One Mentor's Story

In honor of "I am a Mentor" Day and January being National Mentoring Month, I am sharing about my own mentoring relationship.  

The first time I met with the 8-year-old girl I had just chosen to mentor, we watched a movie together and she played with my dog. We shared about our common interests: our love of animals, dancing, music, and movies. Now, three years later, we still enjoy hanging out with my pets and watching movies, as well as going to plays and concerts. I've been to her dance performances and to special person day at her school. We've read together and done some fun math puzzles like sudoku. We enjoy theater performances put on by local companies, especially those with children as the actors. We've been to several Minnesota Twins games and one Saints game, even a Cheetah Girls concert. We even had fun raking the leaves and jumping in the piles with my dog. 

While the activities have been fun, some of what I remember most is our conversations — like the time we talked about the upcoming presidential election and she learned that you shouldn't always believe what you hear (especially about famous people!). Or the time she asked me whether she should be a veterinarian or a soldier. While she has a loving mom and grandma, I know it helps her to know I care for her too and will be there for her whatever the ups and downs in her life. 

Would you consider becoming a friend to a child? The children in this program, Kids 'n Kinship, are children in need of an additional positive role model. They can be anywhere from 5-16 years old and live in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville or Rosemount. Mentors meet with their mentee weekly on average for fun and enriching activities but they don't have to be a strain on your budget. Kids 'n Kinship encourages inexpensive everyday activities and has free tickets and passes to big events like sports games, theater, and concerts as well as local museums and the zoo. Also people worry about the time commitment, but think about the time you spend on the computer or watching TV each week.  Instead spend that time having fun with a kid, possibly doing your hobbies or just being outdoors. Check out http://www.kidsnkinship.org/ or ask me any questions about mentoring. There are about 50 kids waiting right now for a mentor, could it be you?