Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota

 Minnesota family is making strides to support Minnesota youth…

St Paul, MN – Gary Walters of Brainerd Minnesota is not afraid of a challenge.  When he feels passionate about a cause, he says he is not afraid to take action.  In the past couple years, Walters has done some big publicity stunts to get the attention he needs, like sitting on a water tower to raise money for Kinship Partners in Brainerd Minnesota.  This year, he’s stepping out in a big way to promote mentoring, but this time he won’t be alone.

Walters and his four children, Reggie, age 15; Cassie, age 13; Jackson, age 11; and Jessica, age 10, are walking the state of Minnesota, a 426 mile walk, to raise money and awareness for youth mentoring programs across the state.  The walk, which began on June 3^rd, will take the family from the southern border of Minnesota to the Canadian border.  The family will be stopping in St. Paul at the state capital on June 17^th from Noon until 2 p.m. to rest and to talk with local area legislators about adult volunteerism with youth through mentoring.

“Mentors have a lasting effect on the lives of children,” says Walters.  “Most people have no idea how valuable a few hours of their time each week actually is.  I do this every year because these youth mentoring organizations are doing important work that needs to be recognized.”

There are approximately 450,000 children currently waiting for mentors in Minnesota.  “We support and commend Gary and his children’s efforts for not only supporting mentoring, but literally going out and hitting the pavement to drive the message home that mentoring is vital to the success of young people today,” says Joellen Gonder-Spacek, Executive Director of the Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota.  “Gary has worked hard to promote this cause and we intend on showing our support by walking with him as he comes into town.”

Walters’s trek across the state is just one of several statewide efforts this year to promote mentoring.  The Mentoring Partnership of Minnesota’s Executive Youth Board will take their message around the state in January during National Mentoring Month to talk about the benefits of having a caring adult role model in their lives, other than a parent.  The Mentoring Partnership is also co-producing a half-an-hour documentary on mentoring with Twin Cities Public Television scheduled to debut in October.

“A lot of good people like Gary are doing a lot of good things to make sure our youth have a better chance of succeeding in life through the power of a mentoring relationship,” says Gonder-Spacek.  Walters’s statewide challenge is becoming an annual tradition.  The business owner and Crow Wing County Commissioner biked from the Mississippi basin in Louisiana to the Brainerd Lakes area in 2003, and camped ten days at the top of Brainerd’s historic water tower all to raise money for youth mentoring programs such as Kinship Partners in 2004.  In the past two years, Walters has raised over $30,000 for these organizations.  For more information on this event, please contact Mai-Anh Kapanke at 612.370.9169 or mai-anhk@mentoringworks.org.