Thanks, Don, for sharing what this first year matched has meant to you!
Volunteering as a Kid’s and Kinship mentor has offered me a meaningful, low stress way to stay engaged and contribute to my community. This involvement has provided an added sense of purpose, allowed me to stay connected with the evolving youth culture, and frankly has been a lot of fun. I see the intergenerational exchange also benefiting the youth, who gain a positive male role model and access to years of life experience and practical skills. Activities we’ve enjoyed together include fishing, hiking, baking cookies, catching frogs & turtles, playing soccer, football, and pickleball. We’ve gone zip-lining, seen MN Wild and MN United games and just hung out eating mac ‘n cheese.