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Become a BIG

Become a big

Big memories

EVERY DAY WITH EVERY AGE

BBBSIL offers children who want and need a mentor a one-to-one, long-term friendship with a caring adult.

Bigs serve as friends, mentors and role models, helping children and teens gain greater self-confidence.

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Interview & Safety
Get Matched

Be a big

Start

You can start a young person on the path to big things. We’re looking for people eager to positively impact a youth's life and improve their community at the same time. Let's start something together.

Mentoring

Mentoring is about inspiring positive change to empower youth to believe they can achieve what they never dreamed possible. For a few hours, a couple times a month, you can give a Little the invaluable gift of your time and friendship. Anyone can be a mentor - you don't have to be perfect.

incorporate

You can simply incorporate your Little into your everyday life: play sports together, picnic in the park, take your dog for a hike or visit a museum. Being a Big will be one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling things you do, while also being a force of change in our community.

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Basic Requiriments

OUR LITTLES DESERVE THE BEST

Bigs must be 18 or older, have a valid driver's license / insurance and be willing to commit to a long term friendship with a child. In addition:

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  • Complete the Volunteer Acceptance Process
    - this is self paced and takes anywhere from 2-6 weeks on average

  • Work with our team to select a Little Brother or Little Sister

  • Initiate contact with your Little and their parent or guardian

  • Meet consistently with your Little for at least 12-months

  • Maintain ongoing communication with the Big Brothers Big Sisters staff

How it works

We want to work together to keep your young person safe. To do so, we start by thoroughly screening potential Bigs and Littles. Each volunteer must complete a screening process that includes:

1) Inquire

Learn more about the commitment and if it is right for you by inquiring here

2) Apply

The next step is to complete a full online volunteer application

3) interview & Training

Complete a interview with one of our team members and begin the training process

4) Choose & meet
your little

Once accepted, we will work with you to find the best Little for you

5) Build a Friendship

Now the fun begins! Start scheduling regular outings and check in with our team on regular basis

Your QUestions, Answered

Apply here
Our volunteer Bigs come from diverse backgrounds just like our youth Littles. They are regular people, just like you. You don’t need any special degrees or job skills. You just have to want to positively impact a young person. Role models come in all shapes and sizes, and YOU could be a perfect fit.
Each Big commits to spending 4 to 12 hours with their Little each month for at least 1 year. How this time is met is unique to each of our Matches! Each Big also maintains regular communication with the agency to receive ongoing support throughout their Match.
The quality of the time you invest with your Little is more important than the amount of money you spend. That’s why we don’t encourage spending a lot of money on your outings. The goal of the relationship is to be a consistent positive presence in their lives. If you are going to spend money, we encourage you to seek out low-cost or no-cost activities, especially in the beginning.
Share an activity that gives you something in common to talk about. Go to the library, check out a book and read together. Play a board game. Go on a nature walk. Hit a bucket of golf balls at the local driving range. Take a ride in the car with the radio on and talk about the music you like. You want to select activities that give each of you a chance to learn more about one another. Most important: keep it simple and enjoy yourselves!
In the beginning it’s most important for you and your Little to get to know each other. This can happen best on a one-to-one basis. However, over time it’s also valuable for your Little to get to know the people who are important to you. The main focus is the friendship you develop with your Little.
Every Big receives training prior to being matched with their Little. Once you are matched with your Little, a Match Support Specialist from the agency will be in regular contact with you to provide assistance and give feedback. Any time you are unsure about what to do or how to handle a situation, you will have a Match Support Specialist there to help. They’ll help you with ideas for activities, guidance for handling challenges, and encouragement.
Children ages 6-14 who want and need a mentor are enrolled by their parents or guardians. Parents and guardians take a very active role at every stage of the program including getting to know and partnering with you! Every Little and their family has been carefully screened to determine if the program is appropriate for their needs and to ensure that they are willing and able to make a new friend.
This is what makes the program unique! We don’t make Matches based on who is next in line. Both Bigs and Littles complete enrollment processes where information about your preferences, hobbies, interests, personality, life experiences, availability, location and more is gathered. Our team takes the time to learn as much as possible and recommends a match based on what will create the strongest Match. Ultimately every Big and Little has the final say as to whether they agree a particular Match would be right for them.
We first consider natal sex (sex assigned at time of birth) when making Matches. All Big Brothers are matched with Little Brothers. However, Big Sisters can be matched with Little Sisters or Little Brothers, if that is preferred by the Little and their family.
Once a Big and Little Match has been made, it can remain a Match until either party decides it is time for the Match to end or when the Little turns 18 or graduates high school. Whatever comes first. We find that Matches that have reached this milestone have built a meaningful and lifelong relationship with one another.
We do everything in our power to make a Match that we think will last. However, we realize that sometimes things come up — Bigs or Littles move, situations change, or something doesn’t work out. We will attempt to mediate the situation, but if it doesn’t work out, we will end the Match. If this happens, your Match Support Specialist will be there to support you every step of the way and handle it in the best way possible.
Awesome! We’re ready to get the enrollment process started with you - just fill out an inquiry form here and someone on our team will contact you in the next 1–2 business days.
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