Mentor Iowa

04/06/2025

Mentor Iowa is so excited to be a part of the Iowa Wild game today! Thanks to our friends at PMS Accounting, we have a table on the concourse to spread the word about Mentor Iowa. There is so much planned for today including a Batman bobblehead giveaway, super hero appearances, Iowa State band and player appearances and also an amazing hockey game to watch! Thank you to Vicki Brook with PMS Accounting and the Iowa Wild for an amazing opportunity to help support Mentor for Iowa!

03/28/2025

Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!

We are seeing some great momentum for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. This momentum is because of champions like all of you who step up and support our children when we need you the most.

We are slowly updating the Mentor Iowa website with auction items and my goal is to list 20 to 30 items every day. Please check out the Mentor Iowa website at https://mentoriowa.org/22nd-annual-mentor-iowa-auction/ to see all of the updates going on with the auction. Many thanks to all of our sponsors, auction item donors, in-kind donors, volunteers and committee members for their tireless efforts making our event one for the record books!

Today we are going to highlight Toad Valley Golf Course as our spotlight sponsor for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. We like to make our auction free so we can have champions in attendance who are interested in becoming mentors and to meet our current champions to learn more about Mentor Iowa.

Toad Valley Golf Course - A fun, relaxed golf course that's perfect for the every day golfer. You've never experienced a round of pure fun until you've played Toad. Their course is a pleasure for golfers of any skill level to play. Toad Valley Golf Course will challenge you while providing a relaxing, picturesque backdrop. Toad Valley graciously allows Mentor Iowa to utilize their banquet room and golfers lounge to host our event and auction items. Besides our auction, Toad Valley hosts our Back to School Bash and Divots & Dimples golf outing. Whenever we need assistance for a special event, Toad Valley is there for Mentor Iowa to help us create a wonderful event for our champions.

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to me and we can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 13 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list, please reach out to the Mentor Iowa office and we can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to Toad Valley Golf Course for their MANY ways of support for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/27/2025

Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!

We hope this post finds you all doing well and enjoying this beautiful weather. We are diligently working hard to make our upcoming auction a huge success and really fun for everyone to enjoy. Many thanks to all of our sponsors, auction item donors, in-kind donors, volunteers and committee members for their tireless efforts making our event one for the record books!

Today we are going to highlight Farm Bureau Financial Services as our spotlight sponsor for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. We like to make our auction free so we can have champions in attendance who are interested in becoming mentors and to meet our current champions to learn more about Mentor Iowa.

Farm Bureau Financial Services - At Farm Bureau Financial Services, they’re about more than insurance, more than products, more than the bricks and mortar that make up our buildings. They’re about you – your family, your home, your future. Their story began in 1939 in Des Moines, Iowa, when the state Farm Bureau founded Iowa Farm Mutual Insurance Company to meet the unique liability insurance needs of farmers. As the company grew, services including auto insurance, home and property insurance, and life insurance were added. Today, their agents build relationships with people from all walks of life to help them protect what matters most and prepare for the future. They’re 1,600 employees and 4,000 field associates strong, and when your life twists and turns, you can depend on your local Farm Bureau agent to be there for you, providing the knowledge and experience to make insurance simple.

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to Marty Lester and we can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 13 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list please reach out to the Mentor Iowa office at 515-277-9797 and we can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to Farm Bureau Financial Services for being a champion for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/25/2025

Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!

Today we are going to highlight American Family Insurance as our spotlight sponsor for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. We like to make our auction free so we can have champions in attendance who are interested in becoming mentors and to meet our current champions to learn more about Mentor Iowa.

American Family Insurance offers their American Family Insurance Dreams Foundation through the generous matching donation from our champions Brent & Sherri Gast. They are not like just any insurance company. At American Family, they are dedicated to inspiring, protecting and restoring your dreams — because they believe a dream is the most valuable thing you’ll ever own. That’s why their mission is to give you the support and inspiration you need to realize your dreams. Please remember to support American Family Insurance as they support the charities their employee's support.

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to Mentor Iowa Executive Director, Marty Lester, and he can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 12 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list please call the Mentor Iowa office at 515-277-9797 and they can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to American Family Insurance for being a champion for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/24/2025

Mentor Iowa participants met yesterday at Ironside Axe Club for our 2nd annual board gameapalooza March group event! It was so much fun playing all kinds of games that Ironside Axe Club offers at their location. We had access to all kinds of traditional games and learned how to play some new ones too. It is fun to see our match pairs have fun together, use their mental abilities and interact with other match pairs during this event. Many thanks to the DMACC FBLA chapter for being the sponsor of this event. Their funds helped provide pizza and beverages for all Mentor Iowa participants and volunteers in attendance. Special shout out to Ironside Axe Club for being so accommodating and providing their space at no charge. MANY THANKS to all of our mentors for bringing their mentees to Ironside Axe Club and ALL that they do to be a positive role model for their mentees! We have several children on our wait list who would love to have you as a mentor. If you are ready to make the commitment, please reach out to the Mentor Iowa office at 515-277-9797 to learn the process on how to become a mentor.

