DREAM

Founded in 1999 by students attending Dartmouth College, DREAM is a non-profit mentoring program that pairs college students and children living in subsidized housing developments in Vermont. DREAM stands for Directing through Recreation, Education, Adventure and Mentoring. The mission of DREAM is to build communities of families and college students that empower children from disadvantaged circumstances to recognize their options, make informed decisions, and achieve their dreams.
 
In February of 2003, twelve students from Saint Michael's decided to contact the DREAM office and start a program here at the College. These students created a great weekly program with 12 enthusiastic children from Franklin Square (subsidized housing area in the North end of Burlington) and ended off their short year with a trip to Boston. This year, the program has absolutely taken off. There are currently 23 mentors in the program, each assigned to one child for their entire college career. The DREAM Team meets on Wednesday nights to plan out their weekly activities. Every Friday from 3:00-6:00 p.m., the mentors pick up the children at Franklin Square and do activities such as arts and crafts, sports, apple picking, visiting fire stations and much, much more. This year the program was awarded the Governor's Award for outstanding community service. 

Click here to view photos of the events/programs that the DREAM team has been working on at Saint Michael's.