Best Friends Mentoring Program 2016 Summer Newsletter

Three mentors from one family = huge impact for local youth

W hile numerous sibling groups have stepped

up as Best Friends mentors the past 21 years,

it is rare for an entire family to volunteer to-

gether.

One exception is the Pitkin family. Inspired by mom Becky Pitkin,

the former principal of Jefferson Elementary in Dickinson and

now the executive director of the Educational Standards and

Practices Board for North Dakota, son Ben volunteered from

2013-15. Dad Mike started mentoring last year and daughter Zoe

will begin this school year, making mentoring a family affair.

“You can volunteer in a big way and paint park benches and

that’s fine, but it’s nice to get an intimate experience and see

how you can personally impact someone,” said Ben, a 2015 Dick-

inson High School graduate and sophomore civil engineering ma-

jor at North Dakota State University. (continued on page 2)

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Matches thrive in Catholic Public Elementary schools p. 2 New staff joins BFMP p. 2 Dickinson native & six-year mentor joins board p. 3 19th Annual Family Fun Day draws crowd p. 3 School-based matches continue over summer p. 4

Thanks to volunteers such as Brian Hall (right), his

sons and others, Best Friends has raised more than

$3,000 from recycled aluminum this year. Drop-off

locations are at 135 W. Villard, West River Communi-

ty Center at 2004 Fairway St., Family Fare West on

West Ridge Drive and city recycling sites north of the

DSU Indoor Arena and on West Broadway Street.

BEST FRIENDS CONNECTION Making a difference in children & families, one at a time

2016 2016

2013

FAMILY AFFAIR Zoe, Mike and Ben Pitkin

Best Friends Mentoring Program 2016 Summer Newsletter

Best Friends Mentoring creates lasting change

(continued from page 1)

“When you volunteer as a mentor you may

or may not relate to someone on your own

level. But it’s fulfilling in that you’re doing

something you need to do, which is help-

ing people.”

Becky Pitkin said she has supported Best

Friends because it provides a cross-age

relationship-building opportunity for both

the mentor and the mentee. At Jefferson,

where Pitkin was principal for six years,

mentoring aligns with the school’s view of

the importance of these relationships and

also as staff attempt to create a sense of

family in the building, she said.

“Students who have mentors also ex-

perience a positive adult in their life

who is able to laugh and have fun with

them and to make them feel unique

and special,” she said. “For many chil-

dren, the day their mentor comes in is

the best day of the week.”

Becky Pitkin said as a family, mentoring

is a way to give to others and to make

a difference in the lives of children.

“Investing in the lives of others is an

importance character building activity,”

BFMP launches pilot

program in Hebron

Mentoring thrives in Catholic Public Schools

Mentors are making an im-

pact in the Dickinson Catho-

lic Elementary Schools, with

10 matches accounting for 10

percent of BFMP’s total

school-based matches.

Lucy Young, whose son

James was paired with Trini-

ty High School (THS) senior

Jacob Ellerkamp, said the

experience provided a true

role-model and friend for

her 10- year-old son. A highlight came this past April, when Ellerkamp attended

Young’s First Communion at St. Wenceslaus in Dickinson with 38 other students

from Trinity Elementary East (TEE) and others completing a CCD program.

“It was very moving to have Jacob at James’ first communion, to see the care he had

for him,” said Lucy Young. “James relates to older kids and to have Jacob there as a

mentor made him feel better and proud to have a friend.”

As a part of his weekly mentoring, Ellerkamp went to part of Young’ First Commun-

ion classes. Other TEE mentors are Jacob Koskovich and Kathleen Scherer, both

seniors at THS. Mentors at Trinity Element West are DSU student Britany Berger,

DHS senior Katherine Heidt and THS seniors Elizabeth Tibor, Austin Karsky, Brady

Grinsteinner, and Logan Kudrna.

Community volunteers interested in mentoring in the Dickinson Catholic Elemen-

tary Schools can call Mark Billings, program coordinator, at (701) 483-8615.

Locals may know Hebron, ND as the

Brick City, but to BFMP, the town of

950 people is a cornerstone to expand-

ing mentoring in rural communities.

Thanks to a new partnership with

BFMP and the Hebron Public Schools,

a pilot program began in April featur-

ing Zane Woroniecki as the first men-

tor. The 17-year-old senior said he is

looking forward to building the new

friendship with his fifth-grade mentee.

“While I have seen him in the past at

different things in the community, it

meant more to see him this past sum-

mer,” said Woroniecki. “We’ve talked

about fishing and other things we

have in common and I know I’ll get to

know him more this school year.”

In addition to mentoring, Woroniecki

works on his family’s ranch, which

received the 2014 Rancher of the Year

Award by the North Dakota Stock-

men’s Assoc., and will serve as the vice

president of the Future Farmers of

America (FFA) Hebron Chapter. It

includes around 40 of the 63 students

grades 7-12 in the Hebron Public

Schools. This past summer, he was at

the North Dakota State Fair and at a

FFA conference in Washington DC.

Baelee Butts

Jacob Ellerkamp and James Young

Zane Woroniecki

Best Friends Mentoring Program 2016 Summer Newsletter

19th Annual Family Fun Day draws record crowd

An estimated 2,000 people attended BFMP’s 19th Annual Family Fun Day, setting an all-

time attendance

record on July 2.

“This was the first

year ever we ran

out of wrist-

bands,” said Kris

Fehr, executive

director. “It was

exciting to see so

many children

and families com-

ing together in

our new location

at Dickinson

State University.

