NORTHWEST MINNESOTA FOUNDATION AWARDS GRANT TO LITTLE BROTHERS & LITTLE SISTERS OF PENNINGTON COUNTY

January 28, 2015-Bemidji, MN- The Northwest Minnesota Foundation (NMF) awarded a $25,000 grant to Little Brothers & Little Sisters (LBLS) of Pennington County to restart after a four-and-a-half year hiatus. The program was established to connect adult mentors to at risk youth in the Thief River Falls area.

The program ran short on funds during the recession, but with a revived economy, local partners are coming together to rebuild the program. Advisory board members include the Violence Intervention Program, law enforcement, social services, local businesses, Northland Community and Technical College, and others.

The LBLS program is currently coordinated by April Ballard, a full-time educator in the Thief River Falls school district. “The grant will provide funds to hire a half time coordinator to work specifically on the LBLS program,” said Ballard. “The coordinator will match youth with adult mentors, which is a major task.” Students from four to fourteen years old are eligible to enter the program, and may stay up to age eighteen. Adults are required to commit for one year minimum.

Mentoring programs offer youth a chance to connect to their community. “Research and common sense both tell us that more caring adults in a child’s life will positively benefit them throughout their adulthood,” said Nate Dorr, NMF program officer for grants. “This project is a great example of how the foundation’s Caring Communities Grant Program can serve local needs.”

Activities are mostly unstructured with the goal to build a bond among the youth and their mentor. The LBLS advisory board expects each youth-adult pair to spend four hours every month together. The program has many safety checks embedded in the process such as, parent release, home visit, connection with law enforcement, and background checks.

The group plans to make 25 youth-adult matches in the first year, with hopes of 50 more matches in following years. They will also recruit adult mentors through campaigns directed at local businesses.

The Northwest Minnesota Foundation is a public, charitable foundation serving 12 counties of Northwest Minnesota by investing resources, facilitating collaboration and promoting philanthropy.