The Blue Wagon Alumni Newsletter – May 2011

Inside this issue Amuse Bouche & Announcements 2

Join the Alumni Appeal Committee 3

Senior Quotes 4

DREAM Alumni – Where are they now? 5

Jayla Brink Awarded VSAC Scholarship 6

DREAM College Prep Adventure Program 6

DREAM in the Spotlight 7

DREAM Doppelgängers 8

Do you ever think back on those times that shaped your DREAM experience? Do you remember sharing special moments with your partner, embracing the challenge of bringing chaos to order on DREAM Fridays, enjoying fun and enriching culminating trips, or braving the elements at Camp, especially in the middle of February? I know I sure do.    One of my fondest memories as a DREAMer was on the big blue bus en route to Dartmouth after an awesome culminating trip to Six Flags. One of the mentees asked if she could write something on my DREAM shirt, and I responded “sure” without thinking anything of it. I should have seen it coming. Pretty soon every mentee in the back of the bus was clambering all over my seat, scribbling on my shirt, arms, and face with Sharpies. Completely outnumbered and laughing to the point of tears, I surrendered to the ridiculousness of the situation. After fifteen minutes of mayhem, I emerged more colorful, exhausted, and happy than before.    I showered that evening, but I saved that shirt because it reminds me of how the bonds we form in DREAM are the catalysts for joy and friendship. DREAM has taken on a whole new meaning for me now, a responsibility to ensure the success and expansion of the organization, to enhance the relationship between DREAM and its Alumni, and to give future generations the opportunity to share the DREAM experience. But it’s the sense of happiness and pride I felt as a mentor that continues to guide me.    DREAMing Ahead,   AJ LeGaye President, 2010-2012 DREAM Alumni Council a.legaye@gmail.com

AMUSE BOUCHE By AJ LeGaye, Alumni Council President

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ANNOUNCEMENTS  

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1. Mobius is looking for mentors in Vermont. Are

you a former DREAMer living in the Burlington area? You can continue mentoring by contacting Mobius today! (Or learning more on http://www.mobiusmentors.org/) There are 14 programs in Chittenden County that are currently looking for mentors. One hour of fun a week could make a difference in a child’s life! Please contact Marissa Wilkens, Mobius Director of Recruitment and Events, to learn more: marissa@mobiusmentors.org or (802) 658-1888.

2. Vermont State Legislature honors The DREAM Program for its 10th Anniversary. Read the full article and the text of the Concurrent Resolution online here. http://dreamprogram.org/news/2011HouseResolution.pdf

3. DREAM Boston Office selected as host site for Massachusetts Promise Fellowship Americorps Program. Read full article online here. http://news.dreamprogram.org/2011/04/dream-program-inc-selected-as-host-site.html

4. DREAM gets shout-out from the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD). Read article from the HUD New England Newsletter here. http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/documents/huddoc?id=NENewsletterApril2011.pdf

Office Staff & DREAMers celebrate outside the Vermont Statehouse.

Do you miss spending time with DREAM mentors and mentees? Are you looking for ways to support the programs you started at your local DREAM chapter even though you are no longer in school? Do you enjoy planning events?   If you answered YES to any of the above, you may be a great candidate for the ALUMNI APPEAL COMMITTEE sponsored by the DREAM Alumni Council!    Every year, the DREAM Alumni Council conducts an Alumni Appeal to raise funds for DREAM. The Committee members, along with the Alumni Council leadership, help to execute the Appeal. The general commitment is about two hours per week from May to August, and about 6-8 hours per week during the “active” Appeal time (tentatively late September – October).    If you are interested in learning more about the Alumni Appeal Committee, please contact Frieda Arenos, Alumni Appeal Leader, and Kate Haggerty, Money Initiative Head.    We look forward to hearing from you!   DREAM On,      Frieda Arenos, UVM ’08 Kate Haggerty, UVM ‘06 flarenos@gmail.com klhaggerty@gmail.com  

Join the Alumni Appeal Committee! By Frieda Arenos, Alumni Appeal Leader & Kate Haggerty, Money Initiative Area Head

Frieda (below) and Kate (right) enjoying some fun times with their respective mentees.

It’s that time of year when seniors are on the home stretch toward graduation, so we asked our DREAM seniors to briefly reflect on their favorite memory of their time in DREAM. They go to show you that it’s both the little and big things about DREAM that make it amazing. Enjoy!    Karen Doster (Dartmouth): “My favorite memory is the teen retreat my sophomore spring -- even though it was insanely cold and our teens were not on their best behavior, it was the first time I felt like I really had a strong connection with my mentee. It showed me that you get out of DREAM what you put into it!”

