Big Brothers Big Sisters Washington County

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Washington County is a nonprofit organization with the mission to create and support one-on-one mentorship amongst youth and the community. They help young kids find relationships amongst older teens and adults that they may not have in their everyday lives. These young kids, known as Littles, often face some sort of challenge where they need the extra mentorship and report. That is where the adult volunteers, or Bigs, come in.

But what exactly are Bigs and Littles?

Littles are typically individuals who are looking for friendship, guidance or even just a trusting adult who they can build a relationship with and feel supported by. To become a Little, individuals must be between the ages of six to 17 (18 if still finishing school) and must live or attend school in Washington County. They are typically referred to the program by a parent/guardian, teacher or counselor.

Bigs on the other hand, either an individual, a couple or a family, are volunteers who spend time and create a bond with a paired Little, becoming a trusting adult in their life. Like Littles, Bigs need to either live, work or attend school in Washington County. They also need to be the age of 16 or older with a drivers license, good driving record and pass a thorough background check.

Big Little pairings are made through an in-depth matching process. First, both Bigs and Littles (not together) go through an in-person interview process to find out more about the individuals, including their interests so that BBBS can match them with someone with similarities. Once a match is made, Big(s) and the Little meet together with BBBS staff. After all that, once the Big and Little have met and interacted, they begin their regular meetings to continue growing that relationship.

BBBS offers three types of mentoring programs: Community-Based Mentoring, Site-Based Mentoring and Beyond School Walls.

Community-Based Mentoring means that matches meet at least twice a month at the convenience of both the Big and the Little. Where they meet up and hangout is up to them - it could be at the park, agency events, school function or free to low-cost community activities. These types of Bigs can either be individuals, couples or families, but no matter how many Bigs there will only be one matched Little.

Site-Based Mentoring happens at school, where the Big meets their Little at least once a week during lunch, recess or after school hours. This type of mentoring program only happens during the school year, but can change to Community-Based if the pairing so wishes. This is great for school aged Bigs or even adults who have more flexibility in their schedules. This specific program also has opportunities to give school aged Bigs volunteer hours that they may need.

Beyond School Walls is a workplace mentoring program that allows for high school aged Littles – typically juniors and seniors – to meet with a career mentor through one of BBBS business partnerships. These Littles visit their assigned business and work on career exploration and developing both work and life skills, including how to write resumes, how to dress properly for the workplace and more. This program also goes through a matching process to assure students are put in a place where they can succeed. However, they are only paired with companies that BBBS is partnered with, which is currently five companies, but they are always open for more partnerships.

BBBS is always looking for Bigs, but oftentimes people are afraid to commit to being one as they are worried about the time, but the time commitment isn’t much at all. “This time commitment is probably not what you have in your head,” Caitlin Elftman, outreach and development coordinator, said. “It’s less than you think, but it really does make a huge difference… even you giving a couple hours a month is gonna change this kid.” And there are many free and low-cost opportunities to do in the community and at the outreach. “We very much believe that you volunteering to be a Big, or you being enrolled to be a Little, it should either cost you nothing, or very very little… this relationship with your Little should feel like a relationship. It shouldn’t be about you feeling like you have to roll out the red carpet for them. They want to talk to you. They want to get to know you.”

Again, BBBS is always looking for more Big mentors. For more information on the program, or if you are a business who would like to work with Big Brothers Big Sisters, reach out to Caitlin Elftman at CaitlinE@bbbswashco.org. Or, if you would like to become a Big or a Little, reach out to Alexander Rubio at AlexanderR@bbbswashco.org to start the application and matching process.