Can you help Maggie navigate the murky waters of the teen years?

Kids 'n Kinship has nearly 50 youth waiting for mentors in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount.  Heading into the new year, would you consider spending time once a week with a teen or child?  All it takes is a desire to be their friend, someone they can count on and have fun with.  You can even mentor with your spouse or family.

Here’s one of the youth waiting for that special friend:

First name:  Maggie

Age:  14

Interests:  Maggie is a huge fan of the band One Direction.  She also loves swimming, biking, doing crafts, going to parks, and visiting historical museums. She loves animals, though she only has a fish for a pet. She misses her cat and would love a mentor with a cat, dog, or turtle as a pet.

Personality/Characteristics:  Maggie is sweet and a little shy. She lives with her grandparents and is looking forward to having a mentor individual or couple to have someone else to talk to and hang out with.

Goals/Dreams:  Her wishes are to live with her sister and to have her cat back.

Looking For: An individual or couple, preferably with pets, to help her with friendship skills and self-confidence.

For more information: Maggie is waiting for a mentor through Kids n’ Kinship. To learn more about mentoring Maggie or another child contact Kids n’ Kinship at www.kidsnkinship.org or 952-892-6368. 

Photos by DigitalArt, courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Do crafts with Claire!

I remember as a child really enjoying creative projects and crafts. Young Claire is waiting for a school-based mentor through Kids 'n Kinship, the youth mentoring program in Dakota County. A mentor would meet with her during the school year for a half hour a day and then they could also get together for fun outings in the community over the summer and other vacations. Make a difference in the life of a child and be a friend to a young girl like Claire (or one of the other almost 50 children waiting for a mentor) today!

First name:  Claire
Age:  8
Interests:  Claire likes crafts and art, knitting, bead work and swimming and gymnastics! 
Personality/Characteristics:  She likes school, and would like a mentor who can meet with her at school (she in third grade) during the day this fall, and get together for activities outside of school during vacations and summer.
Goals/Dreams:  She would like a mentor who also likes art and would like to go to a park and play on the monkey bars!
Looking for: Her grandmother is looking for a mentor Claire can look up to and bond with and who will support her granddaughter.
For More Information: Claire is one of almost 50 children waiting for a mentor through Kids ‘n Kinship, a private nonprofit serving Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville and Rosemount in Dakota County for 40 years. If you're interested in becoming a mentor, you're invited to attend an information session from 6 to 6:45 p.m. Wednesday July 11 at the Burnhaven Library in Burnsville. Mentors can volunteer as individuals, couples, or families for weekly fun and enriching activities at home or in the community on their own schedules.