TYLER B:  Tyler is a six-year old first grader.  He recently moved to Minnesota from the State of Washington.  He currently lives at his grandmother’s home with his grandparents, his mom and an older sister.  Since his dad continues to live in Washington, Tyler spends limited time with adult males.  His grandfather is in the household, but he suffers from many health issues and is not active.  Some of Tyler’s favorite activities include camping, basketball, soccer, bike riding, skating, bowling, walking, fishing and playing yard games.  He also loves to go to parks to play.  Tyler is friendly and outgoing.  He may be a little shy at first, but it doesn’t take him long to warm up to someone.  When asked what his adult partner should be like, Tyler stated, “He should be perfect!”

GAVIN C:  Gavin has recently been placed back on our waiting list.  He and his partners had many shared interests when they were first matched, but as Gavin got older, he developed some different interests.  Gavin says he likes to be active and do many different activities, but he also likes to spend time watching movies and eating popcorn.  His guardians want him to be involved in more active types of outings but Gavin may be unwilling to do these activities at first.  He is a friendly 11-year old who is attending Forestview. He lives with his grandparents and he has two younger siblings.  Gavin says he definitely wants to be matched again but he will have to be matched with someone who is willing to be patient in introducing new activities that involve using energy!

 JONATHON D:  Jonathon is a 7-year old second grader.  He attends Harrison School.  He is a pretty friendly youngster and seems very enthused about getting an adult partner.  Jonathon attends regular classes but he works with a special ed teacher for a couple of hours each day.  He loves BMX racing and he also likes swimming, playing WII games, going to waterparks, camping, fishing, cooking, mini-golfing and bowling.  Jonathon lives with his mom and dad but dad is an over-the-road truck driver who is away from the home for long periods of time.  When dad is home, he usually spends his time sleeping and doesn’t do much with Jonathon.  The ideal partner for Jonathon would be someone who likes to do fun things and could expose Jonathon to some new activities.  Jonathon describes himself as follows:  “I’m young.  Sometimes I’m nice and kind.  I do a lot of work for my mom.”  Jonathon has an older brother who has a very negative attitude.  It would do so much good for Jonathon to be able to get away from home and just have some fun.

 LOGAN F:  Logan is a five-year old kindergartner.   He lives with his mom in SE Brainerd.  Logan has no brothers and sisters at his home, so he would really like to be matched with a family.  He thinks it would be fun to play at the park, go swimming, and go bike riding with his partners.  Logan also enjoys drawing, painting, fishing, and music.  Logan’s dad lives in the area but they only see each other about every other month.  Logan is an active kid, but not overly active.  He is in need of a positive male in his life since mom is not too interested in “boy” activities.

 ETHAN F:  Ethan is a seven-year old 2^nd grader.   He lives with his mom, dad and an older brother in Brainerd.  Ethan was recently diagnosed with diabetes so an adult partner who has some knowledge about this disease would be an asset.   Ethan is a sweet boy but he has a lot of energy.  He takes medication for ADHD.  He is a special ed student in all areas.  His favorite activities include watching movies, swimming, bike riding, playing games and going to the park.  He describes himself as follows:  “I’d like to have a partner.  I’m easy-going, I’m kind and thoughtful and I have a lot of energy.”  He would like to have an adult partner who is energetic and talkative.  Ethan would benefit so much from being exposed to a wide variety of activities, and it would be good for him to develop interests out in the community since he spends a lot of time at home.

 SHAWN G:  Shawn is a 7-year old second grader.   He lives with his dad and older sister.  He does see his mom every other weekend, but he has supervised visits with her.  Shawn is a loving little guy but he has quite a few issues.  He is behind with his speech and he is in special education at school.  Sometimes what he says is understandable, but for the most part he is difficult to understand.  Some of Shawn’s favorite activities include swimming, bike riding (with training wheels), camping, sledding, watching TV and movies, and playing cards.  He also loves to play with little cars.  An adult partner with experience working with special needs kids would be perfect.

