Protect the Dream provides student mentors

Stephanie Damon-Moore Assistant Life Editor

“I thought I was just going to go in and tutor the kids,” said Melanie Rosenberger ’11. “It’s been a very different experience here, because although there is a structure, it’s more just a place for them to stay.”

Rosenberger is a student mentor with the Protect the Dream Youth Program, a non-profit organization run out of the Family Partnership Center in Poughkeepsie. Although the Center serves all of Dutchess County, most of the kids involved are from Poughkeepsie.

Kids who attend the program receive help with their homework and are part of a reading program. But it’s not just about helping with school work, Rosenberger explained.

“It’s more a good place for them to hang out and be safe. I talk to the kids; I find out what they’re doing in school. That’s just more fun; that’s what has made this program different.”

Protect the Dream is an after-school program that serves elementary and middle school students Mondays through Thursdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m., and also includes a leadership program for high school students and a basketball program run out of the New Hope Community Center.

Joel Arce ’08 got involved with the program during his junior year, after a semester in Costa Rica. “When I got back from Junior Year Abroad, I just didn’t want to be on campus anymore,” Arce said. “I wanted to get off campus, and I’m very interested in education. It just fit really well.”

Arce began working on a purely volunteer basis, but now works for Protect the Dream as a work-study position. Although he is paid to work 20 hours every two weeks, he puts in a lot more. “I don’t mind, though; I love it,” he said.

Roberto Muller ’08, who also works for the program on a work-study basis, described it as “therapeutic.” “I get really overwhelmed with stuff here at school,” he said, “so just getting to spend a little time with kids and learning that there’s more to the world is really good.”

Arce and Muller are both on the board of directors for the program, which they describe as very rewarding. “Something wonderful for me is just spending time with the board members, because they’re such dynamic people, and they’re all volunteering their time,” Muller said. “This is after they’ve done a full day of work, and they still come out. It’s inspiring to be around.”

Arce said that Executive Director David Harget is especially admirable. “A lot of board members stress that some of these kids don’t see their fathers, so they see Harget as a father figure,” he said. Arce has found that, through the program, “You actually see people caring about these kids’ education,” something many of the children can’t always count on.

The program has been a wonderful experience for Vassar students, and it has even helped some decide where they’ll go after college. In describing her aspirations to teach, Rosenberger said that Protect the Dream “has reaffirmed that I want to do this.” Arce hopes to bring his experiences home. “I want to be a teacher, and I also want to get involved with youth programs back where I come from in New York City,” Arce said.

Protect the Dream will hold a breakfast fundraiser on Saturday, April 26 from 8-10 a.m. at the Applebee’s on Route 9. The event is made possible by an Applebee’s program called Community Connections, which benefits local community organizations. Tickets are $5, and most of the money goes to the program. “This is a very important fundraiser because the program has a very small budget,” said Arce.

Although Protect the Dream’s after-school program has recently acquired a part-time employee who will consistently be there to help kids and facilitate programming, the group is always interested in getting more people on board.

As a work-study through the Office of Religious and Spiritual Life’s Community Action program, as field work or on a volunteer basis, anyone is welcome to get involved. Arce said that anyone interested could contact either him or Muller by e-mail.

“I feel like there’s been a lot of momentum; the organization is growing,” Arce said, “but we’re always looking for more people.” And students who get involved can look forward to very positive experiences. “The kids really look forward to seeing you,” Muller said, “and you really look forward to seeing them.”