WINTER 2016 Newsletter

WINTER 2016
Newsletter
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Kids 'n Kinship
14870 Granada Ave. #127
Apple Valley, MN 55124
952-892-6368
www.kidsnkinship.org
Jan Belmore – Executive Director
Rita Younger – Program Coordinator
Melynda Galioto– Kinship Coordinator
Carla Kress – Project Manager
January is National Mentoring Month!
The overarching theme for National Mentoring Month is
Mentor In Real Life, which allows us to talk about
relationships in real life. The messaging is to position
mentoring to help kids make the decisions that ultimately
lead to improved opportunities and connections, which
has an impact in real life.
In January 2014, MENTOR released a report that
includes the first-ever nationally representative survey of
young people on the topic of mentoring. Titled, The
Mentoring Effect: Young People’s Perspectives on the
Outcomes and Availability of Mentoring, the report found:
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55% more likely to be enrolled in college.
81% more likely to participate regularly in sports
or extracurricular activities.
More than twice as likely to say they held a
leadership position in a club or sports team.
78% more likely to volunteer.
Nearly nine in ten said they are now interested in
becoming mentors.
9 million kids in America are growing up without an
answer to this question. They make everyday choices
that lead up to life’s big decisions without enough
guidance and support – the kind most of us count on.
This means 1 in 3 young people feel isolated from
meaningful connections with adults outside their homes.
You can help close the mentoring gap by:
• Sharing your story to educate others on how
mentoring impacts your life.
• Ending the mentoring crisis & recruit friends to be
a mentor.
• Make a donation to an organization supporting
mentoring to help youth connect to mentors.
Printing donated by Mail Pack and Ship,
14870 Granada Ave, Apple Valley, MN 55124
Skateville Winter Outing
for Kids ‘n Kinship!
WHO: Mentors, matched and waiting children, and their
family members who live in the household.
WHAT: Roller skating, scrapbooking, a hot dog meal, &
fun! We will also have a book giveaway thanks to Barnes
& Noble!
WHY: To give Kids ’n Kinship participants the opportunity
to have fun together.
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WHEN:
Tuesday February 2 , 2016
6:00-8:00 p.m.
WHERE:
Skateville Roller Rink
201 S. River Ridge Circle
Burnsville, MN 55337
952-890-0988
Skateville is in Burnsville, at the northwest of the corner of
Nicollet and Highway 13. Take Nicollet Avenue north to
South River Ridge Circle, west to Skateville.
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You must register each attendee online by Jan. 26 at
https://kinshipskateville2016.eventbrite.com
Roller-skates rental included, rollerblade rental or
walker for beginners available for additional cost
The Winter Outing is sponsored by
Apple Valley American Legion Auxiliary Unit 1776
Please note: we take photos to use for publicity: online
and printing. Please inform us if you do not want your or
your child’s photo used.
MATCH HIGHLIGHT:
Thanks to all our ambassadors and supporters
for a great year encouraging people to step up as
mentors! 18 waiting youth were matched with new
mentors this year! Are you interested in sharing about
the power of mentoring with others? Please contact
Carla Kress, Project Manager, at [email protected] if
you’re willing to be a spokesperson for Kids ‘n Kinship.
Welcome New Matches
Ann & Al Haugen & Sage
Yvonne Dovick & Haley
Stephanie Lortie & Rachel
Mentor Reminder: 2 Chats Required Per Year!
Meet Nick and his mentee, Trevon - the photo is from a
day at Camp Streefland early in their match. Trevon is
now as tall - or taller - than Nick. One of the most
important factors in their match is their common interest,
which include movies, food, sports, and family. Every
conversation with Nick includes recognition of Trevons'
abilities, personality, manners or attitude. Nick talks
about the very bright future Trevon has; his athletic
accomplishments, goals, his academic struggles and
triumphs, his maturity beyond his years and how he 'looks
out' for his younger sister. Nick and his wife Bree consider
Trevon part of their family; they recognize what a great
mom Trevon has and have included her and Trevon's
younger sister, for dinners at their home.
We have a wonderful online opportunity for you and your
mentee. Reducing stress isn’t always about changing
your life. Sometimes it’s about changing the way you deal
with it. There is an awesome website you can visit with
your mentee: The Chiller Challenge! Take the quiz at
home, library, coffee shop, etc. The Chiller Challenge is a
creative outlet for youth to share inspiring ways to relax,
reduce stress and find life balance.
CHANGE TO CHILL:
You will learn about stress and its triggers; receive
perspective on things that matter, take a quiz, and learn
ways to manage stress
Go to:
http://www.changetochill.com/help-someone-you-mentor/
Email us after you visit the website and complete quiz.
