BROKEN BOW— The Broken Bow chapter of the TeamMates Mentoring Program held a celebration with a dual purpose on Tuesday evening: celebrate the reveal of a new TeamMates themed bench at North Park Elementary and their joining of the Broken Bow Chamber of Commerce.
View a short video with clips from the ribbon cutting at the end of this story
Deb McCaslin, a TeamMates Mentor herself, said the idea for the bench came when the same kind of bench was spotted in Gothenburg. The Broken Bow TeamMates then started conversations with Shawn Racicky about his building the bench.
Those in attendance could be heard joking about the bench certainly standing out and being built so well it could withstand anything. The more serious side of those conversations however, was that the bench could be a place where mentors and their mentees have conversations that connect while it also serves as a bright red beacon encouraging adults and youth alike to join TeamMates.
“I enjoy when I walk into the school and once they spot you they give a big smile,” said mentor Colleen Gates. “That just makes it all worthwhile to me.”
Everyone in TeamMates t-shirts gave big nods when asked if mentors, mentees, or both are needed. They answered the question by indicating the number one barrier that people put up is that they don’t have time. McCaslin stated that the half hour meetings asked of mentors throughout a calendar year add up collectively to just 24 hours of time with a mentee. There is also a particular need for male mentors.
TeamMates Chapter Coordinator Mathia Shumaker-Calvert said she loves getting to see the benefit of the program from inside the school.
“I get to see the excitement the kids bring to it and the fact that they are so anxious to know when they get to meet with their mentor,” said Shumaker-Calvert.
TeamMates was founded in 1991 by Nebraska Head Football Coach Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy. Its first look was 22 Husker football players mentoring middle school students in Lincoln. Today, 3rd to 12th graders can build a relationship with a mentor.
All of the mentors encouraged those interested to ask questions. A wealth of information and the start to the simple signup process is available at TeamMates.org. As they have in the past, the Broken Bow TeamMates will continue to have information tables setup at school events, including those at the beginning of the school year around the corner.
