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December 20, 1999
PRO Kinship matches mentors, childrenMentors canenrich livesof childrenBy GUY PRIEl Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- In an age where statistics indicate half of all marriages end in divorce, many children are left without the necessary stability to aid success in school. One local organization, known as PRO Kinship for Kids, has been taking steps to help reverse that process and matches these children up with mentors. "By helping a child as a mentor, a person can enrich their own lives, while improving the life of the child," Director Mary Ann Wonn said. People Reaching Out (PRO) joined with Kinship in November in an attempt to gather more resources that can help improve the program. With 45 affiliates nation-wide the local chapter can benefit from the experience of others, Wonn said. "We like what we are doing and don't have to change the program to fit into Kinship," Wonn said. "PRO is fun. It's a great place that can help make children feel special." There are three parts to the program provided by PRO Kinship, which serves about 40 children. They provide social activities for children in kindergarten to grade nine and parenting education classes in New Ulm, Sleepy Eye and Springfield. "Mentoring is one of the most important things we do," Wonn said. "It can really change a child's life." The children enrolled in the program, which is funded by United Way and the Families First Collaborative, are referred by social workers, school officials, family facilitators and parents for a variety of reasons, including loss of a parent, low self-esteem, or poor social skills. Many are classified as at-risk. Mentors are screened, trained and matched with a child who has similar interests, Wonn said. "All we ask is that once a person decides to become a mentor and gets matched with a child is that they maintain contact with their child," she said. "We have seen the positive effects of mentoring in the lives of the children we serve." High school students and college students volunteer their time twice a week to help with after-school activities at the center, which is located in the building behind First United Methodist Church. "All we ask is that a mentor spend four hours a month with their child, and it can be spent doing activities that don't have to cost anything at all," Wonn said. "Four hours a month really isn't that much time, considering the benefits." Mentors are needed all over Brown County. After filling out paperwork, the prospective mentor will sit through two interviews, consent to a background check and will then sit down with the parents of the child and be interviewed. "Mentors will be allowed to choose the preferred age of their child, which also helps us find the right match," Wonn said. "We do ask that mentors plan to dedicate at least six months to the program before becoming involved." Being a mentor can establish quality relationships that promote stability, support, friendship and a sense of community for the children served, Wonn said. Confidentiality is an important part of the program, and all records of children involved are kept private, Wonn said. "We have a couple of students training to be teachers and they help out a lot with the after-school program, which helps them get experience," she said. The program recently received a donation of $2,500 from Kraft of New Ulm. The funds will be used for the parent education portion, to help conduct training classes on parenting topics relevant to today's world, Wonn said.
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