Kinship Partners, Inc.

There's still time to sign up for our Pins for Partners event! If you're interested in hosting a team, please stop in at https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/214061-2024-pins-for-partners to register.

If you can't make the event, you can still be involved. Pledge money to other bowlers or send your donation straight to Kinship Partners at https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/44565-general-donations

Recently, Amy sat down with Projectunite to talk about Kinship Partners and what we've been up to here in the community. You can take a listen and get caught up here: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/BPdQPKpB7Fb

The shop is open! If you've missed out on ordering fun Kinship Partners gear in the past, now is the time to get in on our next order. The storefront is open for a limited time, so order your t-shirts, sweatshirts, and caps now for February delivery.

We provide Kinship shirts for all of the youth in our school-based programs. If you'd like to donate a shirt for one of our Lunch Buddy friends, you can do so from our storefront!

Visit us here: https://kinship.itemorder.com/shop/home/

In honor of National Mentoring Month, StoneHouse Coffee is partnering with Kinship to donate $1 from every bag of coffee sold during January.

There's never been a better reason to caffeinate. Head to one of the StoneHouse Coffee locations now for an excellent cup of coffee that gives back to the community. Online purchases raise money for Kinship Partners, too! So if you can't make the trip, you can still make an impact by visiting www.stonehousecoffee.com and bringing home your favorite coffees today.

Ready to hear some of the facts about youth and youth mentoring. Here are a few you may not know:

1. Students who meet regularly with mentors are 52% less likely to skip school and 37% less likely to skip class than their peers.
2. Just 6.2% of youth with mentors initiate drug use compared to 11.4% of youth without mentors.
3. Youth with mentors are 92% more likely to volunteer in their community and give back to others.

Exceptional mentors come in all shapes and sizes with every type of background. If you're ready to be a positive influence in a child's life, we're ready to have you join us.

Get your application started right now at www.kinshippartners.org

Our annual peer-to-peer FUNdraising event is just around the corner and we'd love to have you join us by sponsoring a team! We're asking each team to raise $400 so we can get 2024 off to a great start. Rice Lake Construction Group has already committed FIVE TEAMS to the event - can you or your business rise to the challenge?

You don't have to dip into your own pockets for this fundraising event. Ask your friends, neighbors, family, and colleagues if they'll chip in for your team. The more you raise, the more we're able to sink into programming for our area kids!

Join the fun at our event page:
https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/214061-2024-pins-for-partners

Did you know that 2024 is Kinship Partners' 38th year? This year, for our birthday, we're looking for 38 donors who are willing to donate $38 each month in 2024. We call these sustaining donors our Bridge Builders, and they're vital to the work we're able to do in the community.

If you've been considering working with Kinship Partners or donating to us, this is a great opportunity to do just that. With your donations, we can provide lunch for our adult Lunch Buddies, host activities for our youth, and pay for background checks. Visit us today to sign up as a Bridge Builder at https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/32543-kinship-bridge-builder

It's January, and that means it's National Mentoring Month! We love having the opportunity to sing the praises of the amazing mentors who work with Kinship Partners and the youth in our area. They are making a difference; and you can, too.

If you'd like to learn more about our community-based and school-based programming at Kinship Partners, there's no better time to do it. Visit us at www.kinshippartners.org and get started today.

Happy New Year! May 2024 be a wonderful year to remember!

2023 is coming to a close! We want to remind you that there's still time for end-of-year giving. If you're able to donate, we appreciate every dollar that comes into Kinship Partners, and it enables us to keep giving back to the kids in our program.

Visit us at https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/44565-general-donations to make your donation today!

Last week we had the privilege of delivering well-earned awards to the winners of last month's Taste of the Lakes! A hearty congratulations to event newcomers Joe & Claire of Sunshine's SummerHouse for winning Best Starter, to Tower Kruse of Ernies On Gull for his amazing entree, and to Matt Annand and Jon Pulsifer (and Tim for standing in for the photo) of The Woods (Gather On 3 Event Center and Catering) for Best Dessert! And an extra special shout-out to this year's People's Choice winner for the amazing smoked beef short rib with riesling poached shrimp, truffle sweet potato puree, and sage Béarnaise sauce, Quinn Fisher of Main Street Ale House. Our mouths are watering just remembering all the amazing food these folks and the other 10 participating chefs brought to make this year's Taste of the Lakes a culinary event to remember!

If you're looking for a great place to have a true culinary experience, check out one of these restaurants or Sherwood North, home of our chef judge Paul Fitzpatrick! You'll be glad you did!

The Kinship Partners staff is taking some time off! The office will be closed until January 2nd. If you need us between now and then, please send an email to [email protected].

Merry Christmas from Kinship Partners! May your holidays be warm and bright!

Starting our team bonding day at Coco Moon. Thank you, Dawn, for showing Kinship so much love! ❤️

With weather like this, it's hard to believe the days are about the start getting longer! We hope you're settling in for a happy and festive final week of 2023. We can't wait for everything 2024 has in store for us!

