Sutton TeamMates Cheer for the Big Red
October 29, 2008
On Saturday, October 26th, the Sutton Elementary TeamMates traveled to Lincoln, Nebraska. They spent the afternoon cheering the Huskers to a victory over the Baylor Bears in the Memorial Stadium Skyboxes. This special opportunity was made possible by the generosity of an Omaha couple who support the TeamMates Program.
The morning started early when Kim McElfresh, Sutton’s TeamMate Coordinator, and mentor, Harriet Maser loaded four students into a big red van for the trip. As a special surprise, there were backpacks loaded with Big Red Gear supplied by Sutton Public Schools, State Farm, B.G’s Corner and Sutton State Bank.
None of the students had ever been to a
football game before, so they started their experience by visiting
Husker Vision. They had fun enjoying all the special
activities.
Shortly before the game started, they entered the stadium and rode
the elevator to the fourth floor suite. The skybox consisted of a
small kitchen, a lounge area and 24 padded chairs where everyone
would have a bird’s-eye view of the game. With the mild fall
weather, the large windows overlooking the 40 yard line were wide
open. The roar of the crowd continually filled the room.
Their eyes took in so many incredible sights during the afternoon.
Experiences like the tunnel walk, the marching band, Little Red,
Herbie Husker and thousands of red balloons released into the sky
kept them chattering all the way home.
Tom and Nancy Osborne started the Teammates Program in 1991 by matching university athletes with 25 middle school boys. The Osbornes then recruited mentors from the community and began the school based, one-on-one mentoring program in the Lincoln middle schools during the 1997 school year. Six communities launched the statewide program in 1998.
Each year more schools and communities are implementing this mentoring program. The main responsibilities of mentors would be to help young adults gain skills and confidence so they can be responsible for their own future. Area aid members and Sutton School Superintendent felt that that this was a worthwhile program for the youth in our community and became actively involved in promoting this program to the school staff and the community. If you are interested in becoming a mentor please contact Kim McElfresh (773-4423) or Dee Boals (366-7907).
