Treasured connections: Mount Marty’s Hospitality Family Program

“The benefits of the Hospitality Family Program for us are simple: connection. We can’t explain the joy it brings to our entire family. Making a meaningful connection and positive impact while sharing our community is important to us,” Jen and Kevin Heiman of Yankton said, who are the hospitality family for two Mount Marty students.

The Mount Marty Hospitality Family Program was established to further exercise the university's core value of hospitality, help make the college transition and experience smoother for students, and provide a connection to the Yankton community. Currently, there are more than 50 students in the program that have been matched with families in the community, with some families having more than one student. These families check in with their students frequently, answer any questions they may have about the community, and act as the students' home away from home. Sometimes, this means a phone call every few weeks, a home-cooked meal once a month or attending a Mount Marty sporting event! 

The Heimans joined the Hospitality Family Program after their daughter left for college. Jen said, “After our only daughter left home to go to college, empty nesting hit me hard. This program was a way for me to connect with a student, or students, who may be missing home or need a friendly, relaxing outlet outside of campus. The program was always about, ‘what could I do to give?’ Giving feels good, and when we say giving, we mean giving of ourselves with time, attention, love and positivity. Kindness is free, and it’s catchy. This program has profoundly impacted our lives in ways that we didn’t expect.” 

The Heimans have been part of the Hospitality Family Program for four years and have had three students during that time. This school year, the Heimans were the family for Oliver Danzer ‘26 and Seth Fargo ‘26. “Having two students for us is just double the joy, double the fun. Two personalities, different interests and perspectives,” the Heimans said. 

Fargo and Danzer both signed up for the program to connect with the Yankton community. Fargo said, “Having a hospitality family has meant a lot to me. I wanted to expand my personal community to more people in Yankton, and this was a great opportunity for that. Although I'm not too far from home, my family is happy to know that I have more people to support me in the things that I do.” Fargo is from South Dakota, but Danzer is from Bavaria, Germany. Danzer said, “In the beginning, I didn’t know what it was going to be, if I was going to get along with them, and all these questions, but meeting them the first time was like knowing them already. Both were open, they listened to me, they talked to me, they asked questions, they were interested in my person, and that made me feel very comfortable around them from the beginning.” 

Danzer said he appreciates having a hospitality family for numerous reasons, but especially for the check-ins Jen sends to his mother, Petra. “I feel like my mom from back home is more frequently in contact with Jen than I am,” he joked. Jen will text pictures and send updates each time she and her family are with Danzer to Petra to help her feel connected. “Petra has basically become my pen pal, and we communicate often,” Jen explained. “I know how much it means to his family, but it means the most to me. The reassurance that he can always have us to lean on is huge for his family. We are so excited to physically meet Oliver’s family this year at graduation.” Prior to Jen and Petra becoming pen pals, Jen was taking pictures at all Danzer’s games and saving newspaper clippings about Danzer and his soccer team for Danzer to take home over break, hoping to keep his family connected over the distance. Danzer said, “I am blessed to have this family assigned to me.” 

The Heimans spend time with each of their students separately. They attend their students’ events to support and wish them good luck beforehand, check in to see how their week might have been or how finals went, make them a home-cooked meal to spend time with them, and wish them well on their birthdays. They may even surprise them with their favorite treats from time to time! The Heimans said, “The chance to meet and get to know students at such a critical, yet remarkable time in their lives, listening to them speak about their hopes and dreams, watching them cultivate their futures — the sharing that happens is something we don’t take for granted. We learn about them and their families — and with an international student comes cultural differences, language, food, etc.” 

Jen’s favorite memories with Fargo over the past four years are of going to watch his theater productions. She loves watching his personality shine on stage. Kevin mentioned the funny memory of when Fargo cut his long hair for the “Core Values” play, which debuted in January, and said, “Knowing Seth the last four years, he’s always had long hair and a beard. He cut his hair and beard after Christmas this year, and he was hardly recognizable to me.” Jen also said watching Fargo become comfortable and part of the family has been special. “Seth, he would come over for lunch and ring our doorbell, and now he just walks in,” Jen said. “Knowing he’s comfortable with us is important to me. I also received a Happy Mother’s Day text from him, and that one really got me.” 

Fargo is appreciative of every moment he gets to spend with his hospitality family, and he is especially appreciative of their dedication to his theater performances. Fargo said, “It's special because it makes me want to perform my best when there is someone I know. It makes me feel excited to share my talents with those who want to support me and watch me grow.” 

Jen’s favorite memory with Danzer was the Mount Marty vs Northwestern soccer playoff game. “Knocking off the number one seed the way they did, still scoreless after double overtime and then winning with penalty kicks. Sharing that moment of complete and total jubilation together on the field with this giant pick-me-up hug and smile. No words needed. I can’t tell the story without smiling. 12/10 for me!” She also mentioned this past Christmas when Danzer spent some time with their family as he was unable to go home for the holiday. “We made lebkuchen and schnitzel, two things that he enjoys back home. They both passed the Oli test with flying colors. Most importantly, he was not alone,” Jen said. Kevin said he appreciates Danzer’s openness to share stories about himself, his family and his culture. “He also enjoys sharing his circle of friends with Jen and me. This has brought on countless unforgettable memories,” Kevin said. 

Over the past two years as the Heimans’ hospitality student, Danzer said he has too many great memories to choose from, but his go-to was when the Heimans invited him and his roommates over for dinner one evening. Kevin made burgers, and the group socialized. After the meal, the group went to a bar Danzer hadn’t been to yet, and then Danzer and his friends invited the Heimans to their place. “Jen and Kevin met the soccer girls for the first time. We all played some card games, we laughed and joked until my hospitality family decided to go home because it was late already.” He also mentioned having the Heimans attend his soccer games, even traveling to his away games, means so much to him. “Since I can’t have someone from home here watching, it makes me feel closer to home because there is someone watching me. It’s like I’m playing for them, and it motivates me also to give 5%-10% more energy than I normally have.” Danzer recommends the Hospitality Family Program to all his teammates. 

Moments like these between family and students make the Mount Marty Hospitality Family Program special. “There is no playbook for this program. It will be different for every family involved and every student involved,” the Heimans said. “However, if you sign up, please be involved. This doesn’t take lots of time. Pulling from our experiences, when the family and the student engage together, it’s pure magic.” 

The Hospitality Family Program can be a source of joy and fulfilment for anyone at any stage of life! The types of things that a family and student do together or what a family provides for a student vary tremendously, and there are no expectations for program participants other than checking in once a month. If you're interested in learning more about Mount Marty's Hospitality Family Program or would like to sign up, visit our website at https://www.mountmarty.edu/campus-life/family-relations/hospitality-families/.

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About Mount Marty University

Founded in 1936 by the Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery, Mount Marty University is South Dakota's only Catholic, Benedictine institution of higher education. Located along the bluffs of the Missouri River in Yankton, with additional locations in Watertown and Sioux Falls, Mount Marty offers undergraduate and graduate degrees focusing on student and alumni success in high-demand fields such as health sciences, education, criminal justice, business, accounting, recreation management, and more. A community of learners in the Benedictine tradition, Mount Marty emphasizes academic excellence and develops well-rounded students with intellectual competence, professional and personal skills and moral, spiritual and social values. To learn more, visit mountmarty.edu.