Welcome to the Official Big Brothers Big Sisters of Waco & McLennan County Blog!
We've created this blog as a hub for all local news, match stories and information about our Waco office. Here's a quick overview of who we are and what we do!
Big Brothers Big Sisters is not your typical organization. We help children realize their potential and build their futures. We nurture children and strengthen communities. And we couldn’t do any of it without you.
As a donor-supported volunteer youth mentoring organization, our program has been placing caring adults in the lives of children in one-to-one mentoring relationships since 1904. Through the positive impact of those friendships, children with a Big Brother or Big Sister are more likely to graduate from high school and are less likely to begin using drugs, begin using alcohol or engage in negative conflict.
Our professional staff carefully works with both the volunteers and the children to ensure that the experience of Big Brothers Big Sisters is one that is dynamic, fulfilling, memorable and enjoyable for both the child and the volunteer. Our office is a satellite of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star agency headquartered in Irving. Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star is the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency in the world.
Our professional staff carefully works with both the volunteers and the children to ensure that the experience of Big Brothers Big Sisters is one that is dynamic, fulfilling, memorable and enjoyable for both the child and the volunteer. Our office is a satellite of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star agency headquartered in Irving. Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star is the largest Big Brothers Big Sisters agency in the world.
Our one-to-one matches are the driving force behind making an impact on children. A Big Brothers Big Sisters’ match is carefully administered and held to the strictest standards. Agency staff strives for matches that are not only safe and well suited to each child’s needs, but also harmonious and built to last. We refer to the children as Littles and the adults as Bigs. We provide ongoing support and supervision to the Big, the Little, and the Little’s family. We offer training and advice to help ensure that the match is working for everyone involved.
As a Big in our program, there are a number of ways to be involved in a match. The community-based program is the traditional Big Brothers Big Sisters relationship, where volunteers and children get together on their own to share fun activities they both enjoy. It takes just a few hours each month to share the simple things you already like to do such as shooting hoops, playing a board game, sharing a pizza, taking a walk in the park or simply hanging out and talking. In our school-based mentoring program, volunteers and children meet for one-on-one mentoring in the classroom, school library, lunch room or other set location. They typically meet once a week to read together, play sports or computer games, or simply talk about life and personal issues – just as friends do.
In addition to being a Big Brother or Big Sister, you could also be a Big Couple or Big Family! As a Big Couple, you and your spouse can both become mentors to a child in our program. You can all do things together or you can each share time with the child individually. This is a great way to spend time together while also changing the life of a child. And, the child benefits from having a Big Brother and a Big Sister at the same time! As a Big Family, your entire family is involved in your match to a child. That means your spouse and kids can all share time with the child in our program. By including the child in the things that your family already does together, he or she will get to experience the dynamics, experiences and fun involved in a traditional family atmosphere.
According to an independent study by Public/Private Ventures, our matches are proven to provide measurable impact on our Littles' lives. The researchers found that after 18 months of spending time with their Bigs, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters, compared to those children not in our program, were:
- 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
- 27% less likely to begin using alcohol
- 52% less likely to skip school
- 37% less likely to skip a class
- 33% less likely to hit someone
They also found that the Littles were more confident of their performance in schoolwork and getting along better with their families.
We currently have 150 great kids in Waco waiting for their Bigs. Start Something and join us today as a mentor, supporter or donor!
