Mentors especially needed in Aurora, Chisholm, Ely, Keewatin

REGIONAL – Two new schools – Greenhaven Elementary in Hibbing and Washington Elementary in Ely – are partnering with United Way of Northeastern Minnesota (UWNEMN)’s Lunch Buddies mentoring program, slated to begin next month.

This growth is becoming a trend for the program, which pairs local elementary students with screened, trained volunteer mentors from the community to share one lunch break/week.

Participation has increased from two elementary schools to 13 since 2020.

Another trend for the program is difficulty recruiting mentors in new communities. With days to go until the mentor application deadline, few mentors have applied for Washington Elementary in Ely.

“The first year is usually the toughest for mentor applications,” said UWNEMN Education and Childhood Programs Specialist Sarah Gardeski. “Luckily, our residents have always pulled through, so we haven’t had to turn any children away, and the next year we usually see an increase in mentors once people start talking with their friends and neighbors about how fantastic the program is.”

According to 2024-2025 program evaluations, mentors, school staff, and parent/guardians alike saw Lunch Buddies improve participating student