“Thank you for contributing and helping fund the Dammen Mentorship program. I have enjoyed the program and learned many new facts about the Hormel Nature Center and the world around me. This experience has grown my love for nature and sparked my curiosity to learn more. All my goals I had for this program I feel I have achieved through this summer. I have improved communicating with the public, making friends my own age, and getting out of my house to work and enjoy nature. I had fun meeting new people and teaching them what I know. Thank you so much for giving your time and money to this program.” – Signe
 
“Thank you for donating so I could be in this mentorship [program]. You gave me the opportunity to learn more about nature, and let me be able to meet new people. My favorite memory from this summer was all of the nature plays. One of my goals this summer was to be more involved in nature, and with all of the times I’ve worked I definitely feel like I accomplished that. Another goal I had was to meet new people. I achieved that when doing touch tables, team building, and more. My last goal was to be outside a lot. I accomplished that by helping rent canoes, doing a nature photography class, and more. Thank you for letting me stay busy this summer and giving me the opportunity to learn so many new things!” – Cassidee
 
“Thank you for donating! This has been a super fun summer and a great opportunity. It has taught me lots about working with other people and work ethics. My favorite day was Dammen Day, we got to do lots of fun activities like face painting and the duck race – I also got to meet lots of knew people both from the public and other mentees. This program has allowed a lot of people to gain experience and will really help in getting other jobs. I‘ve accomplished many of my goals like learning responsibility and gaining confidence in my abilities. The staff have been super helpful and fun both this year and last year. Thank you so much for the great summer.” – Sam
 
“Thank you donors! My favorite [part of the summer] is Kaden and getting to know him. This program impacted me to get more social. I love the atl atl throwing. I love the canoe and riding it. I caught a frog in pond scooping!” – Javarion
 
“Thank you for your donations to the program. This program has positively impacted my life in many ways. One way this program has impacted me is by allowing me to learn about and experience nature. This program would not be possible without your generous donations. My favorite memory from this summer is bonding with the other mentees. Thank you for all the donations we were given. These donations will help me with college. We are all thankful for the donations we received.” – Gavin
 
“One great thing about this program is getting to interact with other mentees. By interacting with other mentees I was able to make new friends and become more confident. By becoming more confident I was able to interact with the community better. One of my goals this summer was to make more friends. My other goal was to work with younger kids better. Through the mentorship [program] I helped with I feel I have completed both. My favorite part of the mentorship [program] was the ability to do something over the summer. Thank you for donating to help the mentee organization.” – Owen
 
“Thank you very much for supporting the Dammen Mentorship Program. I have had a lot of fun and learned a lot. I have enjoyed helping with classes and taking care of the animal. It has given me opportunities for self-improvement and helped me with time management. Some of the things I enjoyed most were helping with classes and canoe rentals. I plan on doing this again next year and I can’t wait to learn more about nature. It has been an amazing summer and I would recommend it to anyone. Thanks again for the support.” – Reuben
 
“Thank you for donating so this program could be possible. I’m so glad I got to be in the program. I’ve made many friends and had many fun experiences. My favorite thing we did this year was face painting during Dammen Day. I also enjoyed feeding and caring for the animals. Another one of my favorite things we did was pulling buckthorn; my arms were very sore afterwards. I am truly glad I got to work at the Nature Center and learn more about everything. Thank you so much!” – Scarlett
 
“Thank you so much for donating to the program. I had a lot of good experiences through the foundation. I think my favorite part was being able to handle Cosmo the Fox Snake. While that was fun, I was able to accomplish a lot of my goals. Some of them were social based, while other were more about critical thinking. Along with goals and fun, this program has impacted me in a huge way. I have had a really fun and valuable experience here. I just wanted to say, thank you!” – Clark
 
“I really appreciate you donating to this program. I really enjoy this program. This program made me think of becoming a veterinarian. I really like playing with the animals and feeding them. And you also gave me a chance to help kinds out in classes. My favorite moment was when this kid was nervous to go in the class so I got him to go in class. And his mom brought us ice cream after the class. I had a lot of fun learning about nature and plants that I had no clue about. Some goals that I had was not to be late and not to miss work. Thank you donors.” – Kamarion
 
“Thank you. I have had a blast this year in the program and plan to do it next year too. I really love just being in nature and watching birds. This has then led me to be able to share my love of birds with other people. This has helped me in my own life, too. It has helped me to clear my mind and connect with others. This program has shown me how to better connect with people and teach them about nature. I just want to thank you again.” – Noah
 
