March 2, 2015 at 4:45 p.m.
Taking the plunge: Brave souls support Kinship with icy dip
Taking the plunge: Brave souls support Kinship with icy dip
Maybe balmy is pushing it, but no amount of cold weather or wind could stop the group from gathering at SARA Park in Tomahawk to support the Kinship mentoring program.
The plunge is Kinship of Tomahawk's second largest annual fundraiser.
"Kinship is a youth mentoring organization that serves the Tomahawk School District. We match adults - individuals, couples or families - with children who, for a variety of reasons, need a good role model or friend," said executive director Patti Hilgendorf.
"All of the money we raise goes right into our programs and supporting our group. We have a house that we rent and insurance and we do monthly match activities for our kids, so that where all the money goes. It stays right here, locally, for our kids."
Some of the money is used to support the group's KinsKlub program, Hilgendorf said.
"That's our afterschool piece. We have between 25 and 30 kids come on Mondays and Wednesdays to our Kinship house to get help with homework, have a healthy snack and just do some bonding with some really positive adult volunteers," Hilgendorf said.
"We started that a few years ago and it's really been great."
None of Kinship's programs would be possible without the unwavering support of the community. Hilgendorf said there's no way to put into words how she feels every time the community shows up en masse to support her group.
"It's amazing," she said. "They support us. I can't even put it into words. This community is so loving and so caring. It's proven over and over again every year."
Marcus Nesemann may be reached at [email protected].
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