We are grateful

to everyone who contributed.”

The combined 5K and Family Fun Day events, which re-

quired nearly 50 volunteers, drew people from around the

country, including Johnnie and Brenda Hall of Sadorus,

Illinois, who traveled to Dickinson from Rapid City while

on a RV trip. The couple completed their 23rd race, with a

goal to finish a race in all 50 states.

Major sponsors included Sanford Health, Roughrider Days

Fair & Expo, Fisher

Industries, MID-

CO, NextEra Ener-

gy, and Dickinson

State University

(DSU).

BFMP’s 20th An-

nual Family Fun

Day is scheduled

on Saturday, July 1,

2017 at DSU, with

the 5K race, walk

and youth compe-

tition starting at

7:30 a.m.

Six-year mentor

joins BFMP Board

Caleb Burgard, 24, a Dickin-

son native who has mentored

three boys as a BFMP volun-

teer the past six years, became

a

board

mem-

ber at

the

agen-

cy’s

May

2016

meet-

ing.

Burgard said since becoming a

mentor as a freshman at Dick-

inson State University, he has

always desired to become a

board member. Now that he is

a working professional, he

believes the timing is right.

“I have always wanted to in-

corporate my insights into the

program,” he said. “I feel now

I can voice my opinion and

give appropriate feedback and

suggestions for making the

Best Friends Mentoring Pro-

gram an even better program

for our community and

school systems.”

Burgard has volunteered for

nearly 200 hours as a mentor

in the Dickinson Public

Schools at Heart River, Lin-

coln and Prairie Rose elemen-

tary schools. He won a 2013-14

scholarship from the Western

Wellness Foundation — the

umbrella organization over

BFMP — for his commitment

to mentoring.

Ruelas with his college wresting team fourth, from right

As a sixth-

grader

(front)

with his

Caleb Burgard

Nearly 200 participants kicked off Family Fun Day with a 5K run, walk and youth

competition. Registrants represented 11 states outside of North Dakota. Top fin-

ishers were John Curley of Windom, MN and Callie Clausnitzer of Bismarck.

Johnnie and Brenda Hall

NextEra Energy provided patriotic hand-held windmills

for each Family Fun Day attendee.

Best Friends Mentoring Program 2016 Summer Newsletter

PROFESSIONAL STAFF

Executive Director

Kris Fehr

kris@bestfriendsnd.org

Program & Communications

Coordinator

Mark Billings

mark@bestfriendsnd.org

Development Coordinator

Pamela Bumgardner

pamela@bestfriendsnd.org

Administrative Assistant

Dorothy Mosbrucker

Bookkeeper

Sylvia Hartford

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

President

Greg Kontz

Vice President

Carter Fong

Secretary/Treasurer

Kevin Moberg

Directors

Rick Backes

Janice Mosbrucker

Chase Breitbach

Caleb Burgard

School-based matches thrive

Three DHS graduates win Senior Friend scholarships

Three mentors and

Dickinson High

School graduates

have won the 11th

Annual BFMP Senior

Friend Scholarship.

Tanner Binstock,

Kendall O’Hara and

Kaitlyn LaFond each

won $500 scholar-

ships from the Western Wellness Foundation, the umbrella or-

ganization over BFMP. Since 2005, the foundation has awarded 36

scholarships totaling $18,000 to BFMP mentors pursuing post-

secondary education or training.

“We are rewarding our mentors for the effort they are making on multiple levels,” said Kris Fehr,

executive director of BFMP. “First, they represent Best Friends and our mission of impacting

individuals and families, which is significant. Secondly, they

touch so many lives at the school they are assigned to, includ-

ing teachers, paraeducators and their mentees’ friends. They

have a huge influence.”

Binstock will play football and study either business or biology

at Dickinson State University (DSU). A mentor for two years at

Jefferson Elementary, Binstock has enjoyed how mentoring

touches so many lives. He plans to mentor while at DSU.

"It's not only my child that is excited to see me, it's his teacher,

staff and classmates," he said. "Although most of your attention

is on the kid you are assigned to, if you play or hang out with a

group of kids you can make their day better. I had no idea I could have this effect on kids."

LaFond is attending the University of North Dakota and was a mentor for two years at Jefferson

Elementary. "When I decided to become a mentor, I thought I would teach my mentee many

valuable life lessons, but little did I know she would be the one teaching me," said LaFond.

O'Hara is going to Black Hills State University. She said one of the most gratifying parts of men-

toring was seeing how happy her best friend was to see her every week at Lincoln Elementary.

"Every week I was greeted with a smile and sent away with a hug," said O'Hara. "She always re-

membered if I had to switch my day around, even if I had told her weeks ago."

Of the 52 school-based matches formed during the 2015-16 school

year, 10 continued over the summer, documenting the strong bond

between mentors and mentees.

Christopher Dean, a 2016-17 senior at Dickinson High School, has

met with 2nd-grader Joseph Heinle at the West River Community

Center every Wednesday playing board games and reading books.

Joseph’s mom, Elaine Heinle praised Dean for his consistency and

care. “He’s a great mentor,” she said. “Joseph really enjoys him.”

Tanner Binstock

Kendall O’Hara

Kaitlyn LaFond

Joseph Heinle

& Christopher Dean

Best Friends Mentoring Program

135 W. Villard

Dickinson, ND 58601

(701) 483-8615

www.bestfriendsnd.org