Forever Friends

Companions for Children in Minot, North Dakota, pairs volunteers with young PEOPLE, often cementing strong bonds that last long after the children leave the program

BY LISA GIBSON

zanata Ayuero and Carol Holman are best friends. They shop together, get pedicures together and their families spend holidays together. Their ages, 11 and 55, respectively, are an insignificant detail in their friendship. Holman and Ayuero were paired up as mentor and mentee five years ago through Companions for Children in Minot, North Dakota. The program pairs children ages 6 to 18 with volunteer mentors who serve as role models, spending a minimum of four hours per month together. But Holman says being a mentor means so much more than that. “It’s not just a few hours a month,” she says. “It’s a lifetime commitment, as far as I’m concerned.”

Heather Cymbaluk, executive director of Companions for Children, says many mentors and mentees have lasting relationships beyond the program. “Once they’re matched at a young age, if they have a really solid match, whether they stay in our program or unenroll later, most of them remain friends — lifetime friends.”

How it Works

Mentors through Companions for Children must be at least 18 years old and are subject to a screening process and interviews before they are paired with children. Mentors are encouraged to take their mentees on free and low-cost outings, as any cost comes out of their own pockets. “We don’t want it to become a financial burden on the mentors,” Cymbaluk says.

Children can be enrolled in the program for a variety of reasons. Sometimes parents spend a large amount of time at work, or a child lives with grandparents or other relatives, has no siblings, or even many siblings. “We have some families that are big families so their kids benefit from having that one-on-one time that they might not otherwise get,” Cymbaluk says. Sometimes, a child wants to explore new interests, so being paired with an adult mentor is a great way to start trying new things.

“We are here to provide an additional mentor to a child for whatever reason they might need one,” she says. “It doesn’t necessarily mean that a parent isn’t involved. … They just feel their child could use another mentor.” In fact, parents play a large role in Companions for Children. They sometimes are the ones who enroll children, but beyond that, they are interviewed before their child is paired with a mentor and serve as the contact for the mentor, once one has been chosen. Children also are referred for the program through other agencies, teachers, guidance counselors or sometimes another mentor, Cymbaluk says.

As a nonprofit, funding can be a challenge, but Companions for Children gets foundation grants, local grants, individual and business donations and benefits from fundraisers. “For any nonprofit, you don’t really know what next year brings,” she says. “We’re always growing, and as we get bigger, there are more costs that come with supporting a growing nonprofit.”

Companions for Children has been a part of the community since 1972. “We’ve provided hundreds of kids with mentors throughout our time in the Minot area.”

Part of the Family

Before Holman moved to Minot about five years ago, she served as a mentor in Montana for a similar program. Once she was settled in Minot, she wasted no time finding Companions for Children and signing up to volunteer. “I think, to have the opportunity to share my life experiences and my time with a little girl who may not have the attention that she should be getting, or have available because of not having enough people in her life to share with her, it makes me grow as a person,” Holman says.

She raised two boys and says Ayuero is the daughter she never had. “Having Zanata in my life has made me feel whole. It makes me feel complete as a person and as a woman to be able to spend time with such a beautiful young lady and have her teach me so much about life. It’s definitely a blessing.”

Holman’s grandson was 10 months old when Ayuero entered their lives and he thinks of her as a big sister. “She’s part of us,” Holman says, adding that their entire families are close, often spending Christmases and Thanksgivings together.

“It’s not only a positive thing for the children,” Cymbaluk says. “It’s very rewarding for the mentors, and it provides a very unique, free opportunity for our families.”

Holman would agree. “A lot of people think you mentor because the child needs somebody. Really, it’s good for both of you and I think, a lot of times, we as the adult companion get a lot more out of it than the kids do.” She says volunteering as a mentor is an excellent opportunity to give back to the community and help provide guidance and structure for local children.

As for her bond with Ayuero, Holman has no doubt it will last a lifetime. “We’re best friends. Without each other, I don’t know what we’d do. There would be a void.” PB

Lisa Gibson EDITOR, PRAIRIE BUSINESS 701.787.6753