Teammates Needs Mentors
March 19, 2012
TeamMates Mentoring Program is officially underway in Burwell. Since the organizational meeting last fall a solid foundation has been built including selecting a board of directors, training the adult mentors and completing background checks, selecting student candidates, and finally matching the student with an adult mentor.
TeamMates was founded by Tom and Nancy Osborne in 1991 in an effort to provide support and encouragement to school-aged youth. The goal of the program is to see youth graduate from high school and pursue post-secondary education.
To reach this goal, youth meet one hour per week with a caring adult who serves as a mentor. Mentors are volunteers from the community who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the life of a young person. Mentors give youth a sense of hope, purpose and vision.
One youngster commented, “Having a mentor is like having a best friend”. It can be rewarding for the mentor as well, with by-products of improvement in grades, attendance, and behavior.
We are still in need of more interested adults to volunteer to be mentors, particularly men who are willing to spend time with a young person in our school. TeamMates asks that volunteers make a commitment of meeting with the student mentee for one hour a week in a school setting over the course of a year. Mentors and student mentees meet at school to ensure a safe meeting place surrounded by resources such as the school gym, library, computer center, or playground.
Contact any TeamMates Board Member for applications and answers to your questions. Ruby Plock, Board Chair; Dennis Davenport, Lorajane Bolli, Brenda Holmquist; Randy Dobbins; Dan Bird; Susan Goochey and Linda Senn.
