DIY Kits: Mini Painting! Get artsy by making a mini painting! Beginning Friday, October 9th at 5 pm, free mini painting kits will be available for pick-up outside the main office at Sponsors' Roosevelt Crossing Campus at 338 Highway 99 North, and on the conference room table inside Bothy Cottage at Sponsors' Downtown Campus at 767 West 8th Avenue. Mentors, in the interest of social distancing, please only pick up kits at Roosevelt Crossing. Each kit will contain a real, artist's-quality 4" x 4" canvas, a mini easel, a mini set of acrylic paints, a small paintbrush for details, a larger paintbrush for larger areas, and some suggestions for getting started on your mini painting. Available to Sponsors participants and their families and mentors. One kit per person. Each adult must pick up their own kit. First come, first serve - when they're gone, they're gone. Questions? Contact Amy at amyers@sponsorsinc.org or (541) 972-3894‬.

Match of the Month is... Tim and Frank! Congratulations! These two have been successfully matched for six months. Even with the restrictions in place, they speak multiple times per week and have demonstrated a commitment to the program and to each other. Mentee Tim says, “The Mentorship Program has been really helpful for me. I have been able to reconnect with people in the community. Though the COVID virus has been a barrier, my mentor and I have connected by phone and he has helped where needed, like during the Holiday fire. This program has allowed me to make a new friend who I've enjoyed talking with over the past few months. Thank you to Brett and Kristie for all their support." Mentor Frank says, “In this year of COVID it has not been easy to have a Sponsors Mentorship relationship. If your match started after March, you have never met each other in person, never had an initial meeting with your case manager, and never been able to do the bonding activities together that have become the trademark of successful matches in past years. That is exactly why I cherish my match with Tim. Even though Tim has many obligations including a grueling work schedule, he has taken the time to be present. During the recent wildfire disaster, Tim was working at a restaurant in Springfield that served many of the hundreds of evacuees from the wildfire. The restaurant asked him to work back-to-back shifts, closing late and showing up early the following morning. Despite having limited transportation from his Sponsors residence in Eugene, he repeatedly made it to work through the hazardous air of soot and ash and the chaotic environment of a mass disaster. I was very proud to be associated with Tim as a Sponsors Mentor during those days. My best response to my own fears during such times is to look for the ‘helpers’ as Mr. Rogers advised. In this case I was inspired by Tim’s determination and steadiness as a ‘helper.’” The Mentorship Program is designed to support individuals while they are incarcerated and while they reenter our community, and our hope and goal is always to build relationships like this one! We are proud of Tim, and thankful to Frank for devoting his time to our program. Great job you two! We also want to thank all of our mentors and mentees for continuing to believe in our program in this tough time - we are so proud of all the matches!

Guitars available to borrow! Music is good for your body and soul - maybe making music will be your new hobby! Guitars are available on loan to any Sponsors resident. Free. Check in with the Mentorship Office at 362 Highway 99 North, Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm to borrow one.

Share your stories about connecting virtually! How have you been communicating with your mentor or mentee while social distancing? Maybe you've been in staying touch via text messages and it's been smooth sailing; or perhaps your attempt to navigate a video chat app was an adventure in technical difficulties... Whatever your story, please share it with us!

Free two-week gym passes! Want to work out at some of the nicest gyms around, for free? To receive a free 2-week pass to Elements Health Clubs, email Amy at amyers@sponsorsinc.org, or pick one up from the Mentorship Office at 362 Highway 99 North, Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm. You'll be able to visit the West Eugene location, the Oakway location, or the Springfield location. Take a water aerobics class, learn to box, do Pilates, and more!

Mentees Wanted! The Mentorship Program is in full swing, offering nearly all of our usual programming during these times of social distancing - and we know that there are folks out there who could use some extra support and human connection right now. Please spread the word about all of the amazing things that the Mentorship Program has to offer, and send potential mentees our way!

