Lincoln Public Schools

TeamMates events raise funds, increase participation

Originally published on: September 15, 2009

Two special events, sponsored by the TeamMates Mentoring Program, will raise funds for the Lincoln program and increase participation statewide.

The “Concert for Kids: No One Stands Alone” is scheduled for Sunday, October 4, at 6:00 p.m.  The event will be held at Saint Paul United Methodist Church, 12th & M Street.  The multi-faith concert is a fundraiser for TeamMates.

Music ensembles and soloists from seven churches will perform the 90-minute concert, including a children’s choir from St. Mark’s United Methodist Church; a gospel choir from Newman United Methodist Church; and a praise band from First Covenant Community Church.

No tickets are required; a free will offering will be taken.  In 2007, Southwood Lutheran Church held a concert to benefit TeamMates that raised over $6,000.

Mentoring programs get boost from "Coaches Challenge"

The National Mentoring Partnership has identified that there are 15 million children in the country who are in need of caring and quality mentors.   Thousands of these children live in Nebraska and Kansas.

In an effort to help close this “mentoring gap,” Nebraska Athletic Director Tom Osborne and Kansas State Football Coach Bill Snyder, mentoring advocates, are hosting the second annual “Coaches Challenge.”  The special event, to recruit mentors, began July 28th and concludes November 14th.

Last year, Kansas signed up more 4,238 mentors to Nebraska’s 1,118.  “This is a new year,” Osborne said.  “It’ll be a tremendous effort for us to beat them, but I think we can.”

The winning state will be announced during the Kansas State – Nebraska football game on November 21st, 2009.  The winning coach will be presented with a traveling trophy during the game.

The TeamMates Mentoring Program, co-founded by Tom and Nancy Osborne, is a statewide mentoring program with the mission to positively impact the world by inspiring youth to reach their full potential through mentoring.

To sign up for the challenge in Lincoln, call TeamMates at 436-1990 or go online to www.lincolnteammates.org.  Periodic updates of state totals are available on the state Teammates Web site: www.teammates.org.