The annual Albert and Louise Ordean Making a Difference Award Luncheon will take place on March 17. The award ceremony celebrates those in the Duluth/Superior mentor program.
Peter Williamson mentored Dakota O’Mary for almost 10 years. Williamson said he started out tutoring in schools before he decided to join the Mentor Superior program. He and his wife joined because they wanted to do more with kids outside of the classroom.
“Sometimes when you get involved in these school programs you see that kids have many needs that their family can’t help them with,” he said. “And I think having an extra adult in their life and someone with different prospective and different experiences is helpful to them.”
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O’Mary said he joined the mentoring program when he was in third grade because he needed help with school. O’Mary remembers being nervous when he first met Williamson.
“It’s grown to a point where I know think of Peter as a grandpa figure,” O’Mary said.
O’Mary said the mentoring programs are helpful for kids.
“It’s just kind of important that they know if they don’t have a person to look up to mentoring can kind of help with that,” he said. “It’s just kind of important all around.”
Williamson said O’Mary and him play basketball every week at the YMCA. They both plan to stay in contact after the mentoring program is over. O’Mary said his younger cousin considers him a mentor. The two play basketball together, and now O’Mary helps him with his school work.
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