It is 5 year anniversary time for this wonderful match! “Over the years, I have watched her grow from a silly, fun loving young girl into a caring, responsible teenager.” Says Deena
The match began in January 2013 through our school based mentor program. Deena visited Talia in her third grade classroom every Friday. They would occasionally read, work on a journal, play a game or visit the media center. Now that Talia is older, they get together outside of school and enjoy games and watching movies and in warmer weather, they do outdoor activities like bike riding, going to parks, and having water balloon fights. One of the things Deena says she enjoyed the most was making gifts with Talia for Talia’s friends and family for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, and Christmas.
“The match is going great after all these years. The ladies still get together on Fridays during the school year and on summer break. They cook/bake and do crafts together…among other things. Talia is excited to get to know Deena’s grandchildren.” Says Talia’s mom
Talia has become part of Deena’s family, spending time with Deena and her husband, their children and grandchildren and helping with garage sales. And speaking of sales: Last summer Deena and Talia started collecting grocery store receipts. The receipts are from any Spartan Nash store through a program called Direct Your Dollars. Local Spartan Nash stores include Family Fresh in Farmington and Econofoods in Northfield. People mail their receipts in; Deena and Talia collect and organize them. They just accumulated $150,000 in receipts earning $1000 to support mentor matches in Kids ‘n Kinship! Way to go ladies!!!