Dear Dragonfly Families,

It’s already November and the holidays and winter term are rapidly approaching. Please take the time to read the important information below as it contains important details regarding upcoming trips and travel plans.

Thanksgiving

Glenn and Mona host a Thanksgiving Dinner at Mychal’s Place, the Dragonfly community center. Students and staff participate in decorating and in preparing side dishes to share. It’s a fun time to share holiday traditions and many prepare their favorite dish from home, so if you have any traditional family recipes please forward them on to your son or daughter. We encourage students to remain at Dragonfly over the Thanksgiving weekend.

December

The Fall Term at OIT and KCC ends on December 12^th.

Portland Trip: December 15th – 20th

The Portland trip will focus on service to those in need, as well as highlighting some of the unique cultural activities Portland has to offer. This trip presents the students with an opportunity to get to know a wonderful city, take part in cultural experiences, and broaden their horizons.

Many of our students come from major cities and miss the lifestyle that accompanies it. Old memories and triggers can present themselves that challenge our students’ recovery – these can be old behaviors, substances, or technology. The Portland trip allows for a safe environment to work through these triggers and memories that might not otherwise be encountered in Klamath Falls. During the trip there will be an opportunity for students to take advantage of attending young people’s AA and NA meetings, to encourage and strengthen them to walk confidently in their recovery and have access to supportive young people that are actively living a healthy productive life.

Also, we will have various opportunities to enjoy the unique Portland culture! We will visit the Portland Chinese Gardens and take part of the day to rest and reflect. We will participate in a comedy show, an interactive experience that is family friendly and hilarious. We will see the handmade crafts of local Portlanders at the Saturday Market, learn about new vegetables and how to cook them at the Portland Farmers Market, encourage reading via a scavenger hunt at Powell’s a bookstore so vast you need a mapto navigate.

For our service projects we will spend time giving back to the community of Portland by volunteering with the Oregon Food Bank and learning about how hunger impacts a community. Additionally we have made contacts with an organization that assist homeless youth in Portland.

Attention! Please schedule flights home for the holiday break on December 20th leaving from Portland Oregon (PDX). ALL students are expected to fly from Portland on the 20th only, with the exception of the few students that will remain in Klamath Falls over the break.

Holiday Break

Dragonfly will be closed from December 20th to the 28th.

Please discuss this break with your students’ therapist. The holidays can be a great time for families, but also carries with it some stress and difficult memories. The therapists at Dragonfly are here to assist you in making the holiday season a positive one for your family. There is a great deal of work that can be done ahead of time to make this a positive experience. Each student will need to complete a home contract and it is important to discuss this over the next few months.

Return to Dragonfly on December 28^th

ALL students are expected to return on Dec. 28th either to Medford or Klamath Falls. We will be picking up students who choose to fly into Medford on the 28th only (before 9 pm). It is important that you do not schedule return flight later than the 28th so that mentors and students can prep for the New Year’s Trip leaving on the 30th.

New Year’s Trip: December 30th – January 2nd

The New Year can be a difficult time for our students when they miss home, their friends, and some of the unhealthy activities from the past. It is important to the Dragonfly team that we offer a safe and fun experience over the New Year holiday. This is a unique chance for us to redirect our students and show them that they don’t need some of the New Year’s trappings to have a good time. We will be going to Bend Oregon. Skiing and snowboarding will be the primary activities. For those who do not ski and are not interested in trying it other activities will be planned, such as snow shoeing and caving. New Year’s evening we will have dinner together as a group and celebrate together as we move into a new year.

Attention! When students return from the holiday break is a great time for them to bring any ski gear with them for use over the winter.

January – April

School Prep Activities: January 3rd

Classes start on January 6^th.  Jeff Mortimore, the Educational Coordinator, will organize a day of activities that will assist our students in getting off on the right foot with the winter semester. This fall students participated in several days of seminars and activities related to school and academic success. This January they will get a refresher course.

Skiing/Snowboarding:

Skiing or snowboarding has much to offer! It is a positive way for our students to challenge themselves and to interact and bond with each other outside of their regular environment. We at Dragonfly want to encourage our students to try new things or to advance their current skills. We also have some great mountains nearby.

Those that participated in skiing and snowboarding regularly in the past found that it helped them feel happier, healthier, and closer to the others that attended. Students who already ski or snowboard will be able to get their fill and those who have never tried it can have the opportunity to learn. Last year several students who had never been on the snow became competent skiers and gained a new sense of accomplishment. We will be running a trip to Mt. Shasta or Willamette Pass every Saturday this year based on student interest.

We ask that students contribute a certain amount of their earned weekly money. We also ask that they have a conversation with their families in order to determine how many trips per month the family is willing to support financially.