03/20/2025

Good morning Mentor Iowa champions!

We hope this post finds you all doing well and ready for some fun watching the NCAA Men's & Women's basketball tournaments. Also, the NCAA wrestling tournament starts today too which is always fun to watch! Good luck to everyone who filled out a bracket to become the next Mentor Iowa March Madness champion.

Today we are going to highlight Middendorf Insurance Associates as our spotlight sponsor for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union. We like to make our auction free so we can have champions in attendance who are interested in becoming mentors and to meet our current champions to learn more about Mentor Iowa.

Middendorf Insurance Associates provides assistance to Mentor Iowa in a wide variety of ways. They are a sponsor for our auction, adopt children during the holiday season and their Executive Vice President, Brett Middendorf, is a board member.

Middendorf Insurance Associates - Anyone can sell you insurance. But how do you know if it’s the right insurance? You don’t, unless you’ve got an insurance agent that will take the time to learn about what you need. That personalized approach is how they have been doing business for more almost 90 years. At Middendorf Insurance, your protection is their priority.

Please remember to support Middendorf Insurance Associates as they are a wonderful example of giving back to the community. Our auction would not exist without their generous support and other community champions. When reaching out for your insurance needs with Middendorf Insurance Associates, please let them know you saw their support to Mentor Iowa in our auction & other sponsored events and how you appreciate them for their support!

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to Mentor Iowa Executive Director, Marty Lester, and he can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 12 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list please contact the Mentor Iowa office and they can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to Middendorf Insurance Associates for being a champion for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/19/2025

Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!

We hope this post finds you all doing well and being safe during another windy day here in central Iowa. Yesterday you received an email about our presenting sponsor, GreenState Credit Union, for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction. Today, and days moving forward, we are going to spotlight our other sponsors who help make our event free and open to the public to attend. We like to make our auction free so we can have champions in attendance who are interested in becoming mentors and to meet our current champions to learn more about Mentor Iowa.

Today's sponsor we would like to highlight is Confluence - Landscape Architecture. Confluence not only is a sponsor for our auction, but they also are a sponsor during our golf outing and adopt several children during the holiday season.

Confluence - Landscape Architecture - The team at Confluence are designers, planners, innovators, collaborators, facilitators and creators of ideas that improve our built environment. They have a growing network of offices strategically located throughout the Midwest, and a team capable of assisting our clients wherever their projects may be located. With nearly 70 design and planning professionals, they provide deep bench strength and in-market expertise that benefits their clients – including sharing emerging industry trends and valuable insights resulting from national and regional project experience.

Please remember to support Conluence as they are a wonderful example of giving back to the community. Our auction would not exist without their generous support and other community champions. When working with Confluence, please let them know you saw their support to Mentor Iowa in our auction & other sponsored events and how you appreciate them for their support!

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to Marty Lester at [email protected] or 515-277-9797 and he can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 12 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list please contact the office and we can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to Confluence for being a champion for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/18/2025

Good afternoon Mentor Iowa champions!

Do you ever wonder how we make our annual auction FREE and open to the public? It is because of our wonderful sponsors who give generously so that everyone can attend at no charge. We believe we are one of a very few non-profits who do this. One reason why we do this is to invite people interested in becoming mentors to meet our current champions to see what Mentor Iowa is all about.

Today's post is to give thanks to GreenState Credit Union for being our presenting sponsor again this year. GreenState Credit Union was organized in 1938 and has grown to be Iowa’s largest credit union and one of the top financial institutions in the United States for returning profits to members in the form of better rates and lower fees. Please explore their website and learn about all they have to offer, their most recent welcome guide is also a great resource. Better yet, stop in any office location or call them. They would enjoy the opportunity to show you why GreenState Credit Union is your best choice for financial services.

Please remember to support GreenState Credit Union as they are a wonderful example of giving back to the community. Our auction would not exist without their generous support. When setting up an account with GreenState Credit Union, please let them know you saw their support to Mentor Iowa in our auction and how appreciative we are for their support!

Please save the date for Sunday, April 27th at Toad Valley Golf Course for the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union to celebrate our champions and children referred to our program. We are still accepting auction sponsorships and auction items donations. If you would like to be a sponsor or donate an item/service, please reach out to Marty Lester and he can discuss all of the details.

