“My Little Brothers is very intelligent and creative. His imagination is virtually limitless.”
The Crucial Moment
We all know it happens, maybe it happened to you. That crucial moment when a young person comes to a point where a single decision will affect the rest of their life. We all know how having a mentor can make all the difference in what that young person decides. So, watch the video and prepare to be affected.
Becoming a Big
Research and anecdotal evidence show
specifically that Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring helps
at-risk youth overcome the many challenges they face. Little Brothers
and Sisters are less likely to begin using illegal drugs, consume
alcohol, skip school and classes, or engage in acts of violence. They
have greater self-esteem, confidence in their schoolwork performance,
and are able to get along better with their friends and families.
The Options:
Community Based Mentoring matches volunteers, who we call "Bigs",
ages 21 or older, (no upper age limit!) with children, who we call "Littles",
ages 4 to 18 years old. Bigs and Littles share little moments which
create Big Magic in the lives of both!
The Big and Little get together one-to-one once a week for about
2-4 hours each time. During these unstructured outings they cultivate
relationships that provide children with skills to manage every day
challenges. Through simple friendship, Bigs experience the joy of
helping children discover a world of possibilities and opportunities.They
do fun, inexpensive cost activities like playing at
a park, shooting hoops, sharing some laughs, playing or watching
sports, or sharing hobbies.
Bigs In Schools Volunteers, who are adults or teens at least 15
years old, provide Littles with one-on-one time and attention in
their schools, typically once a week for an hour during the academic
year. Teachers identify children who can benefit most from interaction
with a caring friend. As their friendships evolve, volunteers and
children discover ways to make school and learning fun. Bigs and
Littles can share lunch, play games, shoot hoops, use the computer
lab or library. Be a kid again and see the world from a child's
eyes!
Partner's Matching enables married couples to team up and be
paired with a Little Brother in our community based program. Weekly
visits can include either the couple and the child or some weeks one
spouse with the child, or the other, giving lots of flexibility.
All Bigs commit to being a mentor for at least one year.
How do I choose?
Why Community Based?
You might want to change the day and time each week that you see your Little.
OR you would prefer a Little who is in middle or high school.
OR you would like to spend more than just an hour each week with your Little.
OR you want to do activities with your Little that are not available at school.
Why Bigs in Schools?
You can fit one hour each week, same day and time, into your busy schedule.
OR you don't have a car to pick up a Little, but can get to an elementary school in the area.
OR you are also a student and have summer and holiday breaks where you won't be able to see a Little (Bigs in Schools matches don't meet when the Little's don't have school)
OR you are too young to be a Community Based Big
Why do Partner's Matching?
If one of you is out of town, the other can still get together with the Little.
Couples can team up and support each other in their match
I think I am interested in being a Big! What do I do next?
Give us a call or email to schedule an interview. It only takes
a few minutes to make an appointment. The interview takes about
2 hours to include fingerprinting and an orientation.
A criminal background check and three
references are completed for all our volunteers.
Once everything's
complete, we match you with a child with whom you will be compatible
based on interests and preferences.
Our Vision and
Mission
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