The Litchfield Area Mentorship Program is partnering with the Litchfield Blues and the Kiwanis Club for a special evening at Optimist Park. There will be a focus on children tomorrow night for the Blues game at 7:30 with free popcorn and prizes for kids.
Judy Hulterstrum says they have also scheduled their annual drive-through pork chop supper for July 7th in the area of the old Burger King parking lot and will be teaming up with the Fieldgate Cheese Store that evening where there will be special deals. She says LAMP has selected 7 individuals for the “Those Who Light the Way” award and each of them is raising funds for LAMP.
Hulterstrum says she presented Paul Johnson’s award at the last Meeker County Board of Commissioners meeting where he serves as chair. She says the adults and children in the mentorship program both find it rewarding and the children are not necessarily in troublesome situations – they could just use a little extra support, and the adults aren’t necessarily retired, but can be of any age.
Paul Johnson says there weren’t programs like LAMP when he was growing up in the 1960s and he had several friends and neighbors who all lost their fathers about the same time, and his father unofficially became a mentor to several boys who were part of his life. He says raising money for LAMP is not too difficult because – as former Meeker County Social Services Director Paul Buchovich once told him – there are lots of generous people in Meeker County.
Johnson says the Lunch Buddies program is available through LAMP and it’s a great way for people to get involved in the program. He says LAMP has been the recipient of a grant from PACT 4 Families. For more information about LAMP or to make a donation, call Judy at 320-699-1616 or contact her at info@lampkinship.org. LAMP is hoping to soon hire a 20-hour per week person.
