Gary Tilden, on the right, was nominated by The DREAM Program’s Chris Brown (on the left) for his commitment to the youth mentoring program while studying at Champlain College. Photo by DREAMer Riva Y. Dumont.





BURLINGTON, Vt.--Champlain College Software Engineering student Gary Tilden of Marshfield, Mass., was nominated for a United Way Hometown Hero Award in September. Tilden and other nominees were celebrated by hundreds of people who attended a United Way awards breakfast on September 11 in Burlington, Vermont.

While studying at Champlain, Tilden has mentored a child from the Birchwood neighborhood in Milton, Vt., as part of The DREAM Program. Champlain College students have teamed up with youngsters from this area for one-on-one mentoring and group activities. Mentors like Tilden open these youngsters’ eyes to the world beyond—and show them that their lives are full of potential.

“Gary has been an integral part of this student-led group, wearing many hats. He has been an extremely loyal mentor to his mentee and always acts as a positive role model,” said Chris Brown, programs director of The DREAM Program. “He has helped plan group activities, larger group trips, and he is very active with the camp we run for the children in the program. Gary has been a consistent and positive presence in the program.”