kids plus

Kids Plus Program

The KIDS PLUS Program is dedicated to improving the well-being of children and youth, from birth to adulthood, and joining the different generations together through community-based initiatives. This past year, the KIDS PLUS Program celebrated 25 years of connecting kids and community, as well as recognized 15 years as a driver of the Minnesota Early Childhood Initiative.

 

Luke Wohlwend:
Saying Yes to Leadership

At age 28, Luke Wohlwend has already been a positive influence on dozens of Duluth and Superior young people.

This May, Luke graduated from the University of Minnesota Duluth Medical School. Despite the demands of college and med school, he spent the past six years as an adult mentor with the KIDS PLUS Youth Leadership Academy.

Mentoring, said Luke, was a way to give back. In 2005, he himself was an unsure ninth grader taking a chance on this thing called Youth Leadership.

“One of the best decisions I made was saying “yes” to Youth Leadership as a ninth grader. I wasn’t the most talented or self-assured young person,” Luke shared. “I wondered, ‘Why me?’ The Northland Foundation saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself. I gained the confidence to pursue dreams I never thought I could.”

By the next year, Luke was confident enough to say “yes” to serving on the KIDS PLUS Youth In Philanthropy Board. Those experiences were transformational.

Dr. Wohlwend, now starting his residency, shows how believing and investing in young people comes full circle.

“As a mentor, I wanted to instill confidence in kids that they can use for the rest of their lives, the same way this program did for me.”

kids plus

KIDS PLUS Family of Programs

Early Childhood Programs

Youth Programs

Intergenerational Programs

Northland Foundation