The WCAX news crew came up to Winter Adventure Camp with the Franklin Street and Franklin Square communities. Here's the story the wrote up to accompany their news cast. If you're interested in seeing the show, let us know. We're getting a copy soon.

Fletcher, Vermont - February 11, 2007

Well off the beaten path in Fletcher, kids found the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning. Winooski sixth grader Jake Learned says, "Yeah, it's pretty fun!"

Sledding is just one of the activities at camp DREAM. DREAM stands for "Directing through Recreation, Education, Adventure, and Mentoring." One of the group's directors, Chris Brown, says, "Sometimes kids are in the program from age 5 to 18."

DREAM matches young Vermonters who live in subsidized housing with college mentors. The pairs attend weekend camps in both the summer and winter. For Jake Learned, the trip to rural Franklin County is a chance to get out of the city. He says, "You get to go sledding. But living in the city, you can just walk. And you can't sled many places."

The mentoring continues well after the kids leave the rural property. College students on six campuses in our region participate in the DREAM Program. They say the mentoring helps kids make good decisions that benefit their lives in many positive ways. Chris Brown explains, "I've seen so many changes in the kids. From increasing their social capital, getting to meet new kids, trying new things, wanting to go to school, getting interested in college, and wanting to explore more than they know."

DREAM says the need is great for healthy long-term relationships for children living in low-income housing. The program cites studies that show adolescent girls living in poverty are more likely to become teenage mothers. After school supervision also reduces the chances kids will pick up drugs or other risky activities. The mentors work closely with the children's parents.

UVM Sophomore Sandy Mervak volunteers as a mentor. He says, "It's very fulfilling to me to come out every Friday and feel like I'm making a difference in young people's lives."

Grants and donations fund DREAM, and the Vermont Land Trust helped the five year old non profit buy the fifty acre camp in Fletcher. The organizers would like to see more mentors sign up, so they can add to their more than 160 mentoring pairs. Chris Brown says, "We all take so much away from working with the kids. We get a lot, they get a lot, so it benefits everyone."

A reminder that free time can be a valuable gift.
Jack Thurston - Channel 3 News