22-04-2025
Making a difference through mentoring
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Eighth grader Angel Moreno and his mentor, Garth Caselli, meet once a week at Patrick Henry Middle School.
The two were playing kings in a corner during a recent afternoon at school.
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'When we first started I was horrible at it. I had no idea what I was doing on there. And then he showed me how to play and I'm better than him at it now,' Moreno said.
That competitiveness is something these two have in common.
It's one of the reasons they were matched with each other by the school-based mentoring program TeamMates of South Dakota.
Caselli decided to get into youth mentorship after retirement.
'I had retired from a career where I'd had a lot of opportunity to teach and train and help develop people and I just really had a passion for doing something in the community civically,' Caselli said.
He's been mentoring Moreno for a few years.
'It's very fun. It's one of the things I look forward to at school because I don't look forward to school that much,' Moreno said.
More people like Caselli are needed to answer the call for mentors.
'We find that we have a lot of folks who are a little nervous about mentoring and just not sure that they would be a good fit, but truly, with our program, is just showing up to be present for a child,' TeamMates of South Dakota State Director Jess Karim said.
TeamMates of South Dakota serves several communities including Sioux Falls, Rapid City, and Pierre.
Right now, the organization has a list of kids waiting for a mentor.
'A lot of our students in the schools that we serve see their friends have mentors that come into the building and share a lunch with them and see they have just another caring adult to talk with,' Karim said.
Sioux Falls Mayor Paul TenHaken, who currently mentors several young men, has advocated for mentorship during his time in office.
'You have statistical information that will say that kids who have mentors in their lives are less likely to commit crimes, they're more likely to graduate, they're more likely to have jobs while in high school,' TenHaken said.
The mentees aren't the only ones who may benefit from mentoring.
'I learn so much about myself when I pour into someone else,' TenHaken said.
'If it's tugging at your heartstrings give it a try because it is so simple to make a difference and we need more people that will step up and just give it a try. Everyone I know that has done it has received the same thing I've received and it's well worth the effort,' Caselli said.
While Moreno has picked up some card game skills from Caselli, he's also benefited from mentorship in other ways.
'In sixth grade, I used to be a little angry bird. I'd very lash out at people. He showed me there's a bright side to everything. It's not always like you have to lash out at people over things. You can talk it through, not freak out, tell an adult about it. I'd say he's very much helped me with that,' Moreno said.
Moreno will move on to high school next fall, and his mentor will be there.
Click the links below for more mentoring resources:
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