From staff reports
In honor of National Mentoring Month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Oil Region is asking the community to change a local youth’s life forever by becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister.
To bring awareness to the need of mentors within the community, the Clarion County Commissioners honored the program with a proclamation for the month of January to celebrate National Mentoring Month.
During the month of January, mittens can be found in various business establishments throughout the county, each representing a local youth who is in desperate need of a Big Brother or Big Sister.
On the mittens will be listed some very simple activities a waiting “little” dreams of doing with their “big,” such as learning to ride a bike, bake cookies, or take a walk. Stop by Clark’s Donut Plus or Northwest Bank to check out these mittens for a potential match for a local youth. It only takes one person to change a local youth’s future forever.
Jessica Walters, program director, states, “Mentoring is a win-win situation for the local youth, the community, and the mentors or bigs.’ When matched with a mentor, youth are more likely to avoid risky behaviors such as drugs and alcohol, make more responsible decisions, attend school more regularly, achieve higher grades, and have a better relationship with their parent or guardian and peers.
“Youth are also more likely to volunteer within the community they live, become mentors for other children and youth, and “bigs” and “littles” are more likely to participate in community events in which they live.
“Mentoring relationships are an opportunity to make a lasting connection with a youth allowing them to feel heard, understood, and valued. Many participating “bigs” report they benefit just as much as their “little” by feeling as though they are making a difference in a youth’s life.”
There are many disadvantaged youth within the community on the waiting list whose lives would be transformed if they had the opportunity to be matched with a caring “big.” With the communities’ help, they hope every youth waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister will find one soon.
For those who don’t feel becoming a “big” is something they can do, there are many ways to get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. One way is to join the advisory committee.They recruit dedicated community volunteers to help Big Brothers Big Sisters serve more youth and oversee the overall growth and productivity of the program.
Another way to help is by putting a team together for the upcoming inaugural Bowl for Kids’ Sake Jan. 28, at Mt. Joy Lanes. Bowl for Kids’ Sake is a great time to get together with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers for a few hours of fun while raising money to help kids in the community.
A donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters to help sustain the important work of match support specialists is another way to help. Contact them to find the method of involvement that is right; no action is too little to have a big impact to “Start Something” in the life of a child.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a program ofFamily Service and Children’s Aid Society, and is a program supported by The United Way of Clarion County.
For more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Oil Region, contact Jessica Walters at (814) 676-9940, ext. 28 or by email at jwalters@fscas.org