By Kristi Anderson

For The Visitor

Electricity filled the air Jan. 25 at the St. Cloud Children’s Home as more than a dozen eager children ran to tables where junior and senior students from Cathedral High School waited to welcome them.

This unique relationship is part of a weekly program called Special Friends, involving 35 CHS students and at least as many youth in residential treatment at the Children’s Home.

Special Friends, now celebrating its 25th year, is one of nearly 30 service learning opportunities CHS students are involved in across the St. Cloud area, including positions serving the elderly, persons with health care needs and disabilities, and children and youth.

“I chose to work with Special Friends because my brother was a special friend when he was in high school,” said Patrick Krebsbach, a junior at CHS. “It also strengthens my communication skills and helps me reach out to other people.”

Goals and challenges

The Special Friends program was established in 1986 by Lana Faber, under the direction of the Children’s Home then-director, John Doman. The primary goal was to foster a one-on-one approach between a client and a high school student from outside the Children’s Home community.

Krebsbach is paired with Tywon, a resident in the pre-adolescent unit.

“I like spending time with Patrick because we have a lot in common, like sports,” Tywon said.

The biggest challenge Krebsbach faced is learning how to relate to his special friend, especially what to say and what not to say.

“I try to focus on topics that keep him happy, like sports and what I did over the weekend, college visits I’ve been on, or a hard test I had, and the highlights of my week,” he said. “I also get to hear about what he has done over the past week.”

Learning tools

The evening includes individual sharing time, activities and themed group learning sessions led by Bill Chaffee, administrative and support services manager and Special Friends coordinator at the Children’s Home.

Chaffee covers a variety of topics that challenge the youth to encounter God. One of the methods he feels has been effective is “God’s Box,” a colorful suitcase placed on a table in front of the room.

“God’s Box is a tool we use to introduce a gift from God, such as our name, our story or our five senses,” Chaffee explained. “This ‘gift’ is an object that is related to the topic of the evening. The importance is that the gift is not from the facilitator or coordinator, but that it’s a gift from God.”

Lasting impact

For CHS senior Kelsey Osendorf, being a part of the program inspires her.

“I don’t know if we so much make a difference in their lives but I definitely know they make a difference in our lives, just being able to see how happy they are, how excited they get and how upset they are when it’s over. It just means a lot to know what we are doing does make a big impact on them,” she said.

Students at CHS gain a half-credit for participating in this eight-month program, and as many as 98 percent of students come back for a second year, even though it isn’t required.

“I came back for another year because I really enjoyed it,” said Kaitlyn Young, a senior at CHS. “I felt like I was a role model for the girls. By setting a good example, I could help to change their attitude and now they want to be a good example for others, too.”

“The program just has such a good message,” said Hanna Detra, also a returning senior. “They are bright kids. Special Friends is really important to them and I like being a part of something really important to them.”

Cohesive effort

 “The relationship we have with CHS has always been a powerful one,” Chaffee said. “We depend on these high school volunteers to provide a sense of normalcy to the often chaotic lives of the residents we serve. The volunteers have dedicated their Wednesday nights to this program for 25 years now and arrive ready and willing to help our residents develop relationships and work toward their goals within our residential program.”

Rita Koll, theology faculty member at CHS, agreed, “The Special Friends program has shaped over 1,000 of our students in the 25 years we’ve been partners. As a former SCCH employee, I recall sending our students from cottages to meet their special friends from CHS.

“Now I see that what most impacts our students is the common humanity they share with the SCCH students — the common needs, dreams, yearnings of all young people,” she said. “This lesson has tremendous impact at both ends, and our school is very grateful for the partnership.”

For more information on the Special Friends program or to financially contribute, contact Bill Chaffee at 320-650-1537 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Pictured above: