Minnesota is a leader in the mentoring movement. It is because of the innovative and quality work of many individuals, workplaces, and organizations that contributes to this success, and deserves to be recognized.

Our winners exemplify a commitment to ensuring more children have caring adult mentors in their lives, and exhibit creativity, tenacity and an entrepreneurial spirit in engaging others. They go above and beyond the call of duty to guarantee that others succeed, look out for the broader interests of the mentoring community, and give back unselfishly for the greater good. Honorees also exhibit a concerted and sustained effort to provide quality mentoring experiences by adhering to programmatic standards that meet effective mentoring practices.

Awards are given out in four categories:  Individual, Twin Cities-based Mentoring Organization, Greater Minnesota Mentoring Organization, and Workplace.

For outstanding leadership by an individual

Mark Bailey –co-winner

Mark Bailey is part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities school-based program.  Mark was first connected to his Little Brother, Regal, four years ago through an e-mail mentoring program operated by General Mills.  They began their relationship by exchanging weekly e-mails when Regal was a student at Four Winds School in Minneapolis.  As their friendship grew, Mark decided to take it a step deeper and joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based program with Regal as his Little Brother.  In addition to the school-time meetings, Mark supports Regal by attending his football games and by getting together with him for other activities.

Mark is a role-model to others.  Mark balances the challenges of his busy professional duties as a director of staffing at General Mills with his own family responsibilities (Mark is a father himself), and still manages to make time to mentor.

During the course of their friendship, Regal has changed schools three times, and Mark has nurtured the relationship by following him to his new schools and helping Regal transition into middle school and a new peer group.  Regal’s trust for adults in the school setting has grown, and his behavior issues have diminished thanks to Mark’s consistent support. 

Angela Bailey –co-winner

For the past eight years Angela Bailey has been a committed Big Sister to Amber, matched through Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities community-based program.  Through her busy years of law school and now with the Hennepin County Public Defender’s Office focusing on juvenile court, she has been a constant presence in Amber’s life.

Angela calls Amber her sister/daughter/friend and says it has been a pleasure watching Amber blossom into a beautiful, intelligent young woman.  Little Sister Amber is focused on attending college and advancing her interests in drama and writing.  They talk frankly about important topics such as delaying sexual activity because Amber’s sisters experienced early pregnancies.

A poem Amber wrote summarizes her feelings for Angela, “…I’ll always love her because she’s always been there through thick and thin.  And I’m proud to call her my sister, my family, my friend.  She taught me a lesson that most people my age can’t see.  Angela Bailey taught me the best things in life are free.”

For outstanding quality and leadership by a Twin Cities-based Mentoring Organization

Creatives for Causes

Creatives for Causes uses the power of one-on-one creative mentoring to help low-income children build self-esteem, discover their creative gifts, develop exciting new visions of themselves, and improve academically.  Its program, Art Buddies, pairs 50 creative professionals one-on-one with south Minneapolis kids for 6 week workshops.  The children, ages 9-10, are predominantly from communities of color.  They are given a chance to create something more ambitious than they ever imagined, and a chance to feel the thrill of that achievement.  Creatives for Causes celebrates its 10 year anniversary in 2004, and reaching over 1,000 kids and recruiting 1,000 mentors.

Each 6 week program features a different theme, which is designed to help the child envision themselves as powerful and successful.  For “Career Dreams” children play with paint, paper and a collection of art supplies including junk jewelry, egg cartons, and fabrics to create wild and amazing images of themselves as successful adults.  All of this excitement, culminates to children and mentors posing for a picture taken by professional photographers and a parade or show for schoolmates, friends and family.

The program is so successful at retaining and recruiting mentors, it often has to turn away creative professionals from its workshops.

For outstanding quality and leadership by a Greater Minnesota Mentoring Organization

Kinship Partners

Since 1986, Kinship Partners has been providing positive role models and guidance to youth in Crow Wing and Cass Counties, in central Minnesota.  What began as an outreach program by a group of seminaries from Minneapolis in 1954 has grown to over 50 Kinship programs across the upper Midwest.  Kinship Partners now serves 195 at-risk youth between the ages of 4-17.

Currently145 children are being mentored one-on-one, and an additional 50 children on the waiting list participate in monthly group mentoring activities.  They also operate an all-day, once a week program called Blueprints, focusing on Search Institute’s Developmental Assets, and an after school club every Tuesday to teach children life skills.  Kinship Partners strengthens families by housing a resource library on a variety of family issues which is used on average by 20 people per month.  In addition, Kinship participates in Coats for Kids drive where 1,000 children are outfitted with jackets, hats, mittens, and boots.

Kinship Partners realizes that the capacity and commitment of its board of directors, staff, donors and volunteers determines its sustainability as an organization.  Cass and Crow Wing Counties experienced population growth during the 1990s which also means more kids with complex life issues.  To remain mission-focused during a time of growth, Kinship underwent a strategic planning process which focused on key areas of outcome evaluation, educating the community about its mission, and increasing mentor recruitment.  Before the software program and evaluation tool, Kinship “knew” it was impacting the community through the stories and experiences, now they have quantitative outcome-based data to “prove” their impact.

For outstanding leadership by a workplace towards mentoring

Best Buy

Best Buy demonstrates it commitment to the communities in which it does business, by donating 1.5 percent of pretax earnings to nonprofit organizations, and supplements its financial commitment with an extensive, employee-driven volunteer network.

One of their many volunteerism initiatives is a partnership between Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and Richfield Intermediate School. In only one year, 40 employees are mentoring young people through BBBS’s school-based mentoring program.  It is an outstanding accomplishment to engage forty employees the first year.  A feat achieved by employees through tireless efforts.

Best Buy employees are also e-mentors to students at Richfield Middle School.  Over 100 students exchange e-mails with employees and take part in electronic dialogue about job skills and school activities.  These students also get face-to-face visits with their e-mentors at school and at Best Buy.  In addition, Best Buy through its foundation, donated software and computer upgrades to the Middle School to enhance the students’ email capabilities.  Students now use a lab equipped with wireless laptop personal computers. 

The majority of volunteers will return next school year to continue their relationship with their Littles.  It is Best Buy’s vision to have volunteers follow the students through secondary school, so they have the opportunity to form long lasting friendships and help students build life skills.

Past winners and nominees have received outstanding public recognition by KARE 11, WCCO AM, and in the St. Paul Pioneer Press.  Our 2003 individual award-recipient was honored for his commitment to mentoring by being invited to attend President Bush’s 2004 State of the Union address.