Tim Nazzaro (Boston University): “So many to pick from - spending the evening with Marcus at the Red Sox game was wicked fun, so that will probably be the one that will stick out in my mind the most.”  

 Anya Perret (Dartmouth): “My favorite DREAM memory was playing 500 (kickball game) last week with my mentee on the Dartmouth Green and realizing how much she had grown over a few years and how much fun we were both having. It was one of those ‘pure happiness’ moments.”    Edie Stuart (Dartmouth): “High Adventure 2008. I feel like that was the first time I got to bond with the teen girls and generally became the key foundation of our relationship from there forward.”    Pat Garguiolo (Northeastern): “Has got to be ice skating with all the kids, teaching them to skate, seeing some of them start to get it, and how proud they were that they could make it around the rink without falling. It was great to see the kids have fun and succeed at something because of DREAM.”   Lauren Morrell (Dartmouth): “One of my favorite DREAM moments was when Bre, Emi, and I all looked for ghosts in Sanborn for 2 hours. I was legitimately terrified at some points because there definitely ARE ghosts in Sanborn, and the whole event was hilarious. I forgot how fun it is to play imagination.”    Christina Melendy (Green Mountain): “Taking a walk with my mentee and my dog by the river behind the school, because I had never heard my mentee laugh so much!”    Elizabeth Palmer (Dartmouth): “My favorite DREAM moment was the last night of High Adventure 2008 when the entire group sat on the dock in Key West and reflected on how rewarding the trip had been and how great of friends we had all become over the course of our travels across Florida.”

Greg Goldstein (Dartmouth): “My favorite DREAM experience has been whitewater rafting on the 2010 High Adventure trip to California. In 24 hours I watched teens transition from scared to nervous to excited to exhilarated to a real team that spent the afternoon laughing, smiling, and cheering together.”  

Marcus enjoying the Sox game.

 

High Adventure DREAMers go whitewater rafting in California.

Senior Quotes By Dylan Nelson, Community Initiative Area Head

DREAM Alumni – Where are they now? By Lindsay Deane

1. Basics! What is your full name and age? Where are you living now? Where are you from originally?  My full name is Lindsay Deane, I am 25 years young, and I currently live in downtown Boston, about half an hour from my hometown of Cohasset, MA.    2. What DREAM program did you participate in? During which years? Who was your mentee? Do you still keep in touch with him/her?  I was a mentor and co-chair of the Northwoods - Hollow Drive program during my four years at Dartmouth, from 2004 until I graduated in 2008. For the majority of that time, my mentee was Cassy. I still keep in touch with her every now and then, but not as much as I should.  3. Do you have any special or favorite memories of DREAM from when you were in college? Did you go on a high adventure trip, for instance, or have a special relationship with your mentee or their family?  Yes. Cassy was the oldest sister in a family of three with her single mom. Spending time with Cassy, Tia, Travis and Amy was always special. It was great to be welcomed into another family while at school and away from my own. More specifically, one of my favorite times in DREAM was D-Unit ‘07. It was fantastic to see all the programs connecting. It was also the only time I had to fully commit to DREAM without any of the distractions that come with the academic term. Whether it was searching for the nearest swimming hole, sliding down Bromley Mountain or just going for creamies in the Home Depot parking lot, it was a time for all of us to just hang out and enjoy the summer without other commitments. I always think of my fellow sopo-ers, Will McMahan and Katie Beerman, whenever I hear Lil’ Mama's “Lip Gloss,” and how much DREAMers of all ages loved that song.    4. Did DREAM have any impact on what you did after you graduated? What did you do immediately following graduation? Are you still doing that, or are you doing something new now?  Yes. Because of DREAM I decided to join Teach for America after graduation. I was placed in Oakland, CA and taught math to a group of very lively seventh graders. Joining TFA meant that I was going to spend five weeks at summer institute in Los Angeles, missing High Adventure (sad face), in order to be trained how to be a teacher. I quickly learned that being a teacher is a different relationship than a mentor. While I wanted to be involved with all of my students' and their families' lives, like we are in DREAM, I realized that as a teacher that was not my role. This was frustrating at times, but it motivated me to focus on my students' academic achievements, knowing that by improving their academics I was opening new doors for them. Being in the classroom, I quickly learned how pervasive educational inequity is and how with good teachers all students can achieve.    5. What are you doing now? (Work, school, etc.) Are you volunteering outside of your job? Do you participate in any mentoring program (BBBS, at work, etc.)?  I currently work in the renewable energy field. My company develops and finances alternative energy projects. Outside of my job, I just ran the Boston Marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and am looking forward to running with Back on My Feet once my knee recovers from the former. I also volunteer with DREAM's Boston Office and am really excited about DREAM's expansion in Boston.    6. Are you where you thought you would be this many years out of college?  I don't think I had any clue to be honest.    7. What are your “next step” plans?  Enjoying the beautiful summer, which is just around the corner.

