News and Events
News Archives
Resource Center
"DMT was consistently welcoming and always quickly responded to SEARC's requests with thoughtful and thorough answers."
-- Max Niedzwiecki
Executive Director
Southeast Asia Resources Action Center CCF Demonstration Program grantee

DMT Brings CSI: New York Star to Inspire Program Staff at Annual Workshop (July 2010)
A team of Dare Mighty Things (DMT) employees recently returned from San Diego, California where they worked to host the 2010 National Guard Youth ChalleNGe annual workshop. The annual workshop attended by 217 senior ChalleNGe program staff included planning sessions, seminars, and a keynote address from Hill Harper, star of CSI: New York and award-winning author. DMT staff orchestrated the four day event that served as a venue for participants to share innovative ideas and practices, learn from each other, and become inspired and equipped to make improvements in their programs.
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DMT announces two new mentoring contracts (May 2010)
Dare Mighty Things (DMT) is pleased to announce two new contracts that showcase mentoring relationships. DMT’s strengths in program development, scaling, and technology infused solutions are well suited to the challenges that Big Brothers Big Sisters North Texas (BBBSNT) and iMentor have brought forward. The creative Learning Solutions team at DMT is uniquely qualified to provide the curriculum and technology based solutions needed for these two contracts.
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DMT mentoring program gains national attention (April 2010)
Dare Mighty Things (DMT) has been engaged to design, develop, and launch a pilot mentoring component for STARBASE Academies located across the country known as STARBASE 2.0. Nebraska, along with Georgia, Ohio, Oklahoma, and South Dakota, was chosen as a pilot site for STARBASE 2.0. Hundreds of middle school students are expected to enter into mentoring relationships by the end of the pilot roll-out in the summer of 2010.
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DMT consultant honored as a Champion for Children (April 2010)
Julie Golkowski, Principal Consultant at Dare Mighty Things, was honored as a Champion for Children by the Child Advocacy Center (CAC) of Rockingham County in New Hampshire. She was selected as one of twelve honorees to receive this prestigious award, among other community leaders, educators, and police officers whom the recognition letter states are "outstanding community advocates who are doing exceptional work in protecting and enhancing the lives of abused children and families."
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DMT renews status as authorized provider of IACET CEUs (April 2010)
The International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET) has awarded Dare Mighty Things a renewed term of the Authorized Provider status. This prestigious authorization demonstrates DMT's commitment to high-quality lifelong learning and high standards for all of its programs. IACET Authorized Providers are the only organizations approved to offer IACET Continuing Education Units (CEUs). The recognition period extends for five years, and includes all programs offered or created during that time.
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DMT honored by the National Guard Association for its support of military families  (March 2010)
Dare Mighty Things was honored in March by the National Guard Association of New Hampshire (NGANH) for its support of military families. Representatives from the NGANH were on hand in Portsmouth, NH to present Dave Van Patten, president of DMT, with a plaque commemorating his involvement with their initiative to "Bring a Soldier Home for the Holidays."
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DMT wins Federal contract to help service members  (March 2010)
Dare Mighty Things, along with Military Personnel Services Corporation (MPSC) of Falls Church, VA, has been awarded the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) contract from the National Guard. The work includes providing information, services, referrals and proactive outreach programs to service members of the National Guard and Reserves and their families through all phases of the deployment cycle. Dare Mighty Things is supporting this program by developing a standardized “toolkit” using field-tested best practices that have proven successful throughout the nation.
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DMT trains nonprofit leaders in breakthrough management tools  (February 2010)
On January 22, DMT’s Venessa Mendenhall trained national nonprofit leaders in the use of breakthrough technologies at a Friends for Youth conference in San Francisco. Addressing mentoring professionals from across the country, Venessa demonstrated breakthrough tools they can use to help their organizations be more effective. Nonprofit leaders in attendance learned new, compelling ways to recruit and engage volunteers, raise funds, and manage their membership through web-based communities and social networking.
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DMT participates in White House mentoring celebration  (January 2010)
Dave Van Patten, President of Dare Mighty Things, was invited to the White House on January 20, 2010 to participate in President and Mrs. Obama's celebration of National Menotring Month. Van Patten is co-chair of the Research and Policy Council with University of Massachusetts Boston's Jean Rhodes, Ph.D. The mission of the RPC is to promote greater exchange among practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in order to strengthen the practice of youth mentoring. Recognized as a member of the Federal Mentoring Council, and having led many mentoring initiatives since 1991, Dare Mighty Things is playing an important role in the future of mentoring in America.
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DMT helps bring service members home for Christmas  (December 2009)
Dare Mighty Things was a key donor to the National Guard Association of New Hampshire in their campaign to bring service members home for Christmas. The effort raised the amount of money necessary to bring more than fifty service members from training in Indiana to spend Christmas with their families, before deploying to Afghanistan. Lauren Hudson of DMT was at the homecoming in Manchester, NH on December 23, and said, "It was a very heartwarming experience to watch these families reunite for the holiday."
