Eric and his friend eat lunch at the boy’s school, play football and go sledding together. He said he often plays with all of his friend’s classmates.

“Everybody wants to know who the big kid on the playground is and he gets to introduce me to everyone. In the end, you’re a positive role model for everybody there in the class,” Eric said.

A 2005 Dickinson High School graduate, Eric is son of Sheila and Glenn Martin of Dickinson. He is a sophomore at Dickinson State University, majoring in electrical engineering; he plans to work in robotics and design.

Eric said he volunteered with the Best Friends Program because he was asked to help with special events and, later, to be a mentor.

The Western Wellness Foundation’s board of directors established the $500 Best Friends Program Senior Friend Scholarship to help recruit new mentors to the program and to encourage potential mentors to volunteer. To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must have volunteered as a Senior Friend with the Best Friends Program for at least nine months, be attending post-secondary education or training in the 2006-2007 school year, and complete an application form.

The Best Friends Program serves more than 150 children in the eight-county area of southwest North Dakota, matching them one-to-one or in small groups with responsible, trained volunteer mentors. For information about Best Friends, call 483-8615 or 1-877-877-8685 toll free.