Be a “Big” help! Start a child’s school year off right!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah is hitting the pavement this summer with an ambitious plan to enroll 60 men in 60 days as Big Brothers, and start the matching process for the 295 boys on the Wait List, waiting as long as 12 months. The campaign started June 15, 2016 and will end August 15, 2016, encourages men to step up and volunteer. We’re looking for caring adults of all genders and cultures but the organization’s greatest need is for men to enroll and mentor.
Currently, we have 258 male mentors matched with a child compared to the 504 female mentors matched with a child in Utah. BBBSU created the 60 Men 60 Days campaign to address this demand so no child waits an extended amount of time for a Big Brother.
“Being a Big Brother to my Little Brother Gabe was one of the most important and satisfying roles in my life,” said Matt Wollam, vice president of Wollam Construction. “When I met Gabe he was a shy 12 year old boy with no male role model. All he needed was a chance and someone to care about him. I am happy to say Gabe is now a confident 22 year old marine who is starting his first semester of college at Weber State University.”
Mentoring relationships have proven to strengthen a child’s ability to thrive educationally and to make positive choices. We want to passionately pursue our mission to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally-supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Based on yearly Utah surveys of all children who have taken part in national BBBS mentoring programs in 2015, “Littles” showed significant improvements in attitudes toward risky behaviors, scholastic competence, and social acceptance.
- 93% of children became more socio-emotionally competent in our program
- 91% of children felt said they were less likely to engage in risky behaviors
- 89% of children improved or maintained their belief in their own educational success
We are inviting males from all over the state of Utah to sign-up to become a mentor for three different programs:
- Community-Based Mentoring: Mentors and children ages 6-18 years meet 2-4 times per month for a minimum of one year. Activities are based on individual interests and can be anything from going to the park, library or a baseball game.
- Site-Based Mentoring: Mentors and children at a designated location, usually a school, (either at lunch or after school) meet for one hour each week while school is in session, and on and off throughout the summer. Activities include homework, board games and four square!
- Mentor 2.0: A new technological way of approaching one-to- one mentoring, Mentor 2.0 gives high-school students the tools and support they need to graduate from High School and succeed in College.
Are you ready to help change a life? Fill out an application NOW to help us reach our goal!