John Graves Fundraiser for Mentor North

 I became involved with Mentor North in 2022 !   When I think about the work of Mentor North, I am most excited about the impact that one can have on a young person's life.   I have been very fortunate in life and am thankful to have time to share with Caleb and Conner.   I have been meeting with Connor and Caleb for over two years now, every Thursday, alternating weeks between Caleb and Conner. And most recently Connor studied and got his 4-wheeler driving certificate, so on some Saturdays we spend time 4 wheeling around the trails in Douglas County.  Most of all I enjoy getting out and doing fun activities with the boys and having a positive impact in their lives.   

This last summer we spend our time enjoying Lake Nebagamon, most weeks fishing, pontooning, kayaking and swimming.  Other weeks we spend our time at Adventure Zone in Duluth playing games or laser tag, jumping at Sky Zone on the trampolines or spending time at the library reading different books. 

During our time together every week, no matter what the activity is we do, we spend time talking about how things are going for the boys in school, at home, relationships with friends, activities they are in, they also like to hear how things are going for me at my job at the Duluth International Airport.   And at the end of our time every week we finish by eating a meal together at a restaurant.  The boys have a goal to eat at ever restaurant in the twin ports, so we have been getting to see a lot of new places, and I've gained a little weight.  Its hard to believe that I find time every week to meet with one of the boys, but I have been doing it for over two years now and love it.  I've have only missed a handful of weeks because of vacations and work.

For the 2024 Give to the Max campaign, Mentor North is aiming to raise $15,000.  With your recurring or one-time donation, Mentor North will work to ensure that every local youth has opportunities to gain life skills, try new things, develop meaningful interests and engage with their community through 1 on 1 mentorships. Mentoring, at its core, guarantees young people that someone cares about them, assures them they are not alone in dealing with day-to-day challenges, and makes them feel like they matter.  Being in a mentoring relationship builds social connection, improved self worth, confidence, mental and physical well-being for mentors and youth alike. 

Resilience Builders - Please consider becoming one of our Resilience Builder by choosing an automated monthly donation!  This will enable your partnership with Mentor North to benefit youth, families and community year round.  We also welcome one-time donations - every donation helps us create positive change. 

Every Donation matters - Will you donate to ensure that every local youth has one more caring adult in their life?