Sioux Empire United Way - Agency Success Stories

“I’ll Always Have Someone There for Me”
Agency: Lutheran Social Services Program: School Based Mentoring Service: Recruiting, training, and supporting volunteers to act as school based mentors. The mentor pairs meet once a week during the child’s school day. Need: In 2007 over 1300 volunteers were matched with students as mentors. School officials estimate that over 1,500 kids are still in need of a mentor – volunteer TODAY! Impact: Kids who have mentors are 46% less likely use drugs and 27% less likely to use alcohol; increasing their ability to become positive and productive members of our community.	A small dark haired girl sits in a corner coloring as the sound of heeled shoes hitting the floor approach…click, click, click. The steps slow and a young blonde woman cheerfully sings, “he-ll-ooooo, Amanda.” Amanda’s face brightens as she looks up. She’s been waiting for this all day, all week. It’s her mentor day. “The day Kristie comes is my favorite. It feels good to know someone is coming here just to see me,” says Amanda. The nine-year-old lives with her dad. He’s a great father. He loves her with everything he has, yet she is without a mother’s touch. In fact, Amanda has never met her mother. “I’m so glad I have Kristie. It’s nice to have someone to talk to about my problems,” says Amanda. “She always knows just what I need to hear.” She smiles mischievously from ear to ear, “And we have fun too.” Kristie is a volunteer mentor through Lutheran Social Services School Based Mentoring Program. She spends an hour with Amanda every Monday during Amanda’s lunch period. They talk, eat lunch, color, paint, jump rope, and laugh. Thanks to funding from Sioux Empire United Way, over 900 children in 20 elementary schools in the Sioux Empire receive weekly visits from their mentors. Giving children someone they can count on for support, guidance, and friendship. Child like Amanda, “I know I’ll always have someone there for me. No matter what.”
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