Big Brothers Big Sisters help children in need

Photo courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters

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This big brother and little brother enjoy spending time together. It feels good for the little brother to know someone cares about him. Big Brothers Big Sisters served 1,795 children throughout Utah in 2008. The Northern Utah office now serves about 70, but has a waiting list of little brothers and sisters looking for big brothers and big sisters.

LAYTON — "I have never heard anyone complain about spending time with their little brother or sister. They are always beaming," said Steve Jones program coordinator for the Northern Utah Big Brothers Big Sisters Office in Layton.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah’s mission is to help children in need reach their potential through professionally supported one-on-one mentoring relationships.

"We create the one-on-one relationships with a positive adult role model in children’s lives and are in constant contact with all parties in the match," said Jones. "We help them navigate their relationship, which might be anything from issues specific to the child’s life, ideas of what to do when they get together, as well as monitoring the child’s safety. We want these children to have a fun and safe experience.

"We do reference checks, criminal background checks, and an extensive interview process," said Jones. "We do not just take anybody.

"We serve at-risk youth, refugees, kids who are in any sort of marginalized group, children who are in single-parent homes, or children who have a parental figure who has been incarcerated," said Jones.

Big Brothers Big Sisters sponsored a night at the Ogden Raptors, a minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League, Aug. 18.

"We try to reach out to the community and find activities that help us give back to our volunteers because they give so much of their time," said Jones. "We try to partner with groups in the community to find free to low-cost activities, or get these partners to lend us a helping hand for our children. One of the organizations who has been really great about lending us a helping hand has been the Ogden Nature Center. They let our children in for free. They have been on walks with nature and tours with picnics for everyone.

"We also are always looking for volunteers, and our kids run the spectrum," said Jones. "They are always looking for somebody to be positive in their lives, make a positive impact, and have a positive influence. We are looking for all different kinds of volunteers.

"The way our program works, is it is a 12-month commitment," said Jones. "The big brothers and big sisters get together with their little brothers and little sisters at least two to four times a month.

"Through the interview process, we try to match bigs and littles who have similar interests, talents, or things they will want to do together, and then from there they can dictate how they want to spend their time," said Jones. "As far as what they do, as long as it is safe and positive, we really leave it up to the match. We are just there to guide them along.

"What we are looking for is people in the community who really want to give back and have the experience of a one-on-one relationship where they are able to meet and impact each other," said Jones. "The cool thing about our program is that you not only have a hand in what you are going to be doing with these kids, but you also get to see the impact it has on these kids and see the change it has in them.

"Another great aspect of this program is matching people of different religions which bridges some gaps in our community," said Jones. "It is neat to see matches in which a child can get an understanding where there is some body with a little bit different background than he or she has who cares enough about him or her to cross that line. Some parents are rigid in what they want for their child, but mostly they are excited about having someone who wants to take their child on outings.

"I actually just matched a man who was a little brother 26 years ago, and his children are grown, and he wanted to get back into the program," said Jones.

"He was really excited about the opportunity to give back. He had a great story about the impact his big brother had on his life. He talked about being on the line and possibly being a trouble maker or not, and his big brother helped him stay out of trouble," said Jones. "Although I think he deserves a lot of credit for his own actions, his big brother certainly grabbed his hand and pulled him back and helped him have a positive life."

"I have a 7-year old little brother who comes from a single-parent family. And when I am around him, I get to be a kid again," said Jones. "His father passed away when he was very young. You can see he really longs for that father-figure, or that guy in his life. It is really cool for me to be able to talk to him about bullies, and about sticking up for himself, about making healthy decisions, and getting enough exercise.

"I get to live through him doing things for the first time. I took him to his first 3D movie," said Jones. "I take him to new places to ride his bike, and he gets so excited. And it never stops.

Jones said the Northern Utah Office also has a school-based program where bigs and littles are matched and the bigs visit the little brother or sister during their extended-day school program for about an hour or two.

"When you go in these school-based programs, it is fun to watch the volunteers faces light up when they are with these children, because people forget what it was like when they were a child," said Jones. "The volunteers have fun playing with toys, such as the parachutes or basketballs hoops, and they get to run around with these kids and let their hair down and have fun. When they do that, these kids think the world of them.

"I think our volunteers definitely get as much out of this as the kids do," said Jones.

"I really like being a big brother. It kind of makes me check myself. I think I am a big brother, so I know how should I behave," said Jones. "It is kind of a neat mirror to hold up to yourself. I understand that things are tough economically, but what I try to keep in mind is if you cut out a few television shows, you can make two hours a week available for a little kid, or four hours every two weeks. All we are really ask is that you go play with the kids. When I do that, I never say, I really wish I would have stayed home and watched television.

"Sometimes you get to watch them graduate from high school or celebrate other occasions. All of their achievements are pretty special."