Progressive Wednesday

Be a big brother

I’m a middle child (with middle child syndrome). Two sisters, one younger one older. It’s funny to think about my “big” sister protecting me in our youth, she’s half my size, but that’s exactly what she did. In fact, and this is totally true, when I was “roughed up” in a hockey game just recently, she started yelling, “Hey! That’s my brother!” Some brothers might have been embarrassed; I was a touched. Not because I thought she would jump over the boards and “drop the gloves,” but because she thought she would. The point is, she has been always been there for me, young and…well…older, willing to stand up for me when necessary, but more importantly, always setting a great example.

Unfortunately, so many kids grow up without a brother or sister to open doors, or show them how to open doors themselves. All too often these kids head down a road of destruction, and sometimes self-destruction. They need a mentor, a “big brother. Enter Big Brothers Big Sisters.

In their own words:

The Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth.

How effective is the program? According to an impact study of the BBBS program, children matched with “bigs” are:

• More confident in their schoolwork performance.
• Able to get along better with their families.
• 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs.
• 27% less likely to begin using alcohol.
• 52% less likely to skip school.

Here’s the problem. The program is quite short on male volunteers. In the Erie county branch, female “bigs” are matched up with male “littles.” This is only acceptable up to age ten, for obvious reasons. There are waiting lists years long, and children are slipping through the cracks. The call has gone out from Lovie Smith and Tony Dungee for more male volunteers, and now it’s going out from Progressive Wednesday. If you’ve gt a few extra hours a week, sign up to volunteer in your neck of the woods. Instead of going outside to shoot some hoops by yourself, take a “little brother” with you. It’s the best thing you can do with your time.