LIFESTYLES
WEEKEND, OCTOBER 7-8, 2017
The big assist
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Made to Thrive volunteer Dave Caldwell talks with Shane Bennett while driving him to a football game recently at Armand Larive Middle School in Hermiston.
Guitar instructor
Mike Kellison
talks about
technique with
Thomas Goatley
recently at the
Made to Thrive
office in
Hermiston.
By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN
East Oregonian
What do a group of 300 kids, ages three to
19, from every corner of the community have
in common?
They’re all thriving — or at least, they’re
on their way, with the help of the Made to
Thrive program.
The nonprofit, started by Hermiston
resident Kriss Dammeyer in 2014, began as a
way to help at-risk students build confidence
through sports or music.
It’s since become a pipeline for all kinds of
extracurricular activities — all furnished by
the Made to Thrive program.
The program assists families who want to
get their kids involved, but need a boost.
“Sometimes, people need help navigating
the process of going to practice, finding out
when tryouts are, getting the appropriate
gear,” Dammeyer said. “Some families,
we help financially, and some we help with
transportation. It’s not cookie-cutter. It’s a
case-by-case basis.”
Some Made to Thrive kids are going
through foster care, or are in abusive house-
holds. Some are from financially solvent
families who need help in other areas.
“We help them because they neglect their
children,” Dammeyer said. “They sit at home
and supply the kids with a very fancy phone,
but don’t put them in activities. To me, that’s
not thriving.”
But Dammeyer said it doesn’t matter what
kind of family background a person has.
“We’re not an organization that hands out
things,” she said. “We are an organization
that teaches life skills, provides guidance and
assistance.”
The 37 volunteers of Made to Thrive do
everything from mentoring and transporting
kids to and from practice to assisting families
with immigration paperwork.
The latter is not the group’s main focus,
but Dammeyer said those who need help can
find a starting point in Made to Thrive.
“If families we’re working with struggle
with that piece, we don’t hesitate to get them
the proper resources.”
She added that helping families is easier
when children have something to look
forward to and be proud of.
“I want the depth of our impact to be more
of a priority than the breadth. I want to make
sure that for the kids we do impact, it’s mean-
ingful and lasting — not just one volleyball
season.”
A music room sits off to the side of the
Made to Thrive office. Thomas Goatley, who
learns guitar through the organization, prac-
tices with his teacher Mike Kellison.
Kellison watches as Thomas, 14, plays
intently, frowning and speaking the notes as
he plucks at strings.
“Excellent,” Kellison said. “That went
from ‘oh my gosh’ to ‘oh, we just played it’
in five minutes.”
Thomas has been taking lessons for about
a year, and his parents have been thrilled with
the changes they’ve seen.
“At the time (he started), Thomas was
going to Armand Larive,” said his mother
Melissa. “He wasn’t really fitting in. He was
really quiet.”
Melissa said her son had been wanting
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Staff photo by E.J. Harris
Made to Thrive volunteer Dave Caldwell checks a bag of supplies for Shane Bennett
while dropping him off at a football game recently at Armand Larive Middle School
in Hermiston.
to learn music, but at the time, the family
couldn’t afford it. Through Made to Thrive,
Thomas started taking classes from Kellison.
The lessons have given him more confi-
dence.
“He’s made some friends, he’s social-
izing,” Melissa said.
Thomas agreed.
“I’ve been enjoying it quite a bit,” he said.
“If something goes on in school or some-
thing’s happening in the family, it’s like my
getaway. I can play the guitar and make up
random things.”
Dammeyer said her volunteers come from
around the community.
“They reach out because they love what
they’re doing,” she said. “I seek out men and
women who I know have a heart and passion
for children and their families.”
Because the program is free to students
and families, Dammeyer and her board of
directors have to find ways to finance the
music teachers, sports teams and activities.
There are some private donors as well as
federal, state and local grants. They hold three
annual fundraisers, including a garage sale,
a raffle, and a Father’s Day car show. She
estimated the program costs about $20,000
per year to finance.
Lenora Artz said her grandson, Shane
Bennett, has gotten a lot from the program.
“I found out (about Made to Thrive)
through someone at Sunset Elementary,” she
said. “I asked them if there was any way to
get my grandson into Taekwondo.”
Bennett’s home life hadn’t been easy the
past few years. He had recently lost his father,
and after moving around, he began living
with Artz, who stays in a retirement facility.
Not only did he get to do Taekwondo, but
he also began playing football.
Bennett has also enjoyed having a mentor,
Dave Caldwell. Caldwell transports him to
and from practice, helps him with his gear,
and cheers him on.
Their friendship has extended beyond
football, Artz said, adding that she was
thrilled for her grandson to have a positive
male role model in his life.
“He’ll take him out and fly the drone, or if
he wants to talk,” Artz said.
Artz said she’s noticed many changes in
her grandson since he started his extracur-
ricular activities, including a more positive
outlook.
“His grades have come up,” she said. “The
program has helped him with his anger, he’s
better in school. He feels like he’s accom-
plished something.”
“He’s got a long way to go,” she said. “But
he wouldn’t even have started without them.”
Amanda Arroyo, 15, took African drum-
ming and art classes this summer through
Made to Thrive, her first time doing so. Some
of her siblings also took soccer and baseball
through the program.
“It has a positive impact,” she said.
Arroyo, a Hermiston resident, enjoyed
making friends, and getting to know some
of the mentors that worked in the program.
Given the opportunity, she said she’d like to
work as a mentor when she’s older.
“I would volunteer for it,” she said.
The program has grown since its inception
three years ago, but its goal hasn’t changed.
“What makes us unique is that we
are involved with families on weekends,
evenings,” Dammeyer said. “We really don’t
stop thinking about our families.”