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LAUREL – This is an important year for Laurel- Concord-Coleridge School. It has been 25 years since the school began offering the TeamMates Mentoring program, providing mentoring support for elementary, middle, and high school students since 2001.
TeamMates Mentoring Program is a national mentoring program which has chapters in six Midwest states and was originated by Dr. Tom Osborne and his wife Nancy 35 years ago in Lincoln. The LCC TeamMates program involves community members from Laurel, Concord, Coleridge, Belden, Hartington, Wayne and Dixon. They come to the school to mentor students once a week for 30 minutes, usually during lunch or study hall.
Through the TeamMates Mentoring Program, mentors have been impacting the lives of young people since 2001, giving them a sense of hope and vision for their future. The mission of the Team-Mates Mentoring Program is to impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring.
“The community members who come to the school to meet with their mentee are making a lasting impact on our students,” said Sherie Lundahl, LCC TeamMates Coordinator.
TeamMates believes it is like creating little waves that turn into lifelong ripples. Even the smallest acts of kindness, encouragement and consistency in mentoring can and does create a lasting impact on our students. Every meeting, conversation, or shared laugh might feel like a small wave in the moment, but those moments add up, shaping a young person’s confidence, goals, and sense of belonging for years to come. It’s a reminder that mentorship doesn’t just change one day, it can change a lifetime.
“Show me a successful individual and I’ll show you someone who had real positive influences in his or her life.” This quote by Denzel Washington captures the real essence of the local youth mentoring Program. TeamMates is one of the few volunteer programs that intertwine students and adults in an impactful, tangible way. It provides an opportunity for students to envision their academic and personal success by matching them up with engaging adults. The adult mentor and their student mentee both become friends-and their relationship quickly grows during their weekly meets. Teammates usually spend their time together playing games, shooting hoops, crafting, or just talking. Along the way, the student starts to feel accepted, learns there is always someone in their corner, and begins to believe that success is something they can achieve.
“TeamMates does a great job of connecting community with the student body; it is a wonderful way for community members to learn about the strength and struggles of our youth. Likewise, it is a wonderful way for young students to benefit from the time and attention of the community,” said Sarah Beckwith, co-coordinator of the LCC TeamMates Mentoring program.
“Volunteer mentors are the heart of the Team-Mates program and the reason LCC has maintained this quality youth program for so many years,” Lundahl said. “It is our mentors who have made LCC TeamMates a huge success. We certainly could not provide this youth program without volunteers, and we greatly value and appreciate all of our mentors. We are currently looking for more community members who want to volunteer their time to make an impact on a student’s life. We have 91 students who are enrolled in our program, but we have several who still waiting to me matched up with an adult.”
A local Board of Directors oversees the mentoring program and helps with activities, fund-raising and volunteer recruitment. LCC Teammates Board of Directors consist of Dustin Thompson, Justin Eriksen, Melissa Graf, Kelly White, Mark Leonard, Carol Milander, Jeremy Christiansen, Jennifer Van Meter, Kevin Nordby and student representative Kennedy Hall. Sherie Lundahl and Sarah Beckwith handle the day-to-day business of coordinating the program and working with students and adult volunteers. Some of its past coordinators include Susie Koranda, Arlys McCorkindale, Annette Junck, Bob Fritschen, Dr. Michael Nesbit, Julie Swanson, Christine Rasmussen, JoAnn Hauptmann, Jay Vance, Diana Badley, Melissa Graf, and Shawna Ranslem.
Thanks to these volunteer mentors, the future of our local community is bright, organizers said: Gary Anderson, Shannon Arduser, Mindy Bach, Jennifer Backer, David Badley, Luann Bartels, Becky Beckman, Sarah Beckwith, Kim Boysen, Meghan Brandow, Eric Brown, Crystal Brummels, Lisa Burbach, Jeremy Christiansen, Sheri Christiansen, Arianne Conley, Quin Conner, Jake and Shawna Dendinger, Andy Dennis, Erica Diediker, Sadie Ebberson, Jessica Eriksen, Jim Erwin, Verneal Gade, Amy Gould, Brian Gould, Melissa Graf, Melissa Graham, Melissa Haisch, Pat Harrington, Keri Hart, Nancy Hartnett, Andrea Johnson, Shane Kinkaid, Chad Koch, June Koester, Lynette Krie, Julie Kvols, Deana Leonard, Mark Leonard, David Liewer, Sherie Lundahl, Carol Milander, Kevin Nordby, Jessica Recob, Corrine Reifenrath, Izac Reifenrath, Trisha Reifenrath, Vanessa Schurman, Heather Showen, Steve Slattery, Julie Stone, Natasha Tasler, Karen Thompson, Lisa Thompson, Doris Troyer, Tom Tuura, Stephanie Urwiler, Meagan Vollers, Brenda Whalen, and Kelly White.
