NON-PROFIT ORG.

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID Balsam Lake, WI

PERMIT NO. 3 PO Box 68

Balsam Lake, WI 54810

National Kinship Affiliate

Of Polk County

Phone:

715.405.3900

Email:

mentoring@polkkinship.org

Website:

www.polkkinship.org

Join us for an inspirational and challenging video about impacting the lives

of the youth we serve.

To watch a preview of the movie visit: http://kpjrfilms.co/paper-tigers/

Thursday, March 16th, 2017

6:00-8:00 movie

*supper provided

8:15-9:00 discussion (optional)

Luminaries Building *downtown St. Croix Falls

123 S Washington St

St Croix Falls, WI 54024

Please RSVP by Friday, March 10th

Mentor Training

Mission Statement: Kinship of Polk County works

to improve the quality of a

child’s life by establishing a

relationship with a caring

volunteer, for the purpose of

promoting stability, support,

friendship and community.

Spring Issue A Publication of Kinship of Polk County

The Kindred Spirit

Kinship Staff Lisa Thanig

Karalee Tollakson

Amy Danielson

Sarah Jensen

Board of Directors Terry Hawkins

Nicole Johnson

Rob Rorvick

Rich Potvin

Andrea Skinner

Rick Palmer

H i g h l i g h t e d f r i e n d s h i p

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page 1: Match Story giveBig

Page 2: Upcoming Activities Coupons

Waiting Child Highlight

Page 3: Thank you Snowtubing Highlights Match Story Continued Financial Update

Page 4: Upcoming Mentor Training

continued on page 3

Walking through the halls of the schools

in our county, you will undoubtedly see the

faces of many smiling children. But if you

time it just right, you could possibly catch a

young person whose smile is just a little

broader because

they are walking

beside their

Kinship school

mentor.

Each week in the

schools throughout

Polk County, 177

students are given

an extra reason to

smile through

Kinship’s school

mentoring

program.

Kinship’s school mentoring program is one-

on-one mentoring that takes place within

the confines of school. Mentors and

mentees meet together weekly throughout

the school year for 30 minutes. Some of the

school mentors are adults, but most of them

are high school students who give up lunch

time or a study hall to give back to younger

students.

Eight-year-old Zachary is one of those

students. For the past 4

years, Zach has been

meeting with his high

school mentor, Jakob

Kastanek. Zach and

Jake first met when Zach

was in kindergarten and

Jake was a freshman in

high school, and they

have been meeting

weekly- sometimes twice

a week- ever since. Jake

enjoys being able to take

a break from classes and

high school life to spend some time each

week with a kid from the elementary. Zach

just loves the fact that he gets to spend

time with Jake every Thursday. As he

says,“he is a good friend.”

Zachary & Jakob

SUPPORT KINSHIP On APRIL 25, 2017

On April 25, 2017 Polk County will come together

for 24 hours of giving.

It’s one extraordinary day to support the vital work

of the nonprofits that serve our communities.

This is your chance to invest in the ongoing work of

Kinship of Polk County and the hundreds of youth

that benefit each year from mentoring support.

Be it $10, $25, $100 or more, every dollar makes a

difference!

Go to giveSCV.org, click on Kinship and help us reach our goal of $10,000!

GOAL: $10,000 GOAL: $10,000 GOAL: $10,000 GOAL: $10,000

Are you ready to make a big difference for neighbors in need?

Kinship has secured $3,000 in givebig matching gifts!

Page 2 The Kindred Spirit

UPCOMING ACTIVITY AND COUPON OPPORTUNITIES...

Would you like to mentor a child through Kinship of Polk County?

Meet Leithan!

Leithan is 9 years old and lives near

Range with his family. He is an active

and outgoing boy and is super excited

about the idea of having a mentor to do

fun things with. He loves to fish, play

hockey, skateboard & snowboard. He

even likes to try his hand at baking and

cooking, especially if he catches the fish

himself! Kinship is looking for a man

who would be willing to come alongside

Leithan to encourage him and be a good role model.

