New year, new TeamMates Mentor of Month selected

Taking over Jo Leyland’s place on the TeamMates board is Sheila Stromberger.
Starting the new year off strong, Stromberger released the name of January’s TeamMate Mentor of the Month as Jan Graham.
Six years ago Graham heard about TeamMates mentoring during an Imperial Chamber of Commerce meeting.
The program coordinator at that time was Cathy Hanna, said Stromberger, who had previously visited with Graham about being a mentor.
She decided to give it a try, and now she has been meeting with her TeamMate, Shelby, for five years.
Shelby was a fifth grader when she joined TeamMates, and now she is a freshman at Chase County Schools.
The two started meeting each week during Shelby’s lunch period. They enjoyed doing crafts and playing games while beginning to build a relationship.
Now they spend most of their time just chatting, said Graham.
Graham said she has enjoyed getting to know Shelby and thinks they are a good match due to their similar interests.
“For people who do not have children or grandchildren in school, it’s a good way to stay connected with the school and its students,” she said.
“The TeamMates mentoring program benefits both the mentor and the mentee,” she added.
Graham is now retired, but she enjoys staying involved in the community.
She has two children, two step-children and eight grandchildren.
Her hobbies include gardening, baking and reading.