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Looking for fun? Check out our Annual Report to see the amazing adventures our mentors and kids take on.

2007 Annual Report



Franklin Square in Boston

Franklin Square DREAM is going GREEN!

-notes from Franklin Square's Meeting

Last night at our meeting, a mentor proposed purchasing carbon offsets to cover all of our CO2 impact from our weekly driving activities. With overwhelming support from all of those at the meeting, we decided to purchase those offsets, for $20, which will make St. Michael's DREAM carbon neutral for the 2007-2008 year!

Here are some figures of our van driving impact:

We drive (3) large vans with a poor fuel efficiency of approximately 15 mpg, 6 miles each way from Franklin Sq to SMC (6 miles x 4 trips each week x 3 vans = 72 driving miles each week! Multiply that by 30 weeks in the school year, and we get 2.160 miles of driving just from Franklin Square and back!! Divide this by our 15 mpg (2,160 miles/15mpg = 144 gallons of fuel!!) Each consumed gallon of fuel emits approximately 20 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere. Multiply this by our consumption (144 gallons x 20 lbs of CO2), and our program alone emits 2,880 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere every year! This figure does NOT take into account our extra trips or any one-on-one mentoring excursions.

Purchasing our carbon offset will ensure that reforestation projects or other CO2 sequestering projects will be undertaken to offset our CO2 emissions. For more information on the CO2 offsets we will be purchasing, please go here: http://www.carbonfund.org

Please note that our driving causes a lot more damage than just CO2 emissions - carbon monoxide, particulate matter, formaldehyde, and other noxious chemicals are also emitted while burning our fuel and using our vans.

Thanks again to all the DREAMers that supported this initiative!!

This is the first DREAM Program to take on this initiative. They will also be handing out compact florescent bulbs to their families after the semester finale Pasta Dinner.

This past February, youth from The Dream Program and Spectrum Youth Services made the trip from Burlington Vermont to Washington DC on Dream’s big blue bus that runs on waste vegetable oil. They rolled into the city for the national low-income housing coalition conference and a week of volunteer service work throughout the capital city. The Dream Program, An Americorps state program, is a Vermont mentoring organization that pairs college students with children from affordable housing communities. Spectrum provides shelter, education and career counseling for homeless, foster and at-risk youth in Burlington.

Together the two programs increased their member’s experiences of being effective youth citizens, broadening their social network and were given opportunities to use their voices publicly. Eleven members of the group attended the Low Income Housing Coalition Conference where they observed low income housing advocates from around the country, while the other thirteen volunteered at the DC central kitchen, a soup kitchen that provides 4,500 meals to DC’s impoverished. During the week, the group came together to meet with Vermont Senator, Patrick Leahy, at his bi-monthly Vermonter Tuesday. The group also made sure not to miss such historical landmarks as The Washington Monument, The Holocaust Museum and The Lincoln Memorial.

A trip of this scale and collaboration is a first for the Dream Program and we are anticipating similar adventures to become annual. As the whirlwind of the first Dream service trip comes to an end, our gusto has not! Dream and Spectrum are looking forward to the future as service and advocacy continue to be at the forefront of their social missions. To learn more information about dream and spectrum visit:

www.dreamprogram.org
www.spectrum.org

Jeremy Ellis, senior at Champlain College and mentor with The Birchwood Community has been selected as one of this year's recipients of the Vermont Campus Compact Madeline M. Kunin Public Service Award. Vermont Campus Compact stated that "This award distinguishes one remarkable student from a VCC member institution for their outstanding public service and leadership, demonstrated through a spectrum of efforts. Through their sustained involvement, the recipient establishes a linkage of their service to a larger social context and a commitment to community impact. The recipient of this award models deeply ingrained civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative approaches to community issues, and effective community building."

Ellis' accomplishments will be honored with statewide recognition at the Vermont Campus Compact's Gala: A Celebration of Service, Service-Learning and Civic Engagement to be held at the Dudley H. Davis Center at the University of Vermont on Tuesday, March 18 from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. The audience at the Gala will be comprised of legislators, college presidents, businesses, faculty, staff, students and community members.

Congratulations, Jeremy, on your excellent work! DREAM is so proud!

On December 30th, 2007 a fire broke out at the Amory Square apartments, often referred to as “The Block” which comprise of 72 apartments on Union Street in Windsor, Vermont. While luckily no serious injuries were reported, the fire caused the displacement of seven different families from the apartment complex. Numerous organizations (Salvation Army, Red Cross, RACLT, Trinity Church, Windsor Connection Resource Center) are assisting in housing, clothing, bedding, etc.

If you would like to help or make a donation, please contact RACLT, The NeighborWorks Home Ownership Center of Southeastern, VT at (802) 885-3220.

"Champlain College student Jeremy Ellis of Old Mystic, Conn., was nominated as one of 10 finalists for The Vermont Teddy Bear Company's 7th Annual Vermont Student Citizen Award.

Ellis was recognized for his volunteer work with the DREAM Mentoring Program. He is one of the founding mentors in the Champlain College – Birchwood neighborhood DREAM program. Through this program, he and other Champlain students made a weekly, multi-year commitment to mentor young adults in Milton, Vermont.

Through DREAM, which stands for Directing through Recreation, Education, Adventure, and Mentoring, the students are working together with children to help them recognize their options, make informed decisions and achieve their dreams. In addition to weekly gatherings, Champlain DREAMers have taken their mentees skiing and snowboarding, on trips to Boston and New York, and on winter and summer camp getaways.

“DREAM has become a part of my life,” said Ellis. “It feeds my energy and inspiration.”

In addition to working with DREAM, Ellis has helped build a culture of service at Champlain College. He founded a student program called Food Fight, which brings students together with Sodexho food service staff to prepare soup for 100+ homeless neighbors each week. Additionally, he was among students who organized Champlain's first Alternative Spring Break trip to the 9th Ward of New Orleans, where they helped with cleaning and rebuilding.

Created by The Vermont Teddy Bear Company in cooperation with Vermont Campus Compact, Vermont Higher Education Council, and Vermont Life Magazine, the Vermont Student Citizen Award recognizes the outstanding community service contributions many Vermont college students make in the community.

The award carries a reward of $1,000 to the student, a corporate gift of $1,000 to the non-profit organization where the student serves, and $1,000 to the institution the student attends. Students also receive a complimentary Vermont Teddy Bear Graduation Bear.

The Vermont Teddy Bear Company is deeply rooted to the State of Vermont and takes pride in its mission to help people make meaningful connections with one another. By recognizing service learning as an important component of a young person's education, the company hopes to reinforce caring and service to others, key elements of both a good corporate citizen and a Vermont citizen.

Ellis is a graduate of Fishers Island School and he is a Multimedia and Graphic Design major at Champlain College. He is the son of Carl and Jessica Ellis."

-12/7/07 Champlain College Website