It takes a village. Now that I am a parent I truly understand what this means. I pride myself on being a very hands-on, proactive mom, but I would be lying if I said I could do it all on my own. I simply can’t. Many times I find myself needing the assistance of someone else besides my husband to help out with my daughter. For instance, I may need to rely on my daughter’s grandparents, my good friends, or my daughter’s teacher to help guide the way. In my case, I feel very blessed and lucky to have such a close knit community of people around me to help out when my husband and I need it. However, not all children and parents have this type of support system.
What happens to the child who lives with his or her single mother or father and the other parent isn’t around? What happens when that child’s only active parent in their life has to work two jobs to put food on the table and clothes on their back? What happens if that child’s full-time single working parent doesn’t have the extra support system that child may need to help keep them on the right track? In today’s society, this is a common scenario, and although some children can get through the challenges okay, others become lost and can easily fill their time doing the wrong things and hanging out with the wrong people, while their parents are away.
This is why I can’t emphasis enough the importance of mentorship programs such as that of Big Brothers Big Sisters. We all need positive mentors in our lives, especially those that we can relate to. Big Brothers Big Sisters has made a big impact in communities across America for more than 100 years. Their organization matches adult volunteer mentors (Bigs) with children (Littles) and they take great pride in it being a positive outcome for all those who participate. Youth who have participated in this program are more likely to avoid risky behaviors like skipping school, using illegal drugs, underage drinking, and gang activity. Therefore the need of mentors for this program is great as it is the mentors, which allows the program to thrive!
Here are some interesting facts about Big Brothers Big Sisters: 20% of the children Big Brothers Big Sisters serve are Hispanic and this number is on the rise. However, only 9% of their Bigs (Mentors) are Latino. Also, more than 70% of the children ready and waiting to be matched with a mentor are boys, yet only 3 of 10 volunteer inquiries come from men. The children who are in this program are in great need of guidance that only an adult can give them. They are children who need a listening ear. They need to hear a story about how you overcame an obstacle in life. They need to share in a fun day of laughs and this can only happen if people step up and volunteer. Helping one child will result in helping a whole community because we all know that children hold the key to our society’s future.
I am proud and humbled all at once to announce the Latino Recruitment campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Mentorship is a powerful thing. When I was in the 6th grade my choir teacher Raymond Michael Hebel became my biggest mentor. He took my love of singing and music and guided me into doing extraordinary things with my talent. Suddenly I believed in myself. I became the lead in my school musicals, I went on to win a national singing championship in Las Vegas at age 17. I recorded CDs. I achieved accomplishments that I truly believe I wouldn’t have done if it hadn’t been for my mentor Mr. Hebel. He continued to be my music teacher all the way through high school and I will never forget him.
You can make an impact like this on a child’s life. You can find out more information about becoming a Big (mentor) by visiting Big Brothers Big Sisters! If you are interested in becoming a Latino Big, please visit www.latinobigs.org! We need your help.
Also, make sure to join Latina Mom Bloggers and Big Brothers and Big Sisters on Wednesday, OCT 10 from 7- 8:00 pm ET for a Twitter CHAT! There will be lots of information regarding our Latino ‘littles’ and their need for ‘Big’ volunteers! Lets work together to support our youth, our future. Follow the hashtag #LatinoBigs
This is part of a supported campaign with Latina Mom Bloggers and Big Brothers Big Sisters. However, all opinions expressed are my own.
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