September 2014 Newsletter 

                          Scheduling Changes

   School has officially begun for most of our mentees! This is a great time to look at your weekly and monthly schedule and reassess with your mentee and family if your time and date still works to get together. Gone are the long, lazy days of summer and ahead are often sporting events, school commitments, holiday parties, new bedtimes, and for some, the dreaded homework and school projects. Kids are adjusting to new routines so it might take a few weeks before everyone knows what their new schedules are going to look like. As always, we recommend that calling or texting ahead of time to ensure that your mentee is going to be home is always a good thing! Have fun!

Apple Picking!

    Come join us for our yearly apple picking event! The event will take place on Sunday, September 21st from 1-3pm at Shelburne Orchards located at 216 Orchard Road. Come join us to pick delicious apples, drink cider, and eat cider donuts with your mentee and fellow mentors! We will also be spending the afternoon with the mentors and mentees from the King Street Buddies program, so it will be a great way for you to connect with other mentors in the community. Small bags will be provided for your mentee to fill with apples, but mentors are more than welcome to purchase additional bags for even more apples! We hope to see you all then!

  New & Revised Mobius Discount Card

     The plan for the new & revised mentor discount card is to have all of the current businesses who are on the card continue and additonally incorporating new businesses throughout the state. The current discount card technically expires at the end of September and the new one is planned to be launched in October. Mentors can continue to use their current card until replaced since all current businesses are continuing to partake in the discount program.

     The new & revised card will be ongoing, with no end date. Businesses can revise or end their agreement with Mobius at anytime by contacting them, and therefore the card itself will have no actual expiration date. The card will be upgraded to a more durable plastic card, and mentors will need to refer to the Mobius website for a list of businesses and discounts. This will allow Mobius the flexibility to add businesses on an ongoing basis for your enjoyment with your mentee! We will send you a brand new Mobius discount card in the mail once we receive them!

College Visit!

   Might your mentee be considering college in the next year or two? Please join us as we travel to Johnson State College on Saturday, October 18th for their Prospective Student Open House. Whether this is the right place for your mentee or not, it's a great opportunity to see a college, meet with admissions representatives, tour a school and dorms and then have something to compare it to! This event is free and open to anyone and will include lunch! Please call or email me if you are interested at [email protected] or 488-6650.

Newsletter, Emails, Social Media, & Phone Calls

   Thanks to all of you who filled out the Survey Monkey regarding our newsletter. I am happy to know that so many of you read at least some of it every month! In keeping with tradition, we will continue to send you an email alert each month with our newsletter! For those of you who would rather get the updates via social media we do have a Facebook Page that we keep updated with photos, announcements, and other stories, as well our agency web page that we are planning to use a bit more in the coming months. If you enjoy our emails at work or home, please make sure that we have the email address that you would like us to use for these same updates. As you know, we often get last minute offers for free entry to events or tickets to shows that we like to alert you to. And finally, I love talking on the phone or in person to all of you to hear about all the fantastic things you are doing with your mentee. Never hesitate to give me a call if you have some exciting news or just want to say hello!

September Match Annviersaries

Several CFM pairs are celebrating match anniversaries this September.

Congratulations to the following pairs!

 

Jenny & Kaitlyn, 2 years

Nicole & Kirsten, 2 years

Judy & Lakysha, 6 years

Upcoming Activities

Williston- "Kids Workshop @ Home Depot." Sessions for children to work on projects such as toolboxes, fire trucks, mail organizers, or a window bird house. Ages 5-12. 759 Harvest Lane, Williston. The first Saturday of each month from 9-12pm. Free.

 

South Burlington- FREE FOOD!! Free meal for kids at Denny's and Uno's (ages 10 and under at Denny's) per adult entree! Denny's 730 Shelburne Rd. & Uno's 1330 Shelburne Rd. Tuesdays from 4-10pm.

 

Burlington- "Gaming for Teens & Adults." Weekly "Magic The Gathering" and other tabletop games welcome to all skill levels as well as beginners looking to learn. Fletcher Free Library. 235 College Street. Tuesday, September 9th from 5-7:45pm. Free.

  

South Burlington- "Stories on the Screen." Join in for snacks and watch some of your favorite stories on the BIG screen. Call ahead for movie title if interested. Ages 6-13. South Burlington Community Library. 540 Dorset Street, South Burlington. (802) 652-7080. Saturday, September 13th at 1pm.

 

South Burlington- "Tween Time." Join them for music, snacks, movies, games, and crafts. Ages 10-13. South Burlington Community Library. 540 Dorset Street, South Burlington. Wednesdays after school from 3:30-4:30pm. Free.

 

Winooski- "Community Dinner." Diners get to know their neighbors at a low-key, buffet-style meal organized by the Winooski Coalition. All ages. O'Brien Community Center. 32 Malletts Bay Avenue, Winooski. Wednesday, September 17th. (3rd Wednesday of every month continuing through 12/17). 5:30-7pm. Free.

 

Shelburne- "Drop-In Classes: Fall Leaves." 90-minute session to complete crafts guided by an instructor. Ages 5-15. Shelburne Craft School. 64 Harbor Road, Shelburne. Saturday, September 20th. 10am. $12.

 

Williston- "Pajama Story Time." Bring kids in pajamas with their favorite stuffed animal for stories with Abby Klein, a craft, & a bedtime snack. Ages 8 and under. Williston Library. 21 Library Lane, Williston. Monday, September 22nd. 6:30pm. Free.

UPDATES
As always in an emergency you should call 911 or our First Call service at 488-7777.
How to Reach Us 

HowardCenter - Child, Youth and Family Services

1138 Pine St.

Burlington, VT 05401

 

Catherine Shahan

Coordinator

802-488-6650

[email protected] 

   

Whitney Keefner

AmeriCorps VISTA

802-488-6651

[email protected]

 

  

 

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