Indianapolis, IN – As Indianapolis works to address some of its most critical issues related to crime and high school graduation, the demand for mentors is high. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) is expanding its youth mentoring options in an effort to meet this demand and to serve the nearly 600 boys and girls who are currently waiting for mentors in the BBBS program.
Traditionally, one can serve as a Big Brother or Big Sister and mentor a child one on-one. More recently, BBBS encouraged adults to sign up with their spouse, partner, or significant other through the Big Couple program. Now, the agency has created a new option, called “Big Friends” which allows two people who have been in an active friendship or relationship (best friends, co-workers, parent and adult child, sister and brother, etc.), to mentor a child in the community together.
Darcey Palmer-Shultz, BBBSCI CEO, comments on the agency’s new program option,“Our program works, and we want to make sure more kids in our community benefit. We want everyone to know that we’ve expanded our volunteer options so that more people can get involved, and we know that some people will like the opportunity to share this experience with a friend. Big Brothers Big Sisters is aggressively working to make sure more kids get the encouragement and opportunities they need to thrive, and we’re inviting everyone who shares this goal to join us.”
BBBSCI will be spreading the word about the Big Couple and Big Friends volunteer options between November 10 – 21, 2014. During this time frame, Big Brothers Big Sisters staff, friends, current volunteers, and Board Members will be working to involve individuals and organizations of all kinds to participate or spread the word about the importance of mentoring. Through a range of community speaking events, one on one meetings, social events, and awareness opportunities, BBBSCI hopes to engage more individuals in mentoring through the Big Couple and Big Friends option. Currently, there are thirty four active Big Couples in the program.
Individuals interested in getting involved are encouraged to contact Jarod Wilson, Manager, Volunteer Outreach & Engagement at jwilson@bbbsci.org/317.472.3730 or visit our website at www.bebigforkids.org.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana will serve 1,100 youth this year by proving them with mentors (Bigs). BBBSCI partners with parents, guardians, volunteers, schools, donors, and others in the community to be accountable for helping youth in our program achieve higher aspirations, greater confidence, educational success, and avoidance of risky behaviors. Key findings from a survey commissioned by Harris Interactive demonstrate BBBS mentoring programs work:
- 77 percent of alumni Littles reported doing better in school because of their Big
- 81 percent of alumni Littles said their Bigs changed their perspective on what was possible in life
- 85 percent stated that being a Little helped them have confidence in their abilities