“I get to relive my childhood once a week,” Luan said.
Luan has been a “Big Brother” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program since he was a freshman.
“I wanted to do something productive and not just sit around my dorm,” he said. “I love kids so I looked into the program and thought it was a good fit.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit mentorship organization that serves children ages 6 to 14.
“Our goal is to provide kids who may not have a good role model in their lives with a one-to-one relationship with an adult,” said Lynn Dayton, customer relations specialist at Whatcom County Big Brothers Big Sisters. She said many of the children they serve are from single parent homes where it is hard to give children the attention they need.
“Mentoring is just spending time with a kid,” said Jayson Radmer, volunteer recruiter at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “If a kid doesn’t get the attention they are looking for at home, they may look for it somewhere else and get mixed up in the wrong crowds or get involved with drugs. That is what we are looking to prevent.”
Luan said he grew up with an older brother who he looked up to as a role model.
“I realized that is crucial to have as a kid,” he said
Luan participates in the school-based buddy program, one of the organization’s three mentoring opportunities. The other programs include community-based mentoring and mentoring children of promise. After being interviewed about his interests, Luan was matched with a Little who he visits for one hour a week during school hours.
“One of my favorite parts is being able to show up in his class and just see his face light up because he knows, ‘Hey, I get to ditch out of school and hