LINCOLN – Six Nebraskans have been rewarded for positively impacting the lives of youth in need of a role model.
TeamMates recently conducted the “Back to School Challenge” encouraging people to apply to become mentors with the hope of meeting the increasing need.
“The good thing about this contest was that we did increase the number of mentors that we’re nominated, over the same time-frame, by about 500,” TeamMates Co-Founder, Dr. Tom Osborne explained. “That will translate into many more mentors for us. This has been something that’s worked very well for us.”
Six winners were drawn, with three of them being active TeamMates who nominated someone to become a mentor, and the other three were new applicants to the program.
Osborne shared that TeamMates is continuing to grow as the program aims to help 12,000 kids by 2020.
“The one thing we really think is worth mentioning is kids who have a mentor are much more hopeful, much more optimistic about the future, because a mentor can show you the way through where some things you hadn’t assumed would be possible are things you can achieve.”
Osborne added that the mentees aren’t the only ones who are moved by the experience of being a TeamMate.
“I think most of them find that it’s really meaningful. When you do something for somebody who can’t, on the surface, do anything for you in return, it adds a dimension of purpose and meaning to your life…It does mean a lot to those kids and it means a lot to the mentors as well.”
Osborne thanked Travel and Transport for providing all the prizes for the drawing winners.
Mentors who nominated someone to become a mentor:
- Brenda Searle – Sandy Creek, NE – Two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. along with a 3-night hotel stay in a location of the winner’s choosing
- Courtney Root – Central City, NE – Two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S
- Lori Peters – Logan View, NE – Lunch or dinner with Tom and Nancy Osborne, with up to 4 guests
People who applied to become a mentor:
- Kayla Jensen – North Platte – Two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. along with a 3-night hotel stay in a location of the winner’s choosing
- Joe Wingerter – Omaha – Two airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S
- Jeremy Hankla – North Platte – Lunch or dinner with Tom and Nancy Osborne, with up to 4 guests
About TeamMates Mentoring Program:
The TeamMates Mentoring Program was founded in 1991 by Tom and Nancy Osborne to provide support and encouragement to school-aged youth. With a mission to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential, this year TeamMates served more than 9,400 youth in 160 communities across Nebraska, Kansas, Wyoming, South Dakota and Iowa. To become a mentor go to www.teammates.org.