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DMT president Dave Van Patten appointed to Board of Directors of City Year NH (December 2009)
David Van Patten of Dare Mighty Things has been appointed to the Board of Directors of City Year New Hampshire. City Year, a member of AmeriCorps, unites a diverse corps of young adults, ages 17 to 24, for a year of full-time service. Corps members mentor and tutor at-risk middle school students, lead after-school and Saturday service learning programs, and partner with business and community leaders to organize transformative physical service projects.
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DMT receives contract for Obama’s Strengthening Communities Fund (November 2009)
Dare Mighty Things has been awarded the contract to serve as the National Resource Center (NRC) for President Obama’s Strengthening Communities Fund (SCF), a Recovery Act-funded initiative. SCF has two programs -- the State, Local, and Tribal Government Capacity Building Program and the Nonprofit Capacity Building Program – both of which will be served by the NRC. The contract is worth $1.2 million over the next two years.
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Dare Mighty Things team awarded contract to help military families  (October 2009)
Dare Mighty Things, in partnership with Goldbelt Wolf of Alexandria, VA, has been awarded a $1.5 million Federal contract to design a national training program to support the families of National Guardsmen and Reservists. The National Guard wants to establish an approach that will ensure that their training programs are developed in an effective and efficient manner to match a variety of needs in an ever-changing operational environment. Dare Mighty Things (DMT) and Goldbelt Wolf (GBW) have partnered to create a team of highly qualified and experienced analysts and program designers for this endeavor.
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DMT and P/PV team awarded $17.8 million for mentoring  (September 2009)
Public/Private Ventures, in partnership with Dare Mighty Things, has been awarded over $17.8 million by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to build the capacity of Amachi mentoring programs serving youth impacted by incarceration.
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DMT consultant featured in book on leadership  (September 2009)
Keynote speaker, author, and longtime DMT consultant Karen Baetzel has been selected from a nationwide search to be featured in Stepping Stones to Success, a highly successful book series from Insight Publishing. The book will also feature best-selling authors Deepak Chopra (The Power of Purpose), Jack Canfield (Chicken Soup for the Soul), & Dr. Denis Waitley (featured in The Secret).
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U.S. Senator Shaheen speaks at DMT-hosted workshop  (August 2009)
United States Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) received a standing ovation in Portsmouth on August 11, 2009 for her remarks in support of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program. “As we look at this new administration, there is a focus on looking at the data and what works and making sure there’s accountability for what we’re doing. And if we’re going to support programs that work, this is the kind of program we’ve got to be supporting.”
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DMT President Co-Chairs Research and Policy Council on Mentoring  (August 2009)
On August 4, 2009, Dr. Jean Rhodes of the University of Massachusetts and David Van Patten, president of Dare Mighty Things, co-chaired MENTOR’s Research and Policy Council in Washington DC. At the meeting, the Council honored four Presidential appointees who contributed greatly to the growth of mentoring in America. Those honored were David Eisner of the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS), Robert Flores of the Department of Justice, Deborah Price of the Department of Education, and Harry Wilson of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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DMT trains national leaders in the use of Web 2.0 tools  (August 2009)
In July, DMT trained at a conference attended by more than 150 consultants and technical assistance providers. The training was in the use of Web 2.0 technology at the annual conference of the Alliance for Nonprofit Management in Palm Springs. Venessa Mendenhall and Sarah Mullins of DMT led a session entitled Going Virtual: Using the Internet to Recruit, Train, Fundraise, and More! Their presentation introduced participants to a variety of free and low-cost online tools they can harness to recruit and train high-quality volunteers and staff, collaborate with partners, raise funds, and manage client records.
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DMT partners with Ironman Todd Crandell to help addicts  (July 2009)
Dare Mighty Things (DMT) has partnered with Ironman Todd Crandell to launch Racing for Recovery support groups in New Hampshire this fall. The partnership will kick off this November with an intensive speaking campaign by Crandell in local high schools, churches, community groups, and rehabilitation facilities. The campaign will culminate in a half marathon and the launch of a series of Racing for Recovery family support groups -- an innovative alternative to addiction prevention and recovery that redirects addicts' addictive impulses into fitness and sports.
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DMT plays big role in fundraising for local homeless shelter  (June 2009)
Dare Mighty Things (DMT) is playing an important role in the Capital Campaign of Portsmouth, NH homeless shelter, Cross Roads House. David Van Patten, president of Dare Mighty Things, sits on the Board of Directors, and is helping guide the organization in its endeavor to raise $5 million to rebuild the deteriorating local shelter.
