Tori's $500 Fundraiser for Mentor North

Hi! I'm Tori, resident of Duluth and volunteer for Mentor North: a nonprofit youth program of one-on-one mentorship and community engagement. My story with the program began in 2022. I'd been searching for the right opportunity to get more involved as an active and contributing member of the Twin Ports community. It was then that I was matched with an incredible 10- year-old named Leo, and we've clocked many hours of adventures together ever since! 

As part of a larger campaign with a goal to raise $8,000, I'm aiming to be a piece of that pie to raise $500 here. Your recurring or one-time donation will help ensure that every local youth has opportunities to gain life skills, explore new interests, and engage with their community through one-on-one mentorships. Mentoring fundamentally assures young people that someone cares about them, assures them they are not alone in facing day-to-day challenges and makes them feel valued. Being in a mentoring relationship fosters social connection, improved self-worth, confidence, and mental and physical well-being for mentors and youth alike.

Spending time with Leo every month and with Mentor North's program support has been rewarding in so many ways — opening our perspectives to other socio-economic situations and witnessing each other's generational experiences.  It's given both Leo and me the opportunity to be present and empathetic towards diverse viewpoints of local culture. Anecdotally, what comes to mind is when we took St. Louis River Alliance's Paddling & Water Safety course. The program focused on educating community members from zip codes or neighborhoods historically limited to waterways due to zoning laws. While my Twin Ports zip code didn't face these limitations, my mentee's neighborhood did. This provided us with a unique opportunity to learn these skills together. From there, Leo and I dreamed bigger. We applied for the Mentor North grant program and received the funding to participate in a private paddling lesson on Lake Superior. 

We discuss the differences between our two decades of life. For instance, many of us from earlier generations often mention not having a phone until adulthood, while screens play a significant role in my mentee's daily life even embedded in daily school functions. This dynamic allows me to see the rapid pace of knowledge absorption in Leo's generation compared to mine at his age. This intergenerational connection provides assurance that when Leo's generation takes the reins, we'll find common ground at an effective pace.

In our first year of mentorship, we gained confidence in our match, and Leo even said yes to attending our wedding 🎊 We plan to commit to another year together. I only see the value of mentorship increasing as the world evolves. It's empowering and pushes you to put your best supportive foot forward.

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

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