Would you like to win two airline tickets and a three-night hotel stay? Or win lunch or dinner with Tom and Nancy Osborne for up to four guests?
Signing up to become a mentor in your local TeamMates chapter could win you one of these great prizes and make a huge difference in the life of a child. There are now four TeamMates programs in Antelope County: Neligh-Oakdale, Elkhorn Valley, Elgin Public and Clearwater/Orchard. A statewide “Back to School Challenge” offers TeamMates mentors a chance to win one of three prizes if they successfully complete the new mentor application process before November 30. First prize is two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. (up to $500 per ticket), along with a three-night hotel stay in a location of the winner’s choosing (up to $350 per night). Second prize is two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. (up to $500 per ticket). Third prize is lunch or dinner with Tom and Nancy Osborne, with up to four guests. Current members who nominate a new mentor through the TeamMates.org “nominate” tool may also receive one entry for each nomination who completes the application process by the deadline. These prize incentives are just one way local TeamMates chapters are working to recruit mentors for their programs. “I use the 3-foot rule, I get within 3-feet, I ask if they would be interested (in becoming a mentor),” said Rich Burgess, N-O TeamMates president. “We’ve also approached the Neligh Young Men’s Club, Neligh firemen and church groups.” Dave Rittscher, coordinator for Elkhorn Valley TeamMates, said their program is always looking for ways to recruit mentors. “We had two fundraisers in late summer in Tilden and Meadow Grove to promote Teammates to the communities of Elkhorn Valley,” he said. “We also had an information table at parent-teachers conferences to let parents learn more about the program.” Sonia Rittscher said Elgin hosted a tailgate at the first football game of the season to make their TeamMates program “visible.” “We’ve also had yard signs made for our current mentors to display in their yards,” she said. Rittscher said they’ve also contacted local ministers for help in identifying and encourage potential mentors. For Clearwater and Orchard, Diane Martin said recruiting new mentors “is an all-year-long challenge.” “The most effective recruitment technique is to speak directly to a potential mentor about the program,” Martin said. “We find it helpful to be upfront about the commitment and to be attentive to potential mentors' reservations.” All of the Antelope County chapters request that mentors meet at school about once a week with their mentee during the school year. The amount of time per meeting is typically 30 minutes to one hour. “We meet at the high school once a week for 30 to 40 minutes,” Burgess said of the Neligh-Oakdale TeamMates. “We also have some spring events, we’ve gone to the spring football game to watch the Huskers.” Dave Rittscher said, with Elkhorn Valley’s new school building, the school board designated one of the new rooms as the TeamMates room. “The school board has been very supportive of the program,” he said. “We ask mentors to meet weekly for one hour at school due to the fact that Teammates is an in-school mentoring program. Any other activities out of school must be a group event with parent permission.” Elgin mentors usually meet 30 to 45 minutes per week, Sonia Rittscher said. “Mentors meet on school grounds and have the use of several classrooms, the gym, or playground,” she said. “Several of our matches meet in the high school library to play board games or work on school iPads, but a good amount of matches take advantage of our 4-building campus, shooting hoops or playing catch outside, in the small gym, or in the main gym. We also have matches that walk around the track now.” The Clearwater-Orchard TeamMates program has mentors and mentees that meet once a week for approximately 40-45 minutes per week during the school year, according to Diane Martin. “They do not have to meet every week, but we shoot for a goal of meeting at least 24 times during the school year,” she said. “Clearwater-Orchard TeamMates also holds large group events like bowling outings, Kick-Offs and Year-end celebrations. Matches are not required to attend, but it is highly encouraged. Mentors are also encouraged to attend Mentor Huddles which are times where mentors receive more training or get together to support each other.” Martin said Orchard and Clearwater schools both provide a room just for the TeamMates program. “We feel blessed to have this space available to us,” she said. “Matches can also meet in the library or other areas of the school as long as they are not disrupting students and/or teachers.” All of the local TeamMates programs have children waiting to be matched with a mentor. “We currently have 25 matches,” Burgess said of Neligh-Oakdale’s chapter. “We have 16 mentees waiting for mentors. Our long-range goal is 50 matches.” Elkhorn Valley currently has more than 20 students waiting for a mentor, according to Dave Rittscher. “As of now we have 21 active matches with four or five in the process of being matched,” he said. In Elgin, there are now 12 active mentors, with a goal of 30, Sonia Rittcher said. “We have 12 students meeting with mentors currently,” she said. “We have nine students, so far, waiting for a match.” Martin said Clearwater-Orchard’s program typically starts off each school year with around 55 matches combined. “Since we continue to match students to mentors throughout the school year, by the end of the year we have approximately 70 matches,” she said. “Currently, we have seven students waiting for a mentor. We are specifically in need of male mentors.” Coordinators across Antelope County agree — every student can benefit from an adult mentor in their life. “Every person benefits from having an extra caring, accepting, encouraging person in his/her life,” Martin said. “Students who have a mentor see improvements in their levels of hope, engagement in school, and their well-being. These factors are linked to higher graduation rates and students being more likely to enroll in some sort of post-secondary education. TeamMates research also shows that mentoring positively impacts student's grades, discipline referrals and school absences. If we want to understand the impact of mentoring on a personal level, we just need to think about a person in our own life who believed in us and encouraged us. If we don't have a person like that, then our challenge is to be the person you needed when you were younger.” Sonia Rittscher said when she talks with students “one of the biggest selling points” is that they get to spend time with a mentor doing whatever they want to do. “Kids don’t get asked that a lot,” she said. “Their days are filled with school, chores, homework, sports, etc. For 30-45 minutes a week, mentees get to be with an adult who has absolutely no agenda other than wanting to be with them and getting to know them. Parents, teachers, coaches—we all have agendas with our kids, students, and players. But a mentor? A mentor’s role is to help find and appreciate the strengths the mentee has. That is it.” Serving as a mentor for 12 years, including 9 years with his present mentee, Dave Rittscher said the benefits of the TeamMates program goes both ways. “It's been a neat experience for me,” he said. “It's a very rewarding experience for the mentee as well as for the mentor, speaking from my own experience.” Those interested in becoming a mentor may visit the TeamMates website, www.teammates.org, or contact the school nearest you. Neligh-Oakdale: Contact Rich Burgess 402-649-9720, Denise Gunderson at 402-887-5290 or Becky Kerkman at 402-929-0719 Elkhorn Valley: Contact Dave Rittscher or call the EV school at 402-368-5301. Elgin Public: Contact Sonia Rittscher or Krista Eisenhauer at 402-843-2455. Clearwater-Orchard: Contact either school Clearwater (402-485-2505), Orchard (402) 893-3215), Diane Martin-coordinator, or any board member-Jarrod Long, Sarah Kesting, Lynae Stelling, Rachael Cheatum or Dale Martin. |
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