As a school superintendent, Brad Bergstrom has a major impact on a whole community of kids in their most formative years, and he could easily say that his job is his way of helping out the Sauk Rapids-Rice community – and rightfully so.
But that wasn’t enough for Brad, and past experience had taught him how much of an impact one-on-one mentoring can have with kids, so he decided he wanted to do more.
Brad signed up for Big Brothers Big Sisters in 2020 – in the midst of the COVID19 pandemic – and he made an immediate impact on one child in his school district, as well as an impact on his own life. Now, Brad is the Central Minnesota Big Brother of the Year. He now moves on to the national competition, and the national mentors of the year will be announced in June at the BBBSA conference in Philadelphia.
Brad and Damin met for the first time on Zoom in November 2020. They both admit it wasn’t ideal: meeting someone online doesn’t always lend itself to great first impressions, and Damin was shy, with little to say. He had been waiting several years for a mentor, and he was nervous to meet Brad.
That quiet didn’t last long, and now, four years later, silence is not an issue when Brad and Damin get together – which is frequently. They meet weekly at Damin’s school, but they also try to plan a weekly dinner out or an ice cream meeting if both of their schedules allow it. Trying new foods and new restaurants is their activity of choice, and they’re always in search of their new favorite meal.
Brad has helped Damin through some tough situations at school, and if Damin’s mom, Katie, ever needs help getting through to Damin or wants another adult to talk to him, she knows she can call on Brad to have those conversations – no matter how difficult. Over the course of their four-year match, those conversations over food and at school – Brad jokes that Damin has to be extra careful since his Big Brother happens to be the school superintendent – have led to a solid, trusting bond. Damin trusts Brad so much that he asked Brad to be the one to teach him to drive, and after consulting with Katie and setting ground rules, Brad readily agreed.
In the last four years, Damin has become a part of Brad’s family, and he is often invited on trips to their cabin, or to their home for holiday dinners. That special relationship means that Brad has the same expectations for Damin as he does his own children, and often asks Damin about his future plans and goals. The duo toured the culinary program at St. Cloud Technical and Community College in the fall, and Brad was there to offer guidance, answer questions, and help Damin navigate thinking about the future.
While he may not know exactly what the future holds for Damin career-wise, Brad does know that whatever comes next, he will be right there beside his Little Brother the whole time.
“I have shared with Damin that like it or not, he is a part of our family,” Brad said. “I am the luckiest Big Brother in the world because I have Damin in my world. I can’t imagine him not being in my life now or moving forward.”