Like comic book superheroes & playing with Legos? Be a friend to Tony!

First name:  Tony

Age:  8

Interests:  Tony loves superheroes like Captain America & Superman. He also loves playing soccer & baseball, going fishing, being around animals, reading Magic Tree House books, and playing with Legos.

Personality/Characteristics: He can be shy at first but when he opens up, he’s fun-loving & active.  Tony is well-mannered & respectful of adults.  He lives with his mom and younger brother.    

Goals/Dreams:  Tony wants to be in the army when he grows up.  He also wants to be a policeman.  He is looking for an individual or couple to mentor him & have fun with him.

  

For more information: Tony is one of 45 children ages 5-16 waiting for a mentor through Kids n’ Kinship, a private non-profit agency which has served children in Apple Valley, Burnsville, Eagan, Farmington, Lakeville & Rosemount for 41 years. To learn more about mentoring, attend an information session Tuesday July 9th, 6-6:45 pm at Wescott library in Eagan.  To RSVP or for more information, contact Kids n’ Kinship at www.kidsnkinship.org or 651-686-0990.

Guest Blog by Rita: A Real Fish Story

How do you detect a real fish story?  And what does it have to do with mentoring?

I am so very fortunate to have many wonderful mentor matches share stories with me.  A few months ago, I heard a fish story.  Is a fish story an exaggeration, by definition?  Well this match caught 86 fish – yeah 86. And they caught them ice fishing.  And it was the mentee’s first time ice fishing.  Soooo I’m thinking, really?  Well, the integrity of both the volunteer mentor and the teen mentee is reliable – and I have known them for 13 and 9 years, respectively – I am going with it.

This match is a joy to be around.  When I speak with them individually it is really a challenge to determine who has learned more from whom.  I like that, a lot.  Mentors tell me they sign up to give a kid some fun and opportunity.  They end up learning so much about gratitude, choices, decision making, dealing with circumstances they cannot control and joy.  That is not a fish story; it is a mentor story I have heard from male and female mentors, numerous times.

-Rita Younger, Program Coordinator, Kids 'n Kinship

Enjoy sports and being outdoors? Share them with a boy in your community!

Below is a profile for one of the almost 50 children waiting for a friend right here in Dakota County.  Chips is typical of the boys in our program in that he lives with his mom, has little if any contact with his dad, and is desperate for a chance to get outside and do guy stuff with someone.  Could that someone be you?  Please consider befriending a boy through Kids 'n Kinship!  We provide orientation, training, and on-going support and all it takes is an hour or two a week of doing what you already do (i.e. going to parks, sports, grilling, working on the car, landscaping, etc.) with a boy this summer.

First name:  Chips
Age:  9
Interests:  Chips likes playing basketball, football, and baseball as well as skateboarding, swimming, & bowling.
Personality/Characteristics:  He is active and eager to go places and spend time outside this summer.  He lives with his single parent mom and his younger brother. Chips is in 3rd grade and likes math in school.  
Goals/Dreams:  His wish is for a mentor who can take him places and have fun with him
Looking For:  He and his mom would like a male mentor or couple who can meet with him, getting together for outdoor activities, sports, and games.
For More Information: Chips 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 6:00 to 6:45 p.m. Tuesday June 12th at the Wescott Library in Eagan. Mentors can volunteer as individuals, couples, or families for weekly fun and enriching activities at home or in the community on their own schedules. Contact us at 952-892-6368 or go to our website www.kidsnkinship.org.