The 2024 Teammates Annual Conference was held last week in Lincoln. Coordinators, board mentors, and mentors from across Nebraska and four surrounding states attended. Norris, Waverly, Freeman, Palmyra-Bennet, and Douglas chapters were represented. DeMoine Adams, TeamMates CEO, kicked off the conference. Almost 10,000 students in grades 3-12 are matched with a caring adult.  Last year, Teammates provided 6.5 million dollars in scholarships to 208 students. Dr. Tom and Nancy Osborne founded the TeamMates Mentoring Program in 1991. The program started with 22 University of Nebraska-Lincoln football players and 22 Lincoln boys. 33 years later, the program has served more than 48,000 youth across 5 states. Teammates' mission is to positively impact the world by inspiring students to reach their full potential through mentoring.

At the conference, Norris Teammates was awarded the Southeast Teammates Chapter of the Year. The Norris chapter of Teammates started 18 years ago. Last year, mentors made a difference for almost 70 students. During the 2023-24 school year mentors and mentees meet 1415 times. We are always looking for new mentors and have a waiting list of students who would like to have a mentor. If you are willing to give 20-30 minutes of your time once a week to make a difference for a Norris student, check out the Teammates web page at www.TeamMates.org and apply to be a mentor.  You may also contact Mary Ann Franken at the Norris Intermediate School at 402-791-0040.  We are happy to answer any questions you may have. Your small actions can make a huge difference in someone’s life.

Names for the picture.
Norris receives the Southeast Teammates Chapter of the Year at the 2024 Annual Conference.  From left to right, Steve Burbach-mentor, Chris Anderson-Teammates Donor Relations manager and a Norris graduate, Lenny VerMaas-coordinator, Mary Ann Franken-coordinator, Mike Hoefler-Norris treasurer, Rhonda Burbach-Norris school board and Teammates board, Coach Tom Osborne, Will Shields-NU Football All-American and TeamMates Charter Member, and Angee Dostal-TeamMates Southeast Regional Coordinator.