Camp DREAM 2008!
Camp DREAM O’Eight … I just can’t wait!
The songs we’ll sing; the games we’ll play
The pizza we’ll make in our oven of clay
Veggie Garden
Cook something new
Swim Metcalf Pond
Kayak, Canoe
The fires we’ll build; the hills we’ll hike
The skits we’ll perform; the mountains we’ll bike
Sit star gazing
Tree House, Lean-to
Friendship bracelets
Guest Rock Stars (who?)
The stories we’ll share; the friends we’ll see
Camp DREAM’s the place I want to be
I just can’t wait… Camp DREAM O’Eight!
Camp 2008 Session Dates 
Session 1: Tuesday, June 24 - 26th 8-9 year-old boys
Session 2: Monday, June 30- July 2nd 8-9 year-old girls
Session 3: Monday, July 6- 10th- 13+ co-ed
Session 4: Monday, July 14 - 18th 10-12 girls
Session 5: Tuesday, July 22 - 26th 10-12 year-old boys
Session 6: Monday, July 30 - August 3rd 13+ girls
Want to be a CIT (Counselor-in-training) this Summer?
Contact Tara (tara@dreamprogram.org)
Camp DREAM 2007!
2007 Summer Camp Staff
Camp 2007 Session Dates
Session 1: Sunday, July 1- Thursday, July 5: Girls 12 +
Session 2: Sunday, July 8- Thursday July 12: Boys 10-12
Session 3: Saturday July 14- Monday, July 16 : Boys 8/9
Session 4: Wednesday, July 18- Friday July 20: Girls 8/9
Session 5: Monday July 23 - Friday July 27 : Girls 10-12
Session 6: Monday, July 30 - Friday, August 3: Co-ed 12 +
Session Reports and Photo Links
Session 1: Girls 12+, July 1-5th Photos
A blue school bus bounced and rumbled on the back roads of Fletcher Vermont, slowly making its way to the shores of a calm and warm Metcalf Pond. In preparation for this day, hands of hundreds of DREAM'ers, including central office staff, hired summer camp staff, DREAM mentors, friends, and service organizations like VYCC, worked to prepare 1618 Taylor road for the bus that was roaring around the pond.
The DREAM bus backed up onto the Camp DREAM driveway, hissed its breaks and opened its doors for the 10 girls of Session 1, Camp DREAM 2007!
Summer staff were on the road ready to greet them, and the first song of the camp season belted forth upon arrival. This opening statement set the tone for the entire session. Energy, enthusiasm, and fun circulated from staff, to campers, back to staff, and then to the greater Fletcher and Jeffersonville community.
As the girls settled into the familiar campsites of Sueno and the Playground Palace, old friendships were re-kindled and new friendships were lit like fires that would grow greater and greater over the following four days.
The girls of session one got to know each other working together at Camp's organic garden and edible landscape, as well as taking care of the chickens. The homestead area quickly became a very important place for the girls to have their hands join the hundreds of others that had shaped and forged Camp DREAM before them.
The first work project the girls experienced was a full group log lifting experience to help haul lumber for the cedar shelter that would cover the future site of the earthen oven and BBQ. Camp DREAM '07's first guest rock star Brian carefully explained the project to the girls and they reciprocated the building with non-dimensional lumber 101 lesson with a huge push to get the shelter up. By the end of the week the shelter was well on its way.
At other parts of camp, the girls practiced their waterfront skills and navigated canoes through the waters of Metcalf Pond armed with fishing rods. The session also saw the first campers to ever attempt log rolling. The addition of a professional log rolling log at the shallows enabled many hours of splashing and laughing as the girls hopped on to test their balance and footwork.
At the end of the week, to celebrate the fourth of July, the DREAM bus was fired up once again and all of the building energy and excitement culminated in our participation in the Jeffersonville Fourth of July Parade. Hundreds of community members showed up to wave on a mile long stretch of fire trucks and floats. DREAM fit in wonderfully with everyone decked out in fresh CAMP T-shirts, marching down main St. behind the DREAM banner.
That night, the girls watched fire works at Smuggler's Notch as the VT National Guard played Sousa marches under the show. There was dancing, singing, multiple games of mafia and fun shared by all.
