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Teammates mentoring program outlines local matches, seeks volunteers in Rapid City schools
Summary
Micah Brandsrud and Nick Van Dyne told the Rapid City Public Works Committee on March 11 about local Teammates mentoring activity: about 83 active matches across 13–14 schools, weekly 30–60 minute sessions, and national scholarship totals the presenters said totaled $6.5 million in 2023. Presenters encouraged volunteer sign-ups via teammates.org.
Micah Brandsrud, program coordinator with Rapid City Area Schools, and volunteer mentor and board member Nick Van Dyne told the Public Works Committee on March 11 that the Teammates mentoring program operates in Rapid City schools and is recruiting volunteers.
"We have about 83 matches here today," Brandsrud said, adding the program is active in "about 13, possibly 14 schools." He described the local matches as one-on-one pairings in which mentors meet a student for about 30 minutes to an hour during the school week.
Brandsrud said the national Teammates organization has served about 49,000 students since 1991 and that "in 2023, there were $6,500,000 in scholarships given out to students." He said mentors are matched with students based on shared interests and that the program measures attendance, grades and disciplinary actions to track impact.
Van Dyne, who described himself as a current mentor and board member, said matches include a range of activities. "We've done everything from UNO to some building blocks to some word search puzzles," he said. He described outdoor activities and projects such as writing thank-you notes to nurses at Monument Health.
Brandsrud urged community members who want to volunteer to visit teammates.org and click "Become a Mentor," and gave local contact information for the Rapid City chapter. Presenters also noted they operate during the school year and take a break during summer months when students are not in session.
Committee members thanked the presenters for the overview. The presentation was informational; no committee action or vote is recorded on the mentoring program in the meeting transcript.