 MICHAEL G:  Michael is a 6-year old first grader.   He is a nice little guy with a heart-melting smile!  Michael lives with his mom, an older sister and a younger sister.  His dad lives in another state and they have very limited contact.  Michael has an interest in “guy” activities and mom doesn’t know how to do those types of things.  His favorite activities include bike riding, bowling, playing sports, four-wheeling, snowmobiling, boating, fishing, hunting, auto racing, woodworking, and playing with animals.  He is also interested in learning how to cook and bake and play the guitar.  Michael hopes that one day he can be a rock star.  Michael makes friends easily and is excited about getting an adult partner.  He’d like his Kinship Partner to be “like a big brother.”

BRANDON H:  Brandon is a 14-year old 9^th grader.  To describe himself, he says, “I’m hyper, active and sensitive.”  Brandon lives with his mom, dad and younger sister.  His dad is not home much due to his work.   Brandon lists playing soccer, math, chess and hunting as some of the things that he’s best at.  He would love to try canoeing.  Brandon is having more trouble making friends in his peer group.  It is felt that an adult partner will engage Brandon in some of the activities that he would normally be able to do if his dad were home more.  Also, it is hoped that Brandon will be able to learn better socialization skills so that making friends his own age will be easier for him.  He lives north of Brainerd.

 JESSY J:  Jessy has just been placed back on our waiting list.  He is an energetic 12-year old 7^th grader who lives south of Brainerd.  He currently lives with his mom and older siblings.  Dad has moved back to the area so he is around some of the time, too.  Jessy really would prefer to be matched with someone he could spend one-on-one time with.  He says he really enjoys outside activities and he likes to do anything that doesn’t involve paperwork!  He is quite talkative but has a slight speech impediment.  Jessy would benefit greatly from being exposed to a variety of new activities and spending time with a positive male.

 MALICHI K:  Malichi is an 8-year old 3^rd grader.  He just had a wonderful partnership that lasted about a year.  His adult partner became too busy and had to end the relationship.  Malichi is willing to give it another try and hopes we can find him a partner soon.  Malichi loves motorcycles and he enjoys bike riding.  Some of his other interests include camping, sports, bowling, swimming, fishing, video games, movies, board and card games, and he loves animals.  He lives in NE Brainerd with his mom and an older brother and sister.  He’s an outgoing child and really enjoyed his first partnership.

 ALLYSSA K:  Alyssa is an 11-year old 6^th grader.  She lives with her dad and stepmother south of Brainerd.  She has three sisters and one brother, all younger.  Alyssa’s next younger sister has a partner and that may be what motivated Alyssa to have one, too.  Alyssa’s mom lives in the cities and has some issues.  The kids visit her every other weekend, but that may not be the case much longer.  Alyssa is a sweet, friendly youngster with a variety of interests.  She loves sports, gymnastics, cheerleading, outside activities, arts and crafts, singing, dancing, and taking care of animals.  Since she is the oldest child in the family, she would really like to be matched with a younger woman who would be more like a big sister to her.  She describes herself as follows:  “I’m outgoing, talkative, I’m caring, kind, active, like to be out doing things.”  Dad and stepmom think it would be great for Alyssa to be able to be a “kid” rather than being a caretaker so much of the time.

 TYLER N:  Tyler is a 10-year old 5^th grader who lives north of Brainerd.  He lives with his mom and dad (who will be getting married in the summer) and a younger brother.  Tyler is a quiet kid who is pretty shy and sensitive.   He does not get along very well with his dad and he sometimes gets lost in the family since his younger brother is very outgoing.  Tyler lists his favorite activities as playing computer and video games, playing board games and being outside.  He likes to go bike riding and go for walks.  At school, Tyler is mostly in special education but does have a couple of hours of mainstream school each day.  He says he likes school and his teachers.  An adult partner with experience working with special needs kids would be best for Tyler.  He suffers from low self-esteem so a friendly, positive person would be ideal.

KYLE N:  Kyle is a 14-year old 8^th grader who lives in South Brainerd with his mom and her significant other.  Kyle is really into video games and spends a lot of time playing them.  Mom wants him to be exposed to new activities so he will develop new interests.  Kyle does say that he enjoys bike riding, four wheeling, fishing, hunting, watching TV and sleeping.  He is a somewhat shy youngster but with the right adult partner, Kyle would become more open and friendly.  He says he would like an adult partner who likes the outdoors, is talkative and active and someone who likes to do stuff.  It wouldn’t matter to Kyle if his partner is single or married.

