Mentor a child and make a difference

Marshall Booker, Jr.’s father always told him, “You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution.”

Booker took this advice to heart and for more than 10 years has volunteered as a “big brother” with the D.A. Blodgett - St. John’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He’s been a mentor to a few different pre-teen boys and has stayed connected with them as they got older.

“If you talk to them, you can pull them up,” says Booker.

The local Big Brothers Big Sisters program began in 1965 as part of a national program that pairs adult volunteers with children ages 5-17 in a mentoring capacity. Often, these children come from single-parent homes and may be having some challenges in school or at home. Having the guidance of a responsible adult they can trust who is not their parent, relative or teacher can have a life-changing impact on the lives of these young adults.  

Right now, there are approximately 350 children on a waiting list for a mentor in the community-based program. Nearly 70 percent are boys and the average age is between 9-10 years old.

In order to participate as a big brother or big sister, the organization asks for a one-year commitment to the matched child for 1-3 hours per week. Volunteers must be 18 and have transportation. They can be single or married, college students, parents, working adults or retired.

Mentors and the children are both evaluated before they qualify to be matched. Someone from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program will interview the child and child’s family at their home after an application request and an initial phone conversation. Information from their school is received as well.

Program Manager Paul Miller says this helps get a “composite picture of the child” and afterward, the child is placed into the system until a match can be found.

On the mentoring side, volunteers are screened carefully. Interviews take place at their homes also with background and reference checks done afterward. Mentors are able to share any preferences for the match as far as age, sex and race goes. It’s for this reason that matches are not first come, first served. Sometimes it takes a while for a compatible match to happen.

“We want to make successful matches,” says Miller. “That contributes to the long-term success of the program. Our objective is to sustain the match and have a good experience for the child and the volunteer.”

No special skills are needed to become a mentor. The organization provides training on how to handle different situations that may arise and regularly checks in with both the adult and the child to measure progress. The mentors often teach the child social skills and manners, or they assist with homework. Sometimes the pair simply has fun by going to movies, games, restaurants and cultural events. Other times, they hang out at the mentor’s home or volunteer at another nonprofit organization.  

Unlike the community-based program, the agency’s school-based program allows for volunteers as young as 14 years old to get involved. The commitment is also only around nine months instead of a year. These mentors meet with students at their schools and stay on the property helping with homework or hanging out over lunch.

Booker encourages others to take a chance and give the Big Brothers Big Sisters program a try. Many of his friends were hesitant to get involved at first because they didn’t have any experience with kids, but they soon realized what a rewarding experience it is.

“You get more out of it than the kids,” he admits.

If you want to make a difference in a child’s future, here are some ways to get involved:

-    Visit Big Brothers Big Sisters online to find out more.
-    Volunteer to mentor a child.
-    Donate. 
-    Give tickets to events that mentors can attend with a child.
-    Like D.A. Blodgett – St. John’s on Facebook.

Sources: Paul Miller, Program Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Marshall Booker, Jr., a mentor in the program

Writer: Heidi Stukkie, Do Good Editor

Photos provided by Big Brothers Big Sisters.