By Jo Mathis
Legal News
Looking for a way to get involved in the Jackson community, particularly if it involves helping children?
Right now there are nearly 100 children on the waiting list at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Jackson County (BBBSJC) hoping to be matched with a mentor.
Meanwhile, BBBSJC volunteers last year served as mentors to more than 220 youths.
In recognition of January as National Mentoring Month, BBBSJC and the Jackson County Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition (JCSAPC) will hold a Mentor Appreciation Breakfast on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 9:30 a.m. at Hugo’s, 501 Longfellow, Jackson.
There is no cost for the event, and attendance is open to award recipients as well as “bigs” and their “littles”—the terms the BBBSJC uses for the adults and children matched in the program.
According to BBBSJC Community Based Match Specialist Melissa Laird, mentors come from every walk of life and age group and have a variety of personalities.
The time commitment is just four hours a month.
Laird said the need for “bigs” in Jackson County is greater than ever.
Most of the children enrolled in BBBSJC waiting to be matched with a mentor are between the ages of six and 16.
They come from single parent homes, dual parent homes, and homes where they are raised by alternative family members. They are every race and socio-economic range.
“What they have in common is the need of a caring positive adult to be their friend,” Laird said.
A study of The Big Brothers Big Sisters program last year found that mentoring programs have positive academic, socio-emotional and behavioral outcomes. High school graduation rates, avoidance of juvenile delinquency and drug use and college or job readiness can be improved with established long-term one-on-one mentoring relationships with a caring adult.
Young people who are matched, professionally supported and remain in these mentoring relationships with mentors are 46 percent less likely to use drugs, 52 percent more likely to regularly attend school, and 33 percent less likely to be violent or involved in criminal behaviors.
Young people who have been referred, either by a parent, teacher, or human service professional are all interviewed to get to know their personality and interests in order to ensure a good match is made with a Big.
Organizations that help support the mentoring experience include: Partnerships with the Substance Abuse Coalition, Energizing Education, Most Teens Don’t, Jackson County Intermediate Schools, Jackson County Interfaith Shelter, YMCA Storer Camp, Youth Haven Camp and Tim Horton Camps.
To contact BBBSJC, call Laird at 517-784-7181 or go to www.bbbsjackson.org.
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