Each of us has a responsibility to make our community better. The responsibility itself may come from a religious, personal, or business commitment; but it often leads to volunteerism. Our community can only be great if we all take an active role. Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates those volunteers who have taken on the significant role of being a ‘Big’ mentor to ‘Little’ young people facing adversity.
Alex became a ‘Little’ last March at age 13. He was on the wait list for 5 months, much less time than many boys – there are 170 local boys currently waiting to be matched to a ‘Big’, and about 40 girls. Alex and his many siblings are adopted, and his parents felt that he needed more attention than he was getting at home. Alex likes to be active and was looking forward to having time outdoors with his Big. He thought he would like to do some target shooting, ride his bike more, do some hiking, and learn some new skills.
Meanwhile, Wesley was a 30 year old mechanic working locally on foreign cars. He enjoys the outdoors, is a marksman and was hoping to help a kid that was also on the quite side. The professional Match Advisors at YBBBS matched Wesley and Alex based on their similar interests… and the two now spend about eight hours together each month. One-to-one mentoring relationships like Wesley and Alex’s result in a reduction in local juvenile crime and help kids stay on a healthy path for life.
Please consider being matched with a local child facing adversity. Call 928-778-5135 or go to www.azbigs.org for more information.