Community Speaker "Potluck": Center for Dialogue & Resolution (CDR) and Restorative Justice! Grab a snack and join us on Zoom on Wednesday, October 28th, 6 – 7 pm. At the time of the event, join us on Zoom by clicking here. We'll hear from CDR's Executive Director Miles Mabray and CDR's Restorative Justice Program Manager Scott Smith. We'll learn about CDR and their work with Restorative Justice, which is a growing movement to respond constructively to crime and other harms. It guides people who commit harms to take a full and active form of accountability. At the same time, it takes seriously the needs of victims and their right to have a strong voice in how the harm is repaired. Schools, courts, and workplaces are increasingly training their team members in these values and tools as a win-win model of handling violations. Ages 18+. Be sure to have Zoom set up on your device in advance; you can download Zoom here, and please don't hesitate to reach out to us for technical support. RSVP to amyers@sponsorsinc.org or (541) 972-3894.

Mentor Support Group! Mentors only. Join us on Zoom on Tuesday, October 13th, 4 - 5:30 pm for a great opportunity to connect with staff and other mentors about your mentoring struggles and successes. At the time of the event, click here to join us on Zoom. This month, we'll provide an operational update as well as the opportunity to talk through the changes and challenges related to mentoring during a pandemic. Be sure to have Zoom set up on your device in advance; you can download Zoom here, and please don't hesitate to reach out to us for technical support. RSVP to amyers@sponsorsinc.org or (541) 972-3894‬.

Parents - complete a short interview and get a $30 gift card! Our friends at the University of Oregon are building the Coached Parent-Child Program, a program to help parents successfully reenter the community and reintegrate with their children. In order to help the program be as effective as possible, parents are needed to participate in a brief phone or Zoom interview about the most helpful ways to support positive reentry. The researchers are especially interested in speaking with parents who have struggled with opioid use. All participating parents will be compensated with a $30 gift card from a local retailer, and will be prioritized to have the opportunity to later take part in the Coached Parent-Child Program. During this pandemic it has been challenging to recruit interviewees, so if you know of anyone or any groups who might benefit from this offer, please help spread the word! To sign up, contact Jean Kjellstrand at (541) 346-6208 or jeank@uoregon.edu.

Active in Recovery (AIR): AIR is a program of Mentorship that offers certified peer recovery mentoring, and we currently have openings for new mentees who are looking for support in their recovery. For your safety and convenience, our peer mentor is available remotely via video chat! Our peer mentor can help you find your path to recovery by helping you locate available meetings, get a sponsor, build a positive support system, participate in healthy pro-social activities, and find a home group and learn about service work within that program. To qualify, you must have a desire to be clean and sober, be age 18 or older, have a criminal history, reside in the Eugene/Springfield area, and not be enrolled in the Mentorship Program Life Study. Interested? Contact Ben Bryant at bbryant@sponsorsinc.org or (541) 521-7949.

Don’t forget about the Mentor Referral Program! Do you know someone who would be a fantastic mentor for the Mentorship Program? Refer them and get a $20 gift card! Contact Kristie at kmamac@sponsorsinc.org or (541) 505-5665 for more information.

Free Fishing Licenses! Time to go fishing! Thanks to the Department of Human Services, the Mentorship Program has fishing licenses available on loan. Licenses can be picked up from the Mentorship Office at 362 Highway 99 North, Tuesday - Friday, 9 am - 4 pm. Fishing is a wonderful, easy way to experience the great outdoors, and almost anyone can do it - all you really need is a license, a fishing pole, some bait, and a body of water! These licenses are available only to folks who are receiving housing and/or substance abuse treatment at Sponsors, and the licenses must be returned after one week. Licenses cannot be shared; everyone present during a fishing outing must have their own license. If you have extra fishing equipment lying around, please consider donating it to the Mentorship Program to be used by Sponsors participants!

Staying Connected: We have created a "Staying Connected" guide which includes tools for getting free internet access, communicating via video chat, and having fun from home: find it here!