I sat down with Dave Gesin in the waning days of August to learn more about the mentoring being done for kids in Forreston, and came away struck by the immensity of the work. For more than twenty years, the mentoring program in Forreston has quietly transformed the lives of children—and it might never have endured without the steady commitment of a handful of townspeople who refused to let it fade.

Back when the school district considered stepping away from the program, I learned that the Forrestville Valley Youth Network stepped in. “We took it over for two or three years,” Dave recalls. “We hired coordinators, carried the liability insurance, and kept it alive until the district came back and took it on again. Bless their hearts.” Two decades later, the partnership is still thriving.

The Network remains deeply involved, providing $3,000–$4,000 annually to supplement coordinator salaries, plus funds for puzzles, games, and other materials. A virtual auction helps generate that support. The investment, Gesin says, pays dividends measured not in dollars but in lives changed. “We’ve had kids who went through the program say how encouraged they were—the patience of a mentor, the bond that was created. Confidence to me is the big deal. That’s what we’re trying to build.”

That confidence, he notes, often makes the difference for children carrying heavy loads. “Some of those kids know the material. They can do it. But their mind is having a tough time because of issues at home that we’d never dream of. They need someone who believes in them.” Mentors—many of them grandparents in the community—step into that role. “These folks love kids,” Gesin says. “They help them relax, laugh, and then get their work done. It’s a skill.”

The program’s design is simple but powerful. After school, children meet with their mentors in Forreston, German Valley, or Leaf River. A snack, a chance to decompress, and then steady encouragement to tackle homework or a project. When the work is done, they might finish a puzzle or word game. “It makes learning fun,” Gesin says. “And if learning’s fun, kids want to do more of it.”

The results are long-lasting. Every year, the Network awards a $1,000 scholarship to a graduating senior who once participated in mentoring. Applicants often write about what the experience meant to them years later. “They talk about the confidence they gained, the friendship they felt, the camaraderie,” Gesin says. “Some of them still see their mentors at Walmart years later and stop to chat. Those relationships don’t just end.”

Finding mentors is always a challenge, but Forreston has been blessed with many who return year after year. In some families, the torch is literally passed. Gesin remembers one of the earliest mentors, Lois Malott, whose daughter Chris now carries on the work. “Generations of mentoring—that’s what we have here,” he says.

And while Gesin resists the spotlight himself, he is eager to shine it on others: the coordinators, the teachers, the principals who make the program possible, and above all, the mentors. “They’re saints,” he says plainly. “Dedicated people who give up their time, who drive in the snow, who somehow help kids even with new math. Sometimes the kid ends up helping them—and then the child feels proud because they helped someone else. That builds self-esteem too.”

Gesin spent 30 years teaching junior high science in Forreston, so he knows what it means to engage a student beyond the subject at hand. That’s why he believes in mentoring so strongly. “It’s not just about school,” he says. “It’s about helping a child move a step up in life.”

Forreston’s mentoring program thrives because people care enough to keep showing up—for two decades and counting. And if Dave Gesin has his way, the loudest applause will always go to the quiet heroes, not him, but the mentors who change lives, one child at a time.

If you’d like to join their ranks and make a difference, reach out to the Forrestville Valley School District—(815) 938-2036—or any of the schools, directly, to learn how you can become a mentor. FV youth network board members: Dave Gesin, Sue Giedd, Jane Koeller, Mollie Krecklow, Barbara Miller, Julie Voss, Larry Wagner. Any of these members will be happy to point you in the right direction to become involved.