Meet Andrew!

Andrew is a curious and creative 8 year

old who lives with his mom and younger

brother in Amery. He likes to fish, play

some sports, and enjoys being outdoors.

Andrew likes to learn new things and

especially loves science; he enjoys putting

together experiments to figure out just

how things work. Kinship is looking for a

male role model who would come

alongside Andrew– someone to encourage

and cheer him on.

Leithan & Andrew are 2 of 23 youth currently waiting for a Kinship mentor.

Present this coupon for free mentee bowling with paid mentor game. (shoes not included: $1/pair.) Call ahead to make sure there is open bowling.

McKenzie Lanes 715-646-2228 Centuria, WI Valid March, April, May 2017

Buy one cupcake,

get second cupcake

Please present coupon at purchase. Offer good 3/1/17-5/31/17.

Mama T’s Sweet Treats Downtown St. Croix Falls

FREE

Yo u a r e i n v i t e d !Yo u a r e i n v i t e d !Yo u a r e i n v i t e d !

Volunteer Celebration! Sunday, April 23, 3:00-5:00

Village Pizzeria, Dresser

PIZZA BUFFET AND BINGO! *An afternoon of fun for mentors and mentees!*

Cost: FREE

Please RSVP by Thursday, 4/13

Save

the

Dat

e Join us for a night at the ball park!

Saint Paul Saints vs. Winnepeg Goldeyes

@ CHS Field

Date: Thursday, June 22nd, 2017

Cost: $5/ person *transportation

included

9th Annual Luau Fundraiser Thursday, August 3rd, 2017

5:30-9:00pm

Celebrations at the Gables LLC 285 145th Ave

Turtle Lake, WI 54889

Page 3 Spring Issue

Match story continued... A lot has changed in their 4 years of friendship. Jake said that one of his favorite parts of

mentoring is watching Zach grow and mature. “In the beginning, nearly every week we

would spend at least part of our time together writing letters of apology for something Zach

had done.” Zach quipped, “you were my apology letter buddy.” But over their time together,

they worked hard on learning how to treat other people kindly and how to take a deep

breath in frustrating or difficult situations. They are excited to report that they no longer

need to use their time together to write apology notes. Instead, they fill their time building

things- like paper cannons- and playing board games. The highlight of their time together,

however, is talking about their day- friends, homework, classes, … whatever is on their mind. Jake

adds that he has grown because of their relationship as well, “It has helped me as much as it’s helped him.” He says

their relationship has helped him to relax and take life in stride, all while building patience in the flow of life around

him.

As if to cap things off, Zach looked at Jake and added, “I think we’re gonna be really good together.” Indeed you are,

Zach. Congratulations guys for being chosen as Kinship’s highlighted match!

Partner Campaign Update

2017 Goal: $25,000

Current Pledge Amount:

$7,928

THANK YOU FOR YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT

2017 Partners are individuals and businesses who believe in the power of mentoring

and invest financially into the mission of Kinship. Every dollar raised impacts local youth

by providing them with support and hope through a caring mentor. Relationships impact

lives and mentors build relationships.

Partner with Kinship today.

Real People . Real Lives. Real Change.

Village Pizzeria

Dresser

Thank you for donating

50% off a pizza for matches this winter.

Kinship Snowtubing…

February 3rd, 2017.

so.much.fun!

Thank you, Trollhaugen, for the generous deal you give Kinship each year

for this fun event! You make this fantastic night possible. Thank you!

Ch

eck

ou

t K

insh

ip’s

Fa

ceb

oo

k p

ag

e t

o s

ee m

ore p

ictu

res!!

Thank you!

Thank you Holiday Inn Express in SCF for offering Kinship

matches a discount on

swimming this winter!

Thank you St. Croix

Falls Cinema for

offering Kinship

matches $2 off movie tickets this winter!

Thank you Johnson Motors for your

donation of

winter hats,

mittens and

scarves to

Kinship

kids!