mentors and alumni joined DREAM Support Staff for the DREAMstock camp workday.

• On September 30th a group of Elm Street Mentors and Teens hiked a portion of the Long Trail as part of the Catamountain Classic. The event was in honor of mentor Avi Kurganoff. Other clubs from UVM also volunteered by hiking their own sections of the Long Trail. This fundraiser helped to set up a scholarship for a DREAM teen to attend an Outward Bound Program. The event planners hope to make this an annual fundraiser to keep the scholarship available to DREAM teens in the future.

• Camp DREAM has partnered with Yestermorrow, a sustainable design school, to create a sustainable design plan for the new bathroom facilities and kitchen at Camp DREAM.

• Camp DREAM was proud to be awarded a VT Buildings and General Services Recreational Facilities grant to help fund the new septic system that will be installed at camp.

Alumni Involvement:

• The Riverside program welcomed Birchwood Alumna Caitlin Patey as their program partner. The South Burlington DREAM Office also welcomed alumni Steph Baer, Nicole Stevenson, and Laura Kingston as Burlington-area Program Partners.

• The South Burlington DREAM office welcome alumni: Danielle Jenkins, Andrew Lassiter, Nicole Stevenson, Phil Ortego, Rachel Kauppila, Jenna Rae Genest, Caitlin Patey, Paul Espina, and Megan Kerrigan as volunteers at DREAMstock and the Teen Futures Retreat.

• On October 18th we launched our annual alumni appeal. For the appeal, a group of Riverside mentors participated in the annual alumni phone-a-thon. So far, the UVM programs have received donations from 40 of their alumni. Overall, the alumni appeal has raised $33k from 196 donors.

• Two former DREAM mentors, Kate Piniewski and Alison Siegel joined the DREAM Support Staff as Program Empowerment VISTAs serving in the White River Junction and Bennington offices.

• DREAM Support Staff have begun the process of engaging with DREAM alumni in Philadelphia, PA and Washington, DC to gauge opportunity for DREAM to have impact in these new cities.

Office: • DREAM launched its new website in October, check it out at www.dreamprogram.org

The DREAM Program, Inc. P.O. Box 361 Winooski, VT 05404 (802) 338-8979 tel www.dreamprogram.org

• Mike Ewan, former South Burlington DREAM office member, has recently transitioned into a new role as the Program Director, Advanced Support working with all of the DREAM offices.

• The DREAM office welcomed back former Program Empowerment VISTA Sarah Caliendo as the Program Director, Direct Support for the South Burlington DREAM office.

• DREAM has recently extended its support network through opening a DREAM office in White River Junction at the Northwoods Community.

• DREAM moved one step closer to attaining its goal of opening programs at all the State Colleges in Vermont by launching a program at Johnson State College this past fall.

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 visiting the “program reports” section of our website. DREAM big, Britt Wedenoja Program Empowerment VISTA Britt@dreamprogram.org 802.338.8979