Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - Big Brothers Big Sisters has been an integral piece of the Western New York community for several years, utilizing different mentoring models to work with children from the region that need an additional support system in their lives.
The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to "create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth."
Last year in Western New York, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier served over 300 kids within its footprint, and is looking to increase that number significantly this year. Not only are they looking for volunteers to fill the role of mentor, they are also providing support for those who may have interest in becoming mentors for local kids.
"In the United States, 1-in-3 kids are growing up without a significant, consistent mentor in their life. Locally, that is true as well," said Emily Mahoney, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara and the Southern Tier. "Currently, there are over 100 children waiting for a mentor within our program across the footprint of the areas we serve, but every day, we're getting handfuls of people calling - whether it's the parents, teachers, counselors - referring additional children, looking to get a mentor in the lives of kids who just need some extra support."
The organization is currently offering mentoring programs in Niagara County, Erie County and Cattaraugus County, with a satellite office in the City of Olean. However, Mahoney says they're looking to expand the organization's impact across all areas of Western New York.
"We know that our kids have great potential, and we're just looking to provide them some extra people to provide guidance and support to achieve that," she said.
One of the great mentors in the program right now is Alex Schwartz, who's been with Big Brothers Big Sisters for the last two years. He's a Big Brother to his Little Brother Matthew, who just turned 12-years-old.
Schwartz says it all started with a friend who was very well engaged in Big Brothers Big Sisters, and it was hearing about some of the great stories and experiences that pushed him to investigate further and find out more about the program.
"I reached out and went through the process, a pretty quick process. But after that, got set up, we had our first outings, and it's been a great experience since," said Schwartz in an interview with WBEN.
Schwartz likes to say he's had some big adventures with his Little Brother, while also going on some smaller ones alike.
"We've done Bills game, Sabres games, Bandits games. We've had some really fun experiences going out to places like Dave and Busters, arcades and things like that. But honestly, on a consistent basis, we're regulars at Delaware Park, we go to the downtown central library all the time. It's not just the big, exciting outings, it's also the day-to-day ones, where it's just good, quality time with each other," Schwartz detailed.
And while Schwartz is a volunteer, donating his extra time to become a mentor for his Little Brother, he says there haven't been too many hurdles along the way.
"We hang out just about every two weeks. Each one of our outings is just about two hours in time," Schwartz noted. "We talk in-between then, whether it's things going on at school, tests, excitement about something like the Bills going on. We're in pretty good communication, and it's pretty easy to be able to work a schedule with both of us so we get together on a consistent basis."
While Big Brothers Big Sisters has just wrapped up its celebration of National Mentoring Month, Mahoney says the need for mentors at this time and down the road is not going away.
"We do our best to share our stories and our need throughout the year, regularly getting involved in community events, sharing the stories of our Bigs and Littles. But also connecting to other organizations that might want to partner or speak with us about what it means to be a mentor," she explained. "Our offices are open 12 months a year, there's new kids coming every day. We're constantly trying to recruit more volunteers and caring individuals from our community to become volunteers."
And while Mahoney knows people may have their flawed days and may face some adversity, she says Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for individuals that have the willingness to be a mentor and have some extra time. And from past experiences with other mentors in the program, the time spent has been a rewarding one for many.
"What our mentors tend to find and report back to us is they grow and learn from the experience as well. They're growing a friend, they're maybe learning from the younger generation some things. And it's expanding their social network, and they get out to do new things and sort of maybe take a different perspective on everyday things from the eyes of a child," Mahoney said. "Along with the mentors, our children also have great outcomes. They show up to school more often, they're more engaged, they have a better sense of what they'd like to do in the future. They're setting goals and achieving the goals that they've set with their loved ones and their mentor."
Schwartz backs up Mahoney's sentiment, agreeing the experience has been an enlightening one for him.
"It's a little bit of a break away from my day-to-day," he said. "It's nice to kind of act in that Big Brother sense and be able to experience some of these first time things with him. Being able to see his first sports game or going to learn something new with him, these have been exciting things for me to watch from the sideline, but also be able to champion him in his day-to-day."
So what's the message for anyone potentially interested in becoming a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters? Schwartz says being there for a Little Brother or Sister is a lot easier than it may seem at first.
"It's a lot easier to say, 'I'm going to hang out at something like Dave and Busters every two weeks with my Little.' It's been a blast for me, and I hope him as well," Schwartz said. "It really is just kind of being there for him, and really just being able to go through his life experiences, and just be a support and an extra shoulder for him to lean on when he needs it."
For anyone looking for more information on becoming a mentor with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, they can check out BeBigNow.org or call (716)-873-5833 to learn more.
"One of our wonderful staff members will reach out to have a conversation, share more about the program, get to know them a little bit. And if they're interested in pursuing becoming a mentor, we start the enrollment process," Mahoney added. "If you've thought about it ever, I encourage you to just call us and have a conversation, because there's a child waiting on our waiting list that would be a perfect match for you."