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Facts & Frequently Asked
Questions
Top Three Facts:
[FACT 1] The demand for Big Brothers Big Sisters
services has never been greater, and in the past few
years our ability to meet those needs has dramatically
improved. Our Little Brothers and Sisters all agree: the
best volunteers are responsible friends who happen to
become role models—not demanding authority figures. As
part of Big Brothers Big Sisters nationally, we aim to
attract one million adults nationwide, and 2,000 right
here in our community—an ambitious goal, but one that is
attainable.
[FACT 2] We are not simply a feel-good social
cause. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a proven service that
produces changes in the lives of young people. We give
children a chance to take part in the American
dream—equal opportunity for all—and the community at
large benefits. Society is positively affected, schools
and school systems are improved, and youth crime goes
down. Today in our town, over 500 youth are influenced
by their Bigs.
[FACT 3] A quality relationship between an adult
and a youngster, often from two different
cultures—sometimes worlds apart—requires a professional
system. We provide volunteer recruiting, we match the
two individuals, and we train and support Big Brothers
and Big Sisters to ensure that the relationship
flourishes. We know from our nearly 100 years of
experience what works— screening, monitoring and
communicating with the Littles, the Bigs, and the
parents.
As we tell
people about what we do, often we hear the same
questions:
[FAQ 1] Who are the children your agency helps?
We provide Big Brothers and Big Sisters—"Bigs"—to kids
who want one, for whatever reason. Some lack a parent,
and they come from all areas of [town] and various
economic situations. The only thing they have in common
is they need a little extra care and attention.
[FAQ 2] What kinds of thing would I do with a
child, and how much time do you spend to be a Big
Brother or Big Sister? Bigs are paired with children
that have similar interests, so each "match" is unique.
Some matches like to do active things together like play
football or basketball, or go to sporting events, while
others may enjoy playing video games or going to the
museum or cultural activities. They decide how they want
to spend their time together.
[FAQ 3] What kind of support do you give
volunteers? And why do you need money if you use
volunteers to work with the children? Case managers
personally interview all volunteers to determine the
kind of child that they would like to be matched to. We
take extra care to assure that nothing might prevent the
Big and the Little from being able to form a friendship.
We train volunteers, especially if they've never worked
with children before, and set ground rules for the
volunteer, parent and child. If problems arise, such as
a child not being able to schedule time with the Big,
then the case manager works things out with the parent.
The case manager may also help a family's critical needs
if they don't have furniture or can't afford school
supplies. The volunteer shouldn't have to worry about
any of those situations, but just to spend time doing
fun things with the Little Brother or Little Sister.
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