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DMT accelerates launch of hundreds of children and youth programs (May 2009)
Dare Mighty Things has been contracted by the US Department of Health and Human Services ’ Administration for Children and Families (ACF) to apply their proven capacity building expertise to strengthen youth programs across the nation. Through a series of workshops targeted for youth program grant recipients, DMT presenters are training youth program directors and staff to implement solutions to fortify their programs.
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DMT project featured in New York Times (March 2009)
On March 8, 2009, the New York Times featured the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, a highly successful national program for high school dropouts.  DMT has been engaged by the National Guard Bureau since the program’s start 17 years ago to assist in the design, development, and implementation of the Youth ChalleNGe program.
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Dare Mighty Things featured at White House Event (December 2008)
Representatives of Dare Mighty Things, Inc., a social service consulting firm located in Portsmouth, NH and Arlington, VA., were invited to speak this week at the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives event, Models and Strategies Day: Proven Approaches for Investment in Frontline Nonprofits.
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Dare Mighty Things named ACF Outstanding Contractor of the Year (October 2008)
Dare Mighty Things, Inc. has been awarded the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Assistant Secretary's 2008 Outstanding Contractor of the Year award for their work on behalf of the Compassion Capital Fund in designing and developing an integrated, web-based system with two user interfaces (one for Federal and contractor staff, and one for grantees) for use in supporting CCF grantees and their programs.
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DMT Wins Bid for CCF National Resource Center Contract (October 2008)
Dare Mighty Things' partnership with the Administration for Children and Families, Office of Community Services will continue for five more years (October 1, 2008 through September 30, 2013) with a new contract to serve as the Compassion Capital Fund's National Resource Center (NRC). DMT has served as the NRC since its inception in 2002. With this award, DMT will continue to provide capacity-building and program-related training and technical assistance products and services to grantees of CCF's three programs: Demonstration, CEY, and Targeted Capacity Building. DMT will also provide coordination and oversight, performance assessment, and onsite support to the CCF Federal program staff.
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3,000 Voucher Milestone Exceeded by the MCP: Caregiver's Choice team (September 2008)
The MCP: Caregiver's Choice team has exceeded its first year goal to distribute 3,000 vouchers for mentoring services to children with incarcerated parents. Dare Mighty Things, in partnership with MENTOR, has been tasked by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Administration for Children and Families (ACF), to run the MCP: Caregiver's Choice program.
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DMT Awarded Contract to Develop National School-based Mentoring Program (September 2008)
Dare Mighty Things, Inc. has been engaged by STARBASE, Inc., a Department of Defense educational program, sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Reserve Affairs, to design and develop a school-based team mentoring component for STARBASE Academies located across the United States.
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DMT Honored with ESGR Patriot Award (September 2008)
The New Hampshire Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), an agency of the Department of Defense, announced that Dare Mighty Things, Inc. was honored with the Patriot Award in recognition of extraordinary support of its employee, CAPT Karen Baetzel, who serves in the United States Naval Reserve.
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DMT Presents at White House FBCI Conference (June 2008)
The White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives hosted Innovations in Effective Compassion, a national conference event held in Washington, DC. June 26 and 27 to highlight results from the President's Faith-Based and Community Initiative. The conference, which included a keynote speech from President Bush, as well as presentations from cabinet secretaries, governors, researchers, and practitioners focused on outcomes, evaluations, and results from the Initiative's eight year run.
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Mentoring Vouchers Distributed to Children of Prisoners (May 2008)
For the first time, mentoring vouchers have been distributed to children of prisoners through Caregiver's Choice. These children are the first of 24,000 children of prisoners who will receive mentoring vouchers over the course of the next three years.
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DMT leads at HHS White House Summit (February 2008)
Dare Mighty Things, Inc. announces the successful execution of the Department of Health and Human Services' Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives Intermediary Summit. The Summit brought leaders from eleven different intermediary organizations around the Nation to the Eisenhower Executive Office Building for the purpose of identifying promising practices and innovations for inclusion in a guidebook currently being produced by DMT's DC-based office.
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DMT Awarded Contract with YouthBuild U.S.A. (February 2008)
Dare Mighty Things, Inc. is proud to announce the recent award of a program design contract with YouthBuild U.S.A. Through this twelve month engagement, DMT will conduct research in order to design a national mentoring program for a select group of YouthBuild sites around the country. DMT will attend site visits, survey the field, and convene a panel of national experts in mentoring to customize the design of a mentoring program to be embedded within the YouthBuild program model.
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DMT Awarded Contract with the National Committee for Employer Support to the Guard and Reserve (January 2008)
Dare Mighty Things, Inc. is proud to announce the recent award of a strategic review contract for the National Committee for Employer Support to the Guard and Reserve (NCESGR). Through this ten week engagement, DMT will conduct an organizational assessment of the national ESGR Field Committee structure to measure operational efficiency and determine business reengineering support requirements. At the completion of this project, DMT will provide NCESGR with a report of findings and recommendations to assist NCESGR with achieving breakthroughs in national scale and effectiveness.
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