CAUSES: Big Brothers Big Sisters recruiting new mentors

from Bella Magazine January 2023

by PensacolaBella

STYLING THE SHOOT

Little hearts need big

Big Brothers Big Sisters recruiting new mentors

By Allison McCrory

Two hundred West Florida children are waiting for mentors through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida.

“We don’t have a hard time finding kids but we struggle finding mentors,” said Amber Cassart, marketing and communications specialist at the agency.

And while being a mentor results in big dividends, it doesn’t require a large time investment.

“A common misunderstanding is that becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister is a time constraint and big commitment,” Cassart said.

In fact, mentors, also known as Bigs, are only asked to meet with their mentees (Littles) twice a month and contact them weekly. Of course, more time together is welcome but not essential.

January is National Mentoring Month and the agency is working hard to recruit new Bigs in Florida’s western-most four-county area. Events and social media are both planned to find mentors who could influence the 200 children to live their best lives.

There is no disputing the data on the power of mentoring, explained Cassart.

“Through an independent study we know that when our Littles meet regularly with their Big, they are: more confident of their performance in school, get along better with their family, 1/3 less likely to hit someone, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol, 52 percent less likely to skip school, 37 percent less likely to skip a class, 46

MY EXPERIENCE A LOT FROM A LITTLE

Life was at a painful crossroads. In 2010, my only living sibling and his son, my nephew, died unexpectedly. My mother, independent just a few years before, was living with me yet debilitated following complications from a broken hip.

In a few years’ time, my life split into before and after. The mother who had always been the caretaker now needed care from me, and I was suddenly an only child and the leader of our family.

If life has taught me anything, it’s that the best way to heal is to give.

So, desperate for joy, I surfed the web and found mentoring. With my husband reluctantly on board, we began spending every Saturday afternoon with our “Littles,” a girl in kindergarten and her brother, a first grader.

Our first outing was the downtown Pensacola Christmas parade. Stacey barely said a word while her older brother Jonah was the spokesman for both of them as we caught trinkets and munched on Subway sandwiches. But week by week, she relaxed, and so did I.

Our Saturday afternoons included simple outdoor activities like a picnic and play in the park or when spring arrived, the pool or beach. Beautifully, wonderfully, these kids loved the simple things – the shapes of clouds, the intricacies of rocks. Car rides were filled with “guess the animal” games, ’lots of laughter and sometimes silence. Eventually my Little and I, comfortable and interested in girly activities, spent our outings without the guys.

We skated, played with animals at the pet store, bowled, played tennis, camped, visited a theme park, attended baseball games, went to movies, worked on Girl Scout badges, cooked, practiced for the county spelling bee, practiced for the volleyball team, checked out library books and collected prizes for summer reading, created art and ate a lot of frozen yogurt. During the pandemic, I dropped groceries on her porch and we cooked via FaceTime. We even traveled to Dollywood!

With my two children in college and starting careers, I relished moments with children again, feeling the familiar pride while watching musical performances and sporting events – drinking in the laughter during silly moments. I was a big Big winner. The life and joy and smiles were a healing payoff in return for a few hours each week. Even on weeks when spending the afternoon with my Little seemed impractical, we met anyway. And the feeling after our meeting was always the same: a full heart.

Now my Little is not that little. She’s a responsible, funny, considerate, bright car- and dog-owning working young woman with a goal to get her own apartment in the next year. After a recent birthday lunch we hugged, she flashed her beautiful smile and said, “It was good to see you.”

And just like that, I was the winner with that familiar full heart. — Allison McCrory

percent less likely than their peers to start illegal drugs.”

The benefits continue into college and beyond.

“Findings indicate that our mentoring programs help break cycles linked to poverty. Alumni were 75 percent more likely than non-alumni to have received a four-year college degree. Alumni were 39 percent more likely than non-alumni to have current household incomes of $75,000 or higher,” Cassart noted.

Plus, mentors get the consistent support of a caseworker communicating with them and their Little’s parent. And there are customizable options for what mentoring looks like for every match. Matches can be school-based or community-based when mentors pick the child up from home and share activities within the community. Duos can opt to mentor together.

“In school-based matches, many volunteers visit on their way into work, during their lunch hour or perhaps during a long break during the day. Some businesses allow their staff time off to mentor,” explained Cassart.

In community-based matches, the sky is the limit for Big and Little.

“This one-to-one mentoring option allows you the opportunity to pick up your Little Brother or Little Sister at his or her home and spend time together in the community two to four times a month. Outings can range from going for a walk, playing basketball, visiting a library, working on arts and crafts, taking a bike ride or watching a movie,” Cassart said.