Swanville Senior High Student of the Month

January is National Mentor Month, and throughout the month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota is using various platforms to show appreciation all of the volunteer mentors who make the program’s various initiatives possible and support the agency’s work of creating one-to-one mentoring relationships for local youth.

Some of the agency’s growing initiatives are the school-based mentoring initiatives. BBBS of Central Minnesota has school-based sites in St. Cloud, Sauk Rapids-Rice, Sartell-St. Stephen, Holdingford, Pierz and Foley, and both adult Bigs and High School Bigs serve as mentors to elementary and middle school students in those same school districts. The Bigs take time out of their day each week to meet with their Little at their school to do arts and crafts, play sports, do homework, or just hang out.

The newest school-based initiative started in August in Holdingford, and there are already 12 High School Bigs (mentors) matched with a Little (mentee), and more high school students are currently working through the interview process to become a mentor. The BBBS of Central Minnesota staff appreciates all 12 Holdingford Bigs for stepping up right away and volunteering to mentor kids and make a difference in the Holdingford community.

The Holdingford school-based Bigs include Lindsay Ford, Emma Gertken, Emily Hartung, M’Lynn Thompson, Kirstyn Sand, David Johnson, Emily Ottman, Erin Hartung, Gracie Philippi, Paige Fiedler, Jadielyn Rudolph and Renee Rudolph.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota currently has more than 100 children waiting for a mentor, including children at all six school-based sites. To learn more about the various mentorship options or to find out how you can make a difference in the life of a child, please call (320) 253-1616 or visit BigDefenders.org/ways.