Mentoring Excellence: David Benning

Being a big brother has helped David Benning, an adviser with Ameriprise Financial Inc. in Minneapolis, appreciate his own life a little more.

“So much of what we do together — it’s all new to him,” Mr. Benning, winner of the Mentoring Excellence award, said about his 15-year-old Little Brother, Brandis.

“Camping was a big one for him — so many new experiences: sleeping outside, making a fire, swimming in a lake. He was afraid the fish would bite him,” Mr. Benning said.

“The biggest benefit to me of spending time with him is developing empathy for others — for [understanding] things like not having a car [and] having to take two buses to get somewhere,” he said. “I now appreciate things like having electricity, having enough to eat, having a bed to sleep in; it puts life in perspective.”

Mr. Benning works with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Twin Cities.

Brandis is his second Little Brother.

Mr. Benning’s first Little Brother had a rough home life, living with a mother who struggled with substance abuse and was not around for her son. The two-year relationship Mr. Benning had with the boy ended abruptly.

“It made me realize I wanted to have more of an influence — to do more on a broader level — so now I also serve on the board and help with fundraising,” Mr. Benning said.

His wife’s support has been important throughout his seven-year involvement with Big Brothers.

“She encourages me; she does a lot of volunteering, as well,” Mr. Benning said.

“We share those values. I can’t imagine not doing it — my weekends would be empty.”

HEAVY DEMAND

The 91-year-old agency has 300 match relationships, with 700 more children on the waiting list.

“What the agency does is very capital-intensive because they need to find quality mentors who are committed to follow through with the work,” Mr. Benning said.

“Recruiting mentors takes marketing, public relations, event coordination. Then the staff needs to vet potential mentors through intake and background checks,” Mr. Benning said.

The $20,000 award will fund about 11 more matches, he said.

“There are other expenses for grant writing and fundraising and ongoing support, such as Big/Little events to facilitate the matches, counseling Bigs regularly and group trainings for Bigs,” Mr. Benning said.

The public-relations impact of the award is extremely important, he said.

“So much of this is about finding people and convincing them they can do it,” Mr. Benning said. “It’s a sales process to get people to understand what it’s all about.”