Contact Information
Deborah Neary
Executive Director of Midlands Mentoring Partnership
Omaha, NE
(402) 932-2025 x1005
dneary@mmpomaha.org



The Midlands Mentoring Partnership (MMP) is designed to connect existing youth-mentoring programs and serve as a resource center for organizations desiring to start a mentoring program.  The purpose of the Midlands Mentoring Partnership is also to increase awareness of youth mentoring, participate in community recruitment processes, support the implementation of quality mentoring standards and monitor outcomes of programs and share resources.   The MMP Board is working with the MMP Providers Council and other key collaborators to gather information in order to create a strategic plan, specifically focused on fulfilling the priorities of mentoring quality, capacity and diversity.

Pictured above are all 11 agency staff that attended the 2010 Mentor Fair located at the Westroads Mall on June 5th: First row - Kainette Jones, Girls Inc.; Lisa Dougherty, Ollie Webb Center; Kate Sorrell, Youth Emergency Services Second row - Shawna Singhoff, Big Brothers Big Sisters ; Deborah Neary, Midlands Mentoring Partnership; Kate Chilson, Omaha Home for Boys; Sheryl Lindau, Big Brothers Big Sisters; Chelsey Stearns, Child Saving Institute. Third row - Tami Saunders, Omaha Street School; Tom Kunkel, Boys and Girls Club; Tom Miller, TeamMates, Phil Jarret, All our Kids; Amber Zimmerman, Child Saving Institute.

Mentoring Employment Opportunities

Society of American Military Engineers is looking for a Student Mentoring Program Administrator.  For a detailed job description click here.


2010 Mentoring Activity Calendar

Click here to view the 2010 Activity Calendar and get involved!


Midlands Mentoring Partnership
Conference Presentations

Elements of Effective Practice
January 21, 2010 - Midlands Mentoring Partnership

Mentoring with Assets
January 21, 2010 - Busby Phipps

Mentoring Across Differences
January 21, 2010 - Dr. Renee Spencer

Promoting High Quality Mentoring Relationships
January 21, 2010 - Dr. Renee Spencer

Outstanding Mentor of the Year, Don Bend, of Big Brothers Big Sisters, with his Little Brother, Alex, and Carol Wang, Master of Ceremonies for the January 21 Mentoring Conference Luncheon.


MMP Board of Directors (2009-2012)

Daniel Padilla, President, First National Bank
Ellen Freeman Wakefield, Vice President, YWCA Omaha
Allyson Crossman Slobotski, Treasurer, Koley Jessen PC, LLC
Jennifer Bober, Secretary, Neighborhood Center of Greater Omaha
Josh Bartee, Mutual of Omaha Bank
Ashley Frison, Baird Holm LLP
Dan Harley, First National Bank
Adrianne Geppert, First National Bank

The Midlands Mentoring Partnership advocates the expansion of quality mentoring and is a valuable asset for mentoring programs.  Our goals are to:

As a member of the Midlands Mentoring Partnership you will be able to collaborate with other programs across the area.  You will have training opportunities; be able to participate in National Mentoring Month; and be a part of a growing collaborative to help our children be the best they can be.


2010 Provider Council Officers

Jessica Miller, Chair, All Our Kids, Inc.
Kainette Jones, Chair-Elect, Girls, Inc. of Omaha
Sheryl Lindau, Treasurer/Secretary, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands
Lisa Dougherty, Past Chair, Ollie Webb Center, Inc.

Voting members of the Midlands Mentoring Partnership are:

All Our Kids, Inc.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands
Child Saving Institute
Girls, Inc. of Omaha
inCommon Community Development
Ollie Webb Center, Inc.
Omaha Home for Boys
Omaha Street School
Release Ministries
TeamMates Mentoring Program
Youth Emergency Services (YES)

MMP Comparison Chart.pdf

All Our Kids
Jessica Warren or Phil Jarrett
(402) 930-3000
mentor@allourkids.org

All Our Kids is a scholarship program providing group mentoring to over 600 Omaha Public School students from 6th-12th grades. Mentors act as role models and participate in the age appropriate curriculum such as: community service projects, career exploration, college access, youth leadership development, academic goal setting, tutoring, prevention education and field trips. All Our Kids gives committed adults the opportunity to improve public education by spending time with students twice a month in a fun structured environment.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands
Sheryl Lindau
(402) 905-3342
slindau@bigomaha.org

As a donor supported volunteer organization, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of the Midlands provides one-to-one mentoring services to girls and boys within the seven counties of the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro area. Our mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with caring adults that have a measurable impact on youth. Our professional staff carefully recruit, screen, train, and supervise community volunteers to help ensure children benefit from the guidance, support, and friendship of caring adults and positive role models. Mentors must commit to maintaining the relationship for a minimum of one year. Big Brothers Big Sisters offers both community-based and school-based mentoring programs. For more information or to volunteer call: (402) 505-3075 or email enroll@bigomaha.org.

Boys & Girls Club of the Midlands
Regina Tullos-Williams
(402) 342-1600
rtwilliams@bgcomaha.org

Boys & Girls Clubs of the Midlands (BGCM) reach thousands of youth each year. BGCM deliver a proven youth development strategy, access to Club services five days a week, a safe and clean environment, life-changing programs, and the opportunity to receive mentoring experiences and relationships with diverse, trained and caring staff and volunteers in a supervised and structured environment. Just as a Boys & Girls Club staff member's one-to-one work with each boy or girl is the key ingredient to deepening impact, a volunteer mentor's personal attention and guidance can truly open new doors of hope and opportunity for them.