Kinship Partners is preparing for the second annual Pins for Partners fundraising event on January 23rd, 2024 at Cuyuna Lanes in Crosby! With your help, we can raise the funds to continue providing youth mentoring and programming opportunities for kids in our area.

Ready to learn more about the event, sign up a team, or pledge money to Kinship Partners? Visit us at our event site: https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/214061-2024-pins-for-partners

Wondering what we've been up to at Lunch Buddies this year? These last few sessions, Tiffany and our lunch buddies have been exploring the commonalities people share. Each red link in this picture represents an adult or child participating in our Brainerd Lunch Buddies program. Each green link represents something they have in common. It turns out, we often have more in common with the people around us than we realize!

If you're interested in becoming a Lunch Buddy and seeing what you have in common with a child in the area, there's still time! Just visit us at www.kinshippartners.org and email Tiffany for more information.

Kinship's Executive Director Amy had the privilege of being a guest on the Projectunite podcast to talk about youth mentoring and the positive impact strong social connections have on individuals and our community! Thank you, Janel and Liz, for what you're doing to promote and support the C-I community!

The Power of Mentorship - Kinship Partners with Amy Gray by ProjectUnite - Crosby-Ironton School District #182 Our guest on this week’s podcast is Amy Gray, Executive Director of Kinship Partners. Join us to hear about the amazing work Kinship is doing and the opportunities they offer. We’re so grateful for the impact they’re making in our school and community. Learn about how to become a mentor, and h...

This December 10th marks the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It remains the most translated document in the world and is available in more than 500 languages.

We're thrilled that the UN recognizes that our youth face particular challenges and has created a Youth Advisory Group to help ensure all our youth have access to the same rights.

You can learn more at https://www.ohchr.org/en/youth/youth-and-human-rights-75-initiative

Welcome, December! It's hard to believe autumn is behind us, but we know the snow must be just around the corner. Wishing you a toasty winter filled with fun, family, and friends!

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, we're taking a moment to acknowledge all of our great supporters. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we do and allowing us to invest in our youth! In honor of all of our donors, we're hosting donor events this Thursday, November 30. There's no cost to attend - we just want to take a moment to celebrate you!

7:00 - 8:00 a.m.: Coffee at the Kinship Partners office.
10:00 - 11:00 a.m.: Mid-morning coffee at the Kinship Partners office...Coffee is what keeps us going!
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.: Happy hour at Ya-Sure Kombucha!

Come visit us whenever it works for your schedule! And if you're looking to donate this Giving Tuesday, drop into our website at https://kinshippartners.networkforgood.com/projects/44565-general-donations

Happy Native American Heritage Day! We're fortunate enough to have the Mille Lacs Indian Museum right here in our own backyard, and last week we hosted an event at the museum for our community matches. We love learning about the community there and the original history of our area!

Plan your own trip at https://www.mnhs.org/millelacs

Kinship Partners is spending this day of gratitude with their loved ones - and we hope you are too!

It's a week to be grateful, but it's also that time of year when a lot of us start holiday shopping with gusto. Did you know that Walmart has a program in place that benefits nonprofits? Like Amazon Smile used to, you can choose to easily give back to your favorite nonprofits with Walmart's Spark Good program. When making online purchases, just make sure you're signed into your Walmart account and have selected Kinship Partners as your nonprofit of choice. Then, choose to round up your purchases and we'll receive your donation. Every bit adds up for us at Kinship Partners! https://www.walmart.com/nonprofits/24b33e14-0e5e-4532-8af3-dab37d0417c1/profile

Looking for other ways to support our programming needs? We do have a registry at walmart.com. Click through our wish list items and see if there's anything you'd like to send our way!
https://www.walmart.com/registry/RR/7f72a972-7ab7-4186-ac31-f68ae15eabe6

Give to the Max Day is celebrating its 15th year of helping nonprofits achieve their programming goals. With your help, we can continue to improve the lives of our area children and the health of our community. If you can donate today, please do! Visit us at https://www.givemn.org/organization/Kinship-Partners to make a donation. We greatly appreciate your gift!

We're wrapping up another year of Taste of the Lakes -- and what a Taste it was! Thank you so much to everyone who helped make it possible, and to all the attendees who spent their Friday evening with us. We know you're excited to hear who came out on top during the awards! While every dish was spectacular, we do have a few restaurants and dishes to give a special shout-out to.

Best Starter: Claire and Joe from Sunshine's SummerHouse with Burnt Ends Parfait!
Best Entree: Tower Kruse from Ernies On Gull with Cedar Plank Steak Bites!
Best Dessert Matt Annand and Jon Pulsifer of The Woods with Grey Duck Mousse!

Finally, our People's Choice winner this year was Quinn Fisher with Main Street Ale House with Smoked Beef Short Rib and Poached Shrimp!

Thank you to the restaurants and chefs who made this night so memorable! And, of course, to the community, who helped us raise $50,000 for youth mentoring in our neighborhoods. We could not do it without you!