'Your adult best friend': Glenwood Teammates Mentoring named chapter of the year

Glenwood's Teammates Mentoring chapter was named chapter of the year for 2024 out of approximately 200 chapters. Teammate executives said that the Glenwood program was chosen largely because of its resiliency during and after the pandemic.

• “He’s chill,” said Bud Rowe, a seventh-grader of his mentor Bob Lothrop. “He’s not like the ‘get up and go.’ He takes time, sits, talks, doesn’t have to be up and going.”
• “It’s basically your adult best friend for the rest of your life,” said a student in line to get pizza with other kids.
• It’s rewarding, says Glenwood’s program coordinator, Sandra Dollen: “The joy. The joy I see in the mentees and the mentors and the relationships they’re building. It’s helping the kids see past today."

BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:

Students getting pizza:

“Thank you”

“You’re welcome”

Who doesn’t love a pizza party? I’m your southwest Iowa neighborhood reporter Katrina Markel in Glenwood, my hometown, and I'm here because this chapter of TEAMMATES mentoring was recently named chapter of the year.

Group of students: “It’s basically your adult best friend for the rest of your life.”

For more than 30 years, the in-school mentoring program has helped kids, from second grade to twelfth, develop meaningful relationships with an adult mentor. The program is relatively new in Glenwood.

“The Glenwood Chapter was started about five years ago with just 13 matches and then COVID hit. And for them to be resilient, now serving over 100 matches,” said DeMoine Adams, Teammates CEO.

Adams and (Teammates) regional coordinator Renae Lee attended the pizza party. I asked them why Glenwood was named chapter of the year out of 200 chapters in five states.

Seventh-grader Bud Rowe is mentored by retired dentist and substitute teacher, Bob Lothrop. They like to talk sports, but Bud told me he could trust “Mister Bob” with more serious conversations.

“He’s chill,” said Bud. “He’s not like the ‘get up and go.’ He takes time, sits, talks, doesn’t have to be up and going.”

It’s rewarding, says Glenwood’s program coordinator, Sandra Dollen.

“The joy. The joy I see in the mentees and the mentors and the relationships they’re building. It’s helping the kids see past today,” she said.

Student in line for pizza: “It’s just somebody you can talk to and take your mind off things.”

Students on football field making a “TM” for Teammates:

“What time is it?”

“Teammate Time!!!”

Teammates chapters, including Glenwood's, are always looking for mentors. Find out more at Teammates.org.