Please join DREAM in congratulating Jayla Brink on her Vermont Mentoring Scholarship. Jayla is one of the original DREAMers from the Green Acres/Norwich University program. She has been a DREAM rock star since 2004 and has participated as a mentee, a camper and a Counselor in Training at Camp DREAM. She will be graduating from Spaulding High School this year and is heading to college in North Carolina! The $1,000 scholarship is awarded to just one Vermont student.  Sponsored by the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, the scholarship was created to provide financial assistance to individuals who have participated as mentees who have fully participated in a Vermont mentoring program for at least two years. And Jayla has certainly committed to DREAM. To be eligible, Jayla had to demonstrate academic achievement, financial need, and a strong education and work ethic.  So please send Jayla a shout out congratulating her on this awesome achievement. You can email her at hionsuger610@aol.com.

Jayla Brink Awarded VSAC Scholarship By Mike Loner, DREAM Executive Director

At right, DREAM teens proudly show off their finished product from the tower-building contest. At left, at least one member of the team has his game face on.

This April DREAM received a Children’s Trust Fund Grant to implement a College  Prep Adventure Program! One of the components of this grant is to take five teens  on a one-week summer college tour in Western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. There is also an adventure portion that would include a fun activity  in each state so that our teens not only get a feel for the college campuses, but  also for the surrounding areas. Here is where you come in: I would love to have  Alumni come and participate in our adventure portion or to just hang out and talk  about your college experiences on your down time. Also, if you know of a college  that you think would be a must-see in one of these states or have an idea for an  awesome adventure, shoot me an e-mail. I would love to have your input. The  last request I have from you is if you would like to open your home or let us use  your backyard to pitch a tent, that would be greatly appreciated. Our overnight  accommodations are not set in stone, so anywhere Alumni can plug in would be  great! The tentative date for this adventure is August 13th - August 20th. Please e-mail  me at jhelenski@dreamprogram.org if you are interested!

DREAM College Prep Adventure Program By Jenna Helenski, DREAM Teen Resource Coordinator

 

Harvard’s Best Mentorship Program On Friday, April 8, 2011, the Leadership Institute at Harvard College named DREAM the  campus’ Best Mentorship Program. DREAM’s award was announced during the 2011 Leadership  Symposium, a half-day conference aimed to unite the student presidents, directors, and captains of  Harvard University. This award honors the Harvard College student organization that has, through an  exceptional leadership infrastructure geared toward developing leadership skills of new and continuing members, created a model that sustains continued successful leadership in the organization.        

Morgan Spurlock Sports the DREAM Tee  This month, at a Boston screening of his new movie, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold,  Morgan Spurlock, the man who brought us Super Size Me and the FX series 30 Days, was formally  introduced to The DREAM Program. Spurlock’s new film uncovers the world of product placement and  advertisements in Hollywood, and is quite cleverly funded by product placements throughout the film.  MINI, JetBlue, and Hyatt all bought into Spurlock’s film, helping him “sell-out” by buying-in to this  multi-billion dollar industry, becoming the “greatest car,” “greatest airline,” and “greatest hotel” of The  Greatest Movie Ever Sold.    During the Q&A section of the evening, amidst a barrage of questions related to product placement and  advertisements in the films industry, I raised my hand and asked, “What size shirt are you?”    A somewhat stunned Spurlock said, “Medium, I am a medium.”    Almost instantly I hurled a purple and white DREAM t-shirt, balled up and bound with an elastic band, across  the theater and directly into his hands. Spurlock opened the bundle, raised it proudly, and said, “This is  great! I needed a new shirt to wear in the gym!” I explained to Morgan that DREAM was, hands down, The Greatest Mentoring Program Ever, and while we couldn’t provide him with $25,000, the lowest level  of sponsorship for a spot in his film, to become the official “greatest mentoring program ever” of The  Greatest Movie Ever Sold, we were happy to give him a DREAM t-shirt and would love him to think of us each time he pumps some iron.    Is your third uncle Chevy Chase? Did you date Pauly Shore while in graduate school? Is your brother  Brian Doyle-Murray? Wait, that would make you Bill Murray… If you rub elbows with celebs and want  to hook them up with some free DREAM gear, email josh@dreamprogram.org. You can check out  more celebrity DREAMers at: http://dreamprogram.smugmug.com/Central-Office/Famous-DREAMers/  187757_TvGYX.  

DREAM in the Spotlight By Josh Warren, DREAM Resource Development Director

Josh poses with director Morgan Spurlock & his new tee. Hooray for product placement!