Osborne Applauds Clearwater-Orchard TeamMates Program

It’s been two decades since Tom Osborne walked across a football field as a coach.

Yet the gentle-giant of a legend still silently reaps the same respect today as when he donned the Husker headset.

Much of the respect comes from his mannerisms. Sometimes its a nod. Other times its the way he tilts his head as if to show he’s carefully consuming every word spoken to him. At 6-foot-3, Osborne still doesn’t have to speak to receive respect.

But when he does speaks, the silence is almost deafening. Even as he opens his lips, you can see people lean in, inching just a little closer to hear the wisdom from Nebraska’s hero.

So when Osborne drove to Orchard and Clearwater on Monday, it was no surprise people flocked to see him. And when he complimented the two schools’ combined TeamMates Mentoring Program for having 71 matches, those people leaning in sat up just a little straighter with a burst of pride from the compliment.

“When you have 71 matches in these two communities, where there’s not a lot of people, that’s pretty fantastic,” he said. “But I’m preaching to the choir if all but seven of you are mentors already. Of course, if you all signed up, that would go a long ways to meeting this goal.”

And that’s what Osborne does best. He reminds everyone they can do good things and be better people, which may be the secret to the success of TeamMates, a program that pairs adults with youth one hour a week to give them another person in their life.

The Clearwater & Orchard program began in October 2014 and already has become an example of what a small program can become in a short amount of time.

And with even more students on a waiting list, Osborne encouraged those at the Rex Theater in Orchard to consider becoming a mentor and continuing the play a positive role in the lives of the community’s youth.

“You can make more money, but you can’t make more time. The most precious thing we can give is time,” Osborne said.

He went on to say that a mentor really does three things — love the mentee and advocate for them, provide affirmation and provide a vision of what’s possible in the future.

What happens to the mentee over time? They discover hope..

“The kids who have a mentor are much more hopeful. They can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” he said. “Because we’re all victims of our previous experience, lots of kids grow up in situations where they don’t think they could get a college education. Yet, a mentor can show you the way through and that this is possible.”

Osborne was quick to say youth in TeamMates aren’t necessarily troubled or come from single-parent households. There is no stereo-typical youth because everyone can use an advocate or someone to talk to.

And everyone can use a little hope in their life, too, regardless of their social status.

“Hope is very powerful, and if you grow up without hope, you usually fill your life with something. Quite often, it’s the wrong stuff.”

TeamMates started in 1991 with some of Osborne’s football players mentoring seventh- and eighth-grade boys. It quickly proved to be successful and has since grown to 8,500 matches and 160 school districts in Nebraska.

Last year TeamMates graduates receive $2.9 million in scholarships, which gives a little more assistance to furthering their education.

Osborne said if a matches meet at least 24 times per year, Osborne said the mentor can make a difference. Osborne said at Orchard and Clearwater, they average more than 24 meetings per year.

Together, the communities are working to help their youth by providing role models and advocating for their mentees.

They’re also adding a little hope and even change ­ one mentor and one mentee match at a time.

​“The best way I know to change culture is one person at a time,” he said.