Keep kids from 'falling into the river'

One day a man was walking along the riverbank when he heard someone in the water yelling for help. He jumped in and pulled the person to shore safely. But then another person fell in and needed rescuing, and then another and then another. The man soon became exhausted and called out to a passerby for help. The passerby started to run upstream and the man called out again to help. The passerby shouted back that the best way to help is to find out why all these people were falling in the river and prevent that.

Volunteer mentors at Kinship Partners are on the scene "upstream" doing their part to keep kids in our community from "falling in the river." Their commitment of time is the cornerstone of prevention.

One little girl in need of a Kinship Partner is Mattie, who lives in Brainerd with her mother and two brothers. Mom's working hours make it difficult to have the opportunity for one-to-one time with her kids and is looking for a married couple to become Kinship Partners with Mattie. She feels that her daughter could use positive role models in her life. Mattie's parents are divorced and dad has had problems with drug use. Those kinds of issues can put Mattie right up there on the riverbank. Let's not let her fall in.

Most activities that Mattie enjoys are outdoors. She likes baseball, soccer, picnicking, swimming and snowmobiling. When indoors, Mattie enjoys playing cards, music, and, like most 11 year olds, hair and makeup. She told us that some of their friends have Kinship Partners and say they're a lot of fun. She'd like to do things she might not otherwise get to do. Specifically, that includes figure skating, concerts, track and water skiing. Though she doesn't like doing homework and taking tests, Mattie does quite well in school and likes "getting smarter."

There are many more children enrolled in Kinship Partners waiting to be matched with a mentor. There are all kinds of children and we need all kinds of people to help. Singles, couple, retirees, college students...all are welcome to apply. Mattie says that they shouldn't be "mean, stubborn, or stuck-up," and we agree. So if you are a nice person who would like to help prevent a fall into the river, please call Kinship Partners in Brainerd at 829-4606, in Crosby at 546-7308, and in Pequot Lakes at 568-4015. Check our website at kinship@brainerd.net.