Child Saving Institute
Sherri Harris
(402) 504-3646
sharris@childsaving.org

Child Saving Institute provides three different mentoring opportunities to Omaha’s Community. In the School and Family Enrichment (SAFE) program, CSI partners with Omaha Public School students in developing social skills, increasing coping skills, enhancing their self image, learning strategies for responsible decision-making, assisting with homework and providing one-on-one support and friendship. In the Independent Living Skills (ILS) program mentors help with children aging out of the
Foster Care System prepare for independent life. Mentors are instrumental in helping with job preparation and finding resources for continued education. Child Saving Institute also offers mentoring opportunities for Young Parents to help meet their goals of continued education, reducing the risk of abuse and neglect for their infants and learning problem solving and independent living skills.

Girls, Inc. Pathfinder
Kainette Jones
(402) 457-4676
kjones@girlsincomaha.org

The Pathfinders Mentoring Program at Girls Incorporated of Omaha encourages all girls to be Strong, Smart, and Bold! In an inequitable society, mentoring has been critical to the success and achievement of many women. Pathfinders is a long-term match program where mentors work with a young lady until she is a senior in high school. Girls are accepted into the program between the ages of 10 and 14. At a minimum, mentors are asked to mentor a girl for three years. The time commitment for Pathfinders is: one 3-hour initial training session, one meeting with the mentee per month for at least two hours, weekly contact with the mentee via phone or e-mail, and quarterly group workshops.

Ollie Webb Center, Inc.
Lisa Dougherty
(402) 346-5220 ext. 22
ldougherty@olliewebbinc.org

The Just Friends Program of Ollie Webb Center, Inc. is a peer mentoring and friendship program that matches adolescents (ages 13—18 years) with developmental disabilities (e.g., Learning Disabilities, Down syndrome, Autism, etc.) to adolescents without disabilities. Just Friends was created to bring social, recreational, and friendship opportunities to individuals with disabilities. Volunteer Mentors are asked to make a one year commitment in which they hang out with their ‘friend’ twice a month by participating in social/recreational activities such as bowling, shopping, movies, etc. and making weekly telephone contact.

Omaha Home for Boys
Kate Chilson
(402) 457-7182
katec@omahahomeforboys.org

The Omaha Home for Boys is a non-profit residential group home that provides a structured living environment in a cottage setting with caring House Parents, balanced meals and educational support for boys ages 10-18. The Omaha Home for Boys is looking for adults who have a strong desire to work with youth and are willing to commit to a weekly phone call and one outing per month. For residents at the Omaha Home for Boys, being mentored is a chance for a youth to receive individual attention from a caring adult and, most importantly, a chance to just have fun.

Omaha Street School
Sherl von Dohren
(402) 451-5234 ext. 161
svondohren@omahastreetschool.org

The Omaha Street School is a private high school located in North Omaha, designed specifically for teens who have been unsuccessful in the traditional school setting. Utilizing an approach focused on the whole child, OSS incorporates core principles and values into its daily school activities. Mentors at OSS are trained volunteers for the school, and often have additional roles in the school – such as tutoring in a classroom, assisting with college prep material, or working on career assessments. In the context of tangibly assisting our students, mentoring relationships develop.

Release Ministries
Woody Winchell
(402) 455-0808
woody@releaseministries.org

The Juvenile Justice Mentoring Program is designed to help youth lay a foundation upon which they can continue to build toward success in every aspect of life. This spiritual foundation is the launching point that empowers them to reach beyond themselves and their circumstances into an arena of promise for their future. The mentor is matched to a youth in a one-to-one relationship in order to become a trusted friend and guide. The relationship building may take place within a detention, group home facility and/or out in the community. The mentor and the youth meet once a week for 1 to 4 hours. The focus of the match is relationship building with emphasis on enabling the youth in their spiritual growth. Structured activities may include goal setting, strength assessment and vocational guidance, and discipleship exercises.

TeamMates
Tom Miller
(402) 390-8326
tmiller@teammates.org

The TeamMates Mentoring Program was co-founded by Tom and Nancy Osborne in 1991. Presently, there are over 4,000 mentors in Nebraska and Iowa in 113 communities. TeamMates is a school-based, one-to-one mentoring program. Volunteers who wish to be TeamMates mentors are screened and trained before they are sent to be matched to an elementary, middle or high school student. Mentors spend about an hour a week with a student in a school during school hours. The commitment is for at least one year. A TeamMates mentor is a positive role model that gives a young person a sense of hope, purpose and vision.

Youth Emergency Services (YES)
Kate Sorrell
(402) 345-5187 ext. 102
ksorrell@yesomaha.org

Youth Emergency Services has four programs that strive to provide homeless, at-risk and street dependent youth with the support necessary to thrive. We have a Drop In Center and Emergency Shelter that serves youth ages 13-21. Our two newest programs are the Maternity Group Home and Transitional Living Program serving youth ages 16-21 in the Omaha and Council Bluffs areas. The mentoring program at YES serves the youth in the Maternity Group Home and Transitional Living Program. The mentors provide support and guidance as the residents work to become independent and successful. We ask our mentors to make a commitment to the youth for the duration of their time at YES, with one face-to-face meeting per month and regular contact.