We currently have 12 children who would love to have a mentor in their lives. Maybe their mentor is you, so if you have an interest in making an impact in the life of a child on our wait list please let me know and we can discuss with you the process of becoming a mentor.

THANK YOU again to GreenState Credit Union for being champions for the children referred to Mentor Iowa!

03/17/2025

Happy Monday Mentor Iowa champions!

Hopefully you saw our Facebook post last week to SAVE THE DATE for Sunday, April 27th to celebrate the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union! We are excited to have many fun activities planned to celebrate with everyone at Toad Valley Golf Course starting at 2 pm!

We are excited to announce our award recipients this year. We are truly honored to present Kathie Hicok with the Tidrick Honors award this year. The Mentors of the Year recipients are Scott Farrel and Nicol Gonner. We are excited to share more about these three amazing individuals in upcoming posts. We will present their awards during the live program starting right after the silent auction ends.

Many thanks to all of our sponsors as their generosity allows Mentor Iowa to provide this event FREE and open to the public. If you or your company would like to sponsor or donate an auction item, please feel free to reach out to Marty Lester at 515-277-9797 or [email protected] and he can discuss the details of your support. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, April 27th and celebrating these champions involved with Mentor Iowa!

03/10/2025

Mentor Iowa would like to thank our friends at the Contributors Breakfast Club/CBC Foundation for their recent grant award of $1,000. This funding award will help us administer our holiday efforts to our mentees and their siblings. The group events Mentor Iowa offers helps build self-esteem, socialization skills and provides positive memories that will last a lifetime.

Pictured is Contributors Breakfast Club members and Mentor Iowa Executive Marty Lester at the check presentation ceremony that was held last Friday.

Besides Mentor Iowa, three other non-profits were awarded funds to help them achieve their mission. THANK YOU again to the Contributors Breakfast Club for stepping up and helping out our community through their many efforts.

03/07/2025

Hello Mentor Iowa champions!

It is that time of year to send you a friendly reminder to SAVE THE DATE for Sunday, April 27th to celebrate the 22nd annual Mentor Iowa auction presented by GreenState Credit Union! We are excited to have many fun activities planned to celebrate with everyone at Toad Valley Golf Course starting at 2 pm!

Our silent auction is online again this year and we will start taking bids on Monday, April 21st. We will be offering our Buy It Now feature again this year so be sure to register on the 21st to get your bids in or just buy your favorite item outright.

We are excited to announce our Tidrick Honors recipient and Mentor of the Year recipients in upcoming emails. Many thanks to all of our sponsors as their generosity allows Mentor Iowa to provide this event FREE and open to the public.

If you or your company would like to sponsor or donate an auction item, please feel free to reach out to Marty Lester at 515-277-9797 or [email protected] and he can discuss the details of your support. Looking forward to seeing everyone on Sunday, April 27th to celebrate our program and win some amazing auction items!

03/04/2025

With the 28 power play goals that the have scored so far this season, PMS Accounting has donated $1,400 to Mentor Iowa!💚

02/12/2025

Hope isn’t always loud. Sometimes, it’s found in the quietest corners—in the pages of a book, the stroke of a crayon, or the simple comfort of knowing there’s a place just for you.

"Last week a little girl, maybe 3 years old, came into court with her mom for her older sister’s hearing. She walked right over to the table, sat down, and started coloring. She knew exactly who those things were for. Her mom sat next to her. It looked like they were in the kids area of a library instead of in a courtroom. Perfect."

For a moment, a place often filled with fear and uncertainty became something different—a space of comfort, normalcy, and even joy. This is what the Children's Acorner is all about. It’s more than books and crayons—it’s about Restoring Hope in the lives of children who need it most.

To everyone who helps make these spaces possible—you are changing lives in ways you may never see, but that will never be forgotten. Thank you.

02/11/2025

THANK YOU so much to PMS Project Management for selecting Mentor Iowa as the charity of choice from the Iowa Wild Power Play promotion. How amazing to see our favorite project management team pair up with our favorite hockey team to raise awareness and funds for Mentor Iowa! If any Iowa Wild fans are thinking about becoming a mentor, we have several children on our wait list who would love to have you as a mentor. Please reach out to the Mentor Iowa office at 515-277-9797 to learn more about the process of becoming a mentor. THANK YOU again to PMS Accounting and the Iowa Wild for this amazing opportunity!

With the 22 power play goals that the have scored so far this season, PMS Accounting has donated $1,100 to Mentor Iowa!💚

12/12/2024

12/12/2024

About Us Welcome to the Mentor Iowa Web Site! The mission of Mentor Iowa is to provide trained volunteer mentors to abused, neglected, and delinquent children who are under the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court. We will do this by working in partnership with the children, their families and the com...