Share two points you learned with us and we will count it
as a Chat for you!
Scrapbooking and Craft Making Event
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Trevon's mom recently wrote about the match: "Several
years ago, I knew I wanted a positive and consistent male
role model in my son's life. We applied to Kids 'n Kinship,
but due to the wait list, we did not get a match for a
couple of years. The wait was worth it as we met Nick in
June 2012. Nick and Trevon shared some common
interests and set out on a mentor match. Three years
later, they are still going strong.
When:
January 23 ,2016
Time:
10:30 AM
Location: Robert Trail Library
14395 S. Robert Trail, Rosemount
Phone:
651-480-1200
Trevon has always been a great kid and it is wonderful for
me to see him happy when he hangs out with Nick. It is
very clear Nick thinks so highly of Trevon as Nick tells
him he is proud of his accomplishments; that he has a
very bright future and can continue to do well beyond high
school. I think it is great and powerful for a teen to have
that influence. This is the mentor match I wanted for
Trevon and I suspect Nick and Trevon will be friends for
many years to come.
Please let us know by Monday January 18 if you will be
joining us so we can have all the supplies we need!!
In addition to celebrating three years of mentoring this
summer, Nick has staffed the Kids 'n Kinship table at
community events and educated the public about
mentoring. Nick has volunteered on our Kids 'n Kinship
Bowl-A-Thon committee, contacting financial and in-kind
donors to support the program and attends our annual
Gala.
What to bring: Your own photos and scrapbooks.
We will provide all other supplies as well as a craft!!
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Fun at the MN Valley YMCA Pool Party & Craft Day!
We had 59 Kids ‘n Kinship youth, mentors, and their
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families attended the 2 annual Pool Party in November.
We enjoyed swimming, crafts, and scrapbooking. Youth
picked out books from a generous donation by Barnes &
Noble! Many thanks to our sponsors Vibrant Reality and
Patti Perfetti for providing a fun and successful event!
Mentor and Mentees Swimming
Thank You Sponsors:
Mentor Communication!
Thank you for being amazing! Your consistency and love
for your mentee is such an amazing gift! In order to
continue to better our program and keep our funding we
need you to do the following:
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Log in your hours on the portal.
Return our outreach phone calls.
Let us know a good time to call you back.
This is incredibly important as it saves us time.
If you need assistance with your log in- please call
Melynda, 651-333-9468 or Rita, 651-686-0990.
Thank you again for all you do as a mentor and
supporting Kids ‘n Kinship
Parent Communication!
We know your child does so much with their mentor and
we need to hear about it. In order to continue to better
our program and keep our funding we need you to
complete the following:
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Return our outreach phone calls.
Inform us of a good time to contact you.
If child is over 12, please have them present as
we need to speak with them briefly.
This is incredibly important to use our time effectively.
Thank you again for supporting your child and Kids ‘n
Kinship
Thank You Giving Tuesday Donors
Karen Kitchel & Roxane and David Tolle
Thank You Donors
Amazon Smiles
Ameriprise % Mike Pelzel and Jill Woodruff
Apple Valley American Legion Post 1776
Apple Valley American Legion Women’s Auxiliary
Post 1776
Best Buy Foundation
Eagan Rotary
Christin Gigstad
Linda Harty Family Foundation
Medical Monkeys
Judy Olhoft
Otto Bremer Foundation
Dale and Bette Schenian
Sams Club- Apple Valley
Shepherd of the Valley Church
Wings Financial Credit Union-Apple Valley
Thomson Reuters % Logan Mortenson, Wendy
Haroldsen, Scott Berres, Matt Wendt
Thrivent Choice: Nellie Gosh, Sandy Brownlee,
Dave Belmore, Karla Kosel, Kenneth Brown
Uponor
Youth Intervention Prevention- DPS
Zerorez
Thank You Designated Donors
Scott Berres
Sarah Gerber
Justin Haffner
Wendy Haroldsen
Karen Kooda
Karla Kosel
Logan Mortenson
Mike Pelzel
Kirsten Storlie
Matt Wendt
Jill Woodruff
Thank You GIVE TO THE MAX donors
Karen Anderson
Kathryn Beatty
Kris Carberry
Jennifer Carlson
Mary Jo Hamann
Mary Haupt
Nance Hemmah
Karen Kitchel
Dawn Kalb
Deborah Kieschnick
Karen Kitchel
Bryan McGee
Jan Menne
Michelle Nordling
Mike Reardon
Marlene Robertson
Cheri Tindell
Roxane and David Tolle
Lisa Wendt
Michael Zenner
Thank You In-Kind Donors
Media Relations, Michael Moschogianis,
Tix for Tots, Vibrant Realty, Mail Pack and Ship