As the girls packed up their sleeping bags and piled onto the bus the following afternoon, the energy remained strong in the form of nearly a dozen games of mafia which were played on the bus ride back to the DREAM office. Happy and fun loving all the way to the end, the girls of Session 1 at Camp DREAM '07 provided the life and love that camp had been ready for and anxiously awaiting.
Session 2: Boys 10 and 11, July 8-12th Photos
The 10-12 year old boys in Session 2, were met at CAMP with the antics of an eager to please and ready for fun staff awaiting their arrival. Though skeptical at first, the boys’ good natured banter quickly turned into energy and quirky fun!
During the following four days, the boys spent hours in main camp playing spud, hide and go seek, and helping Iron Chef Al Martini create gourmet salad dressings.
In similar fashion to Session 1, these boys also came from communities all over Vermont and seemed to be experts at forming friendships over work projects at camp. Strong ties were certainly felt between the boys who helped to build a rabbit palace which will soon be the luxury mansion residence of Camp DREAM bunnies. Similar bonding experiences were created with the boys who formed up the DYCC Trail crew, and the board walk maintenance crew, which cut back the tall weeds that have overtaken our marsh board walk. One of the highlights of the work projects was certainly the presence of skillful Counselors In Training who were superior role models for such skills as moving rocks and digging trenches.
Chef Al's meals were attacked with careful eating plans, games of King Frog and Hay Barn were competitive, and in true Camp tradition, a carefully executed game of Commando took most of the third camp morning. The boys first studied the history of an ancient camp tribe and the legend of the fundamental disagreement about whether to put bananas or apples in one's oatmeal. They then celebrated the resolving of that disagreement by painting their faces and hiding secret scrolls around the camp property. Team cheers were sounded, an air horn was blown, and a friendly and thrilling game of commando was played until the judges called time an hour and a half later.
The boys experienced many Camp traditions, commando and work projects being only two. They also ran the infamous Main Camp Steeple Chase in the rain on the last evening. As is only fair, the course varied only slightly in events from last year’s, leaving behind such obstacles as "grab the towel" and "put the balls in the bucket", and introducing new challenges such as "lasso the cone from the hoop" and "hit the broad side of the A-frame".
On the final morning of Camp, the boys dedicated sticks during the Keylog Ceremonies to Al's cooking, the commando game, meeting new friends, mountain biking, and one camper's dedication to a new friend, an egg from our very own hen named Frank Sinatra. As the bus fired up and rolled out of 1618 Taylor Rd., exhaustion from the camp session finally caught up with seemingly tireless boys, and a quiet bus ride home allowed for reflection on all of the new and familiar experiences that were had.
Session 3: Boys 8 and 9, July 14-16th Photos
This past session at Camp Dream, the forest was filled with the imagination and enthusiasm of 8 and 9 year old boys. There campers set out to explore the wilderness of Vermont, accompanied by their walking sticks, Dream bandanas and curiosity. The adventures didn’t stop on land, though, as the waters of Metcalf Pond were taken over with Camp Dream Pirate canoes chanting “Arrrrrghs” and singing camp songs!
Highlights of this session involved every camper creating a superpower that they wish they could have. Some of these powers included, “having stretchy arms”, “being able to go into burning buildings to save people”, “the ability to have spaghetti shoot out of one hand and pancake batter shoot out of the other {Chef Al}”, and “being able to end wars with peace”.
After eating healthy and magical meals, the campers were energized to chase chickens, roam the gardens, trust themselves on the rope trust walk and play countless games of hide and go seek.
Enjoying a walk out to our Tree House and Lean To, the boys got to see exciting future campsites. Time was well spent at the waterfront, including fishing, canoeing, swimming and logrolling! Even our guest dog Lucy tried to hop up on the log!
Our walking sticks, luckily, kept the Taco Men and Dinosours away, friendship bracelet making decorated our hearts and Casino night up’d our ante of fun.
Thanks to Session 3 campers, volunteer counselors and guests for an incredible time!
If you have any more questions about Summer Camp,
please call the DREAM office at (802) 655-9015 or email Sarah@dreamprogram.org
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