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March 9
2005
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by Aimee Dolloff,
of the News Staff
This article first appeared in the
March 9, 2005 edition of the Bangor Daily News.
Reprinted with permission. |
OLD TOWN -
Residents will have a chance tonight to learn more about
the area's Big Brothers Big Sisters program during a
program at the library. A game and information night for
children, parents and volunteers from Old Town, Alton
and Bradley who are interested in the Big Brothers Big
Sisters program will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. tonight
at the Old Town Public Library.
Similar events
for residents in Greenbush and Milford are being planned
for later this month.
"It's an
opportunity for children, parents, and potential mentors
to find out what the program is about," Crystal Salinas,
Penobscot County mentor coordinator, said Tuesday at her
office.
Big Brothers
Big Sisters recently received a Communities That Care
grant from the University of Washington to make 35
matches with pupils in grades five through eight by
Sept. 1 in the Old Town area.
So far,
Salinas has met her January goal of placing 10 children
with big brothers or sisters, but hasn't yet reached her
April 1 objective for the same number of matches.
In particular,
finding male mentors for children is a problem
nationwide, according to Salinas.
"Men often see
the project and they think it's a good idea, but they
don't feel that they can fulfill that role," Salinas
said. "Most of the time, little boys in the program just
want somebody to come hang out with them."
Two
chalkboards, one with a list of eligible mentors and the
other containing the names of children to be placed, can
be found in Salinas' Bangor office. The number of
volunteers, however, is much shorter than the list of
children looking for a big brother or sister.
In the Orono-Old
Town area, University of Maine students often apply to
be mentors. The only problem is that the organization
doesn't like to match UM students with a child after
April 1 because there is only a month or so for the two
to connect before college lets out for the summer and
students go back home, Salinas explained.
"I have three
kids that need to be matched, but they're all boys and I
have no big brothers," Salinas said.
To become part
of the program, children ages 7 to 14 are referred to
Big Brothers Big Sisters by a parent.
While other
organizations can give parents contact information for
Big Brothers Big Sisters, a parent or guardian is the
only one that can provide a child's information.
Children then
are put on a waiting list and placed with a mentor who
lives in their community and shares some of the same
interests. Matching a "big" with a "little" can take two
weeks or more.
"It's just a
matter of finding the right match," Salinas said. "We
don't match on a first come, first served basis."
Matches are
made based on a variety of things, including interests,
parent requests, and gender.
"The
volunteers are spending their time, so we want to make
sure they're happy with the match that they're in,"
Salinas said.
Big brothers
and sisters are asked to commit six to 10 hours each
month to spend with their "little."
For the
community-based programs, mentors must be 18 years old.
School-based programs, however, allow mentors to be
sophomores in high school or older.
Big Brothers
Big Sisters conducts a Department of Human Services and
criminal background check on all volunteers and also
visits mentors' homes to ensure they are a safe place
for children to go.
The
organization also requires that applicants provide a
copy of their driver's license and proof of vehicle
insurance.
"We will
always do what's in the best interest of the child,"
Salinas said.
Salinas noted
that the application process shouldn't scare away
interested volunteers.
She also
explained that the organization provides training for
mentors, children and parents and follows up with "bigs"
and "littles" each month to make sure that the match is
working out.
"It's not
rocket science," she said. "These kids just need
somebody to pay attention to them."
Big
Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Maine, Christian Ridge
Rd., PO Box 1087, Ellsworth, ME 04605
Phone: (207) 667-5304 (800) 492-5550 Fax: (207) 667-6117
Email:
bbbs@downeastmentor.org |
