D.R.E.A.M stands for Direction through Recreation, Education, Adventure, and Mentoring. It is a mentoring program that originated at nearby Dartmouth College. The idea quickly spread throughout Vermont and there are chapters at St. Michael’s College and at Norwich University. The UVM chapter of D.R.E.A.M began about a year and a half or so ago and the program is going strong! UVM undergrads volunteer to mentor children in the greater Burlington area. Currently, D.R.E.A.M has about 40 UVM members who work with just over 40 kids. This past Friday, D.R.E.A.M held it’s second chili-cook-off contest. Various student groups and campus organizations made chili and then the chili was judged. Courtney Breslin, a UVM senior, and her housemate won the grand prize for tastiest chili. Local bands such as The Grift played. Some of us may remember the torrential rain that turned last year’s cook-off into a mud fight, but this year the weather was great. There were raffle contests and local businesses such as PetraCliffs, the Flynn Theater, the Mad Hatter, Sneakers, the Alpine Shop, and the UVM Bookstore all donated cool prizes. Tickets for the cook-off sold for $5 a piece, so D.R.E.A.M could raise money for things like field trips and dances for the kids. Mentors are happy to announce that the event raised over $300 for D.R.E.A.M. Thanks to everyone who attended and helped out and if you would like more information about D.R.E.A.M or are interested in becoming involved, contact [email protected]