When MaKinley Peters spotted Wendy Cole, she came running.  

The second-grade student at Adams-Friendship Elementary School had found a familiar face in the halls – not that of a classmate or teacher, but of a Gundersen Moundview Hospital and Clinics medical lab technician. Over the course of the school year, the two had become friends. 

Cole serves as Peters’ mentor, and once a week before school, the two get together to talk, play games and enjoy each other’s company. The arranged visits are part of a mentorship program Gundersen Moundview has in place with the Adams-Friendship Area School District. This year, 16 staff members are participating in the program. 

It’s an arrangement that was established in 2019 – with a pause during COVID. School social worker Erica Serstad says she typically starts young by matching a kindergarten or first-grade student with a mentor, and if that pairing works, they can continue meeting through fourth grade (the highest at the school) and even into middle school. 

She says all kids can benefit from having a mentor. 

“We look at what kids need that adult connection,” Serstad said, “so just somebody who maybe needs a friend or needs somebody positive in their life.” 

Once paired, it’s the interests of the student that drives what each week looks like. Some play games in the cafeteria, while others burn energy in the gymnasium. But what they do isn’t as important as the connection that becomes of it.  

“McKenzie, she’s got energy, but she likes to chill. She likes to talk,” said Anna Wolf, another mentor who works in nutrition services at Gundersen Moundview, adding that there’s no agenda for the hangouts. “That’s the good part about it, without having something underlying. It makes it relaxing and makes them comfortable.” 

Both Cole and Wolf agree that their aim is to make a connection with their student.  

“No strings attached; just fun,” Wolf said. 

“It was very difficult,” Cole said of when her first student aged out of the program. “You get attached to them and you learn so much about each other, and then they leave.” 

Besides those bonds, another goal of the program is to help children become better students and better people.  

“There’s definitely some social-emotional improvement with all of the kids,” Serstad said. “They’re learning empathy, they’re learning there are trustworthy adults outside of people in their home and outside of school.” 

Gundersen Moundview has long prioritized partnerships like this in the community, said marketing and communication specialist and mentoring program coordinator Tammy Lowrey.   

“We believe healthcare extends beyond our four walls,” she said.  “Mentors can positively impact children’s lives, leading to their future success as adults.” 

Since the program began five years ago, Lowrey says staff have been receptive to the idea of participating and have grown to see the need for it.  

“I’m from this community, so it really pulls at my heart to give back,” Cole said. “It is so rewarding, and I didn’t think about it for me. I thought, ‘This is for the child,’ but it’s two-fold. It comes back to you so much more. I get so much out of it. It fills your cup when you get together with them.” 

“Out of all the different things we do (at the hospital), I think this is the most rewarding,” Wolf added.