1. Community-Based Mentoring: The Community-Based setting allows for Bigs to spend time Littles exploring parks, visiting museums, taking in sporting events, catching a movie together – any place that sounds like fun to you and your Little Brother or Sister. The times and possibilities are up to you.
2. Site-Based Mentoring: The Site-Based model allows for the mentor to visit their Little in the child’s school, after school program, or at another youth-serving agency. BBBS is affiliated with approximately 25 schools, as well as 6 additional youth service organizations. This format allows for the match to meet in a more structured environment than out in the community, usually for about an hour per week. For some volunteers this is a better fit because of the option to have their lunch break with their Little, at the child’s school, and the fact that it can fit neatly into a work and family routine.
3. Child waiting-list activities: “Big For a Day” programming program is great for volunteers who want to pitch in and help the organization, but don’t have the time to devote to weekly mentoring. These are events that often pair mentors for a fun, one-time activity such as bowling, kickball or a cookout. There are usually 100 children or more on our waiting list at any given time, and it is important to help these kids feel included in our program until they meet their mentors. Big For a Day is a way of giving the children and community members an opportunity to take part in BBBS events. It also keeps us in face-to-face contact with Waiting List families so we can make the best match possible for each child.
4. Internship Program: Interns with our agency often come to us through a Social Service course of study at area universities. While working with us they shadow staff for a realistic preview of work with youth-service organizations, help monitor successful matches, market to new volunteers, organize special event fundraisers and add a community leadership element to their resumes.
5. Sponsor a Child: This program connects your business or organization to Sponsor a Child for involvement with our program. Through your sponsorship you receive a photograph of the child and his or her mentor, along with a quarterly report outlining the child’s development since the match began. This interaction with our agency is a great opportunity to support our program, and provides updated information so you can share first-hand knowledge of the impact BBBS makes on our community. Two sponsorship levels exist in each of our counties – a $500 contribution sponsors a child to enroll for services. $1,000 sponsors the making of a new match. Our policy is to provide program services at no charge to families and volunteers.
Interested in learning more? Click here to visit BBBS of McLean County!
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