“Thank you so much for this opportunity. I enjoyed the atmosphere while working here. It was genuine and welcoming. I learned to ask for help when I needed it. I have improved my communication skills. A moment I had that demonstrated this was when younger kids asked me questions about the turtle and salamanders. Once again, thank you so much. I have made memories and experienced things that will forever impact me positively.” – Enar

“Thank you to everyone who donated. I got to do a lot of things like go in a dunk tank for the first time. I was able to feed snakes, salamanders, frogs, and a turtle for the first time. The nice thing about the program is nothing needs to be changed. But most of all, it got me out of the house and it was fun.” – Cameron

“Thank you so much for supporting us, donors! I enjoyed the nature plays because I got to engage with a lot of different, great people. I really enjoyed when I got to work with my fellow mentee, Eben, on snake handling. I learned that snakes eat mice that have to be thawed before [they are] eaten. I was able to develop the way that I was able to handle the snakes. Thank you again so much donors, I had a really great time.” – Clark

“I really enjoyed meeting new people and socializing. A connection or moment I enjoyed with my fellow mentees was how we did the canoes. We learned how to do team work and I learned how to talk to others. I developed talking to others and I am very thankful for the donors.” – Lucas

“Thank you donors for donating to the Dammen Mentorship. I enjoyed spending time with friends and helping the public. One thing I learned was how to care for the animals at the Nature Center. A skill I improved upon is talking to the public, and one moment I had with the public was when I helped kids with the wand craft. I had a fun time this summer because of the Dammen Mentorship.” – Owen

“I enjoyed talking with the public and working with new people. I also liked learning about some of the animals. I enjoyed the cookies, too. One class I had [worked] my neighbors were in, so it was kind of cool to help out with that. One thing that I learned was how to feed the salamander. One thing that I have improved on is working with the public. Thank you donors for all you have done; I will really have good memories.” – Grayson

“Thank you donors for donating to the Dammen Mentorship. I really enjoyed working here this summer. I made a lot of memories, including feeding the animals multiple times. In this program, I learned how a job will work when I get older. And I learned many skills about timeliness I can use later in life.” – Eben

“I enjoyed getting to work with the animals. A moment that I had with fellow mentees was working together on Dammen Day. I learned about how a job works. One skill that I improved on was my ability to talk to people. Thank you so much for donating to the mentorship.” – Harrison

“Dear Donors, I enjoyed working with all the animals, especially the snakes. I also enjoyed spending time with my friend, and I liked working with Mia with the snakes. I learned that snakes have to eat their food at a certain temperature or they won’t eat. One skill that I strengthened was talking to other people. I just want to thank everyone for giving me this awesome opportunity to work here.” – Kinzley

“Dear donors, thank you so much for your support and everything that you have done for this program. One of my favorite things about doing the mentorship program was working in classes with little kids. Something that I learned is that Jupiter is almost 7 times bigger than any of the other planets. I had many connections with the public, but one that comes to mind is when I was working the touch tables and was able to explain what different things on the table were. I gained many new skills throughout my mentorship, but one of my favorites was knowing what to do in order to help people.” – Emma

“Dear Donors, thank you for contributing to the Dammen program. I am really thankful that you funded this. It has been such an amazing summer and I learned a lot! Without you, none of this would be possible. I really enjoyed participating in the classes because not only did the participants learn a lot, but so did I. I especially liked the Magic Monarchs class because we got to go outside and fill out a bingo sheet of things we found. When we were down to the last object, the yellow butterfly, it was fun watching the kids look for it. I had a connection with one of the children there because she was a bit shy, and I helped her open up. She also taught ne something that I never knew. She told me that lots of butterflies have similar colorings as monarch to protect themselves since monarch are poisonous, so predators don’t attack them. By talking to her, she helped me improve my speaking to people skills because I sometimes get shy meeting new people. So thank you so much donors, even though I don’t know you, I definitely know that you are kind and amazing people. Thanks for everything.” – Valerie

“This summer was so fun and interesting, from making friends, to meeting new people, to learning about nature. My absolute favorite thing this summer that I got to do was meeting all the critters and teaching people about them, especially the little kids so they learn to respect animals rather than to [be] fearful of them. One thing I’ve learned from the program is that nature and all the animals that come with it should be respected from afar so they are comfortable and feel safe. Thank you for all the support, it makes the summer way more easy and we all appreciate it!” – Gabe

“Dear Donors, thank you for providing me and other mentees with the opportunity to work at the Nature Center. I really liked interacting with the public and helping with the Nature Plays. Something I learned while working here was how to take care of the animals here at the Nature Center. A connection I made while working here was helping a kid during Dammen Day. While being a mentee I improved my timeliness. Thank you for donating.” – Aubrey

“Dear Donors, thank you for making this program possible. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my friends and the kids. I also enjoyed taking care of the animals and learning facts about them. A time I connected to a part of our community [was] when I would have classes with kids. I learned how to use the button maker for crafts during Nature Plays. I think I have gotten better at talking with the public.” – Scarlett

“Dear Donors, I really enjoyed interacting with other people and getting to know them. A moment I remember is Dammen Day when I was doing face painting with Mia and Alaina. This program has led me to learning many things, including how to feed the animals. This program has really helped me with my communication a lot. I thank you for everything you have donated to us! I really appreciate it and so do all the other mentees.” – Casidee

“Dear Donors, I really enjoyed the time I got to spend at the Nature Center this summer! I liked getting to talk to the public and mentees and make friendships along the way. I learned a lot about working with kids and how to react with their actions. I have definitely learned better social skills with mentees and how to communicate better. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity the past 2 summers! I really enjoyed it!” – Alaina

“Dear Donors, I really enjoyed being able to have so many unique experiences in this program, such as snake handling and pond scooping. I have been able to have many teaching and learning experiences with the public. This experience helped me learn more about native species as well as learning how to talk to people more. I improved talking clearly and being nervous about it. This opportunity helped me meet and connect with new and old friends alike.” – Mia