“Thank you so much for giving all of us this amazing opportunity. We are all very grateful. You gave us the chance to work with different people and animals. You gave us the chance to educate people. And Dammen Day was fun for us all. I even got to dunk one of my friends in the dunk tank. And this experience helped me complete all of my goals for the summer. This program also taught me some new things. This was a wonderful experience and I am sure everyone else agrees.” – Mia
 
“Thank you so much for donating. I had a lot of fun this summer being here. My favorite part of it was Dammen Day. Doing [the] dunk tank and watching them laugh at me. When I was dunked in freezing cold water. My goal at the beginning of the year was being able to not be lazy. But this program helped me get motivated to do things. I had a lot of fun. Thanks so much for making this happen.” – Tito
 
“Thank you so much for everything you have done for us. I just moved here in January, so this opportunity helped me make new friends and meet new people. I had so much fun and I want to do it again next year. This was a great thing to do if I was going to start a job soon, and it helped me understand the concept of a job better. I am also grateful for my little paycheck. I have been wanting to swim with the dolphins for a long time. I have saved my money for 3 years now and this little bit of money will finally [allow me to] be able to go. Dolphins have been my favorite animal since I don’t know when, but I can finally fulfill my dream. Thank [you] so so much I appreciate this job so much and I’m sure others do too.” – Kinzley
 
“Thank you for donating money to the mentorship program. One of my favorite things about the mentorship program is getting to help with the nature plays. I also liked holding the snake during nature plays. Another thing that I liked about the mentorship program is canoeing. One of my favorite memories of the program is making new friends. Another memory I have is helping with classes at the Nature Center. One way that the program has impacted me is by helping me make new friends. One of my goals that I had before starting the program was to learn more about the Nature Center and the program helped me to do that.” – Kale
 
“Thank you for the program. My favorite memory was making a new friend [in] Javarion! My goal was to make a friend and get to work with nature better. The program was great, it is something I want to do next year. I always wanted to do something like this so it was awesome. I was looking forward to hold[ing] Cosmo and I did so that was fun. My other memory was getting to help out and eat cookies.” – Kaden
 
“Thank you so much for the fundraising this program for me and the fellow mentees. This program has taught me to take initiative and become a better person. When I first came to this program, I was shy, scared to be myself in front of [people] my age, and didn’t really know about nature. By the end of the summer I have been able to lead activities, make friends, and now have a better connection with the environment. My goals for this summer were; use my voice, make new friends, and get more involved with nature. I have made all my goals this year thanks to the Dammen Mentorship Program. I have used my voice by making decisions, correcting behavior, and standing up for myself. I made new friends just talking and conversing with people my age, which was really a comforting experience here. I got more involve with nature by participating in multiple classes such as Soil in the Making, and Liking Lichen. These classes have taught me more in depth details about things that people my age don’t really know about. I have also led multiple nature plays which really broadened my horizons. I greatly appreciate all the interns and staff at the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center for allowing me to work here for the summer. I also thank the donors majorly for donating their time and money for allowing me to experience this summer. Thank you!” – Navin
 
“Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this mentorship [program]. My favorite memory from this summer was Dammen Day! I loved doing face paint and going in the dunk tank. One of my goals was to get to know more about nature. I learned a lot from the Monarch Magic Class like they are poisonous. Getting better at communication was also one of my goals which I achieved by working at the front desk, talking to people. I also achieved getting to know more people while I was working at the front desk and getting to know more about her. This program helped me gain friends, get better at communication, and get to know more about nature. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity for working at the Hormel Nature Center!” – Alaina
 
“My favorite memory from this summer was having the opportunity to handle the snake Cosmo. Ever since I was little I have always wanted to pet a snake, and it was cool I got to hold one. A goal I had at the beginning of the summer was to learn more about having a job and managing my time well. This program helped me achieve both of these. This program helped me do all these things and was enjoyable along the way. It was a nice thing to occupy me throughout the summer and I smiled when I saw I had a shirt. Thank you for donating to the Dammen Mentorship [program].” – Eben
 
“Thank you very much for supporting the Dammen Mentorship Program. This was my second year as a mentee. It has been an incredible experience! I have learned so much and had tons of fun. I particularly like handling and feeding Cosmo, the Fox Snake, and learning about raptor care. This fall I am headed off to college where I will be majoring in biology with a concentration is wildlife management and conservation. I am extremely thankful to have had this opportunity to get my feet wet in the field of work I wish to pursue. Thank you for helping to make this possible! I greatly value the knowledge and skills I have gained through this program and am sure they will help me in the future.” – Lydia