 ZACHARY O:  Zach is a 15-year old 9^th grader.   He receives special education other than gym.  He lives about 15 miles SE of Brainerd, about seven miles from Pine Center.  It probably would be best to find Zach a partner who also lives in this area so travel time wouldn’t be an issue.  Zach’s main interests include bike riding, swimming, snowmobiling, four-wheeling, playing with animals, sledding, fishing, watching movies at the theater and playing video games.  Zach would really benefit from being matched with someone who can expose him to new activities and get him more involved in community opportunities.  Zach’s dad is a farmer and also works overnights at another job.  Therefore, it is tough for him to provide transportation for Zach to belong to any structured activities.  Zach is sensitive to being yelled at so he would do best with an adult partner who is patient and kind and is able to redirect behavior without yelling.

WYATT P:  Wyatt is a 13-year old 7th grader.  He lives just south of Brainerd with his mom and dad.  It is felt Wyatt needs an adult partner because his dad is in the National Guard and has been deployed several times in the past couple of years.   Wyatt has difficulty making friends with his peers and could benefit from having an adult partner who could work with him on appropriate social behavior.  Wyatt loves school and his very favorite class is science.  Someday he’d like to be an ocean biologist or an astronaut.  Wyatt’s favorite activity is swimming but he also enjoys bowling, playing pool, playing strategy board games and playing paintball.  He would love to learn how to scuba dive.  He’d like to be matched with a man who loves the outdoors and who loves to swim.

 ALEX R:  Alex is a 9-year old 3^rd grader.  She lives in Brainerd with her mom.  They moved here earlier this school year.  Alex is a nice youngster and she is talkative, polite, energetic and smart.  Alex likes school and her teachers.  She is in the process of making friends.  Her favorite subjects are math and science.  Her favorite activities include playing sports, swimming, playing board and video games, working on arts and crafts projects, bike riding, fishing and reading.  She would like to learn how to hunt and horseback ride.  She describes herself as follows:  “I’m active, like to have fun and go out and do stuff and I like to make people laugh.”

 TREY S:  Trey is a 10-year old 4^th grader.   He lives in South Brainerd with his mom, Mom’s boyfriend, and Trey’s younger half-sister.  Trey has been diagnosed with ADHD and takes medication for that.  He also suffers from depression, which is associated with his medication for ADHD, so he takes medication for the depression. Trey is a friendly, kind-hearted energetic youngster.  He is very excited to be in Kinship Partners and hopes he will find a partner soon.  He hasn’t ever played organized sports, but he said he is interested in baseball, basketball and soccer.  He really loves to build things and is good at working with Legos.  Some of his other favorite activities include bowling, swimming, skateboarding, video games and fishing.  Trey says he would be fine with any adult partner as long as it’s a guy!  Mom thinks Trey would benefit from having an adult partner because he has a tough time making friends and he really needs to have some positive people in his life.

 JOSEPH W:  Joseph is 13-years old and attends special education classes at Forestview Middle School.  Joseph is quite delayed developmentally and has problems with speech.  He is friendly and outgoing, though.  His favorite thing to do is to play with cars and trucks.  He also likes fishing, swimming, drawing, playing board games, and watching car races.  Joseph is involved in the Special Olympics Program and really enjoys that. Joseph needs an adult partner who is patient, nurturing and kind and shares Joseph’s interests.

TIM W:  Tim is a 14-year old 9^th grader.  He lives with his grandmother and younger brother in SE Brainerd.  He was previously matched, but that partnership ended due to health issues with the adult.  Tim says he is still interested in having another partner.  Some of his favorite interests include sports, bike riding, bowling, snowmobiling, four wheeling, swimming, boating, fishing, woodworking, drawing, board and video games, bowling, arts and crafts and horseback riding.  He would like to be matched with a man who is fun, caring and kind.  “I’m fun, outgoing, kind, funny, caring and I like to be goofy,” says Tim.  Grandma hopes that he can be matched again because he really doesn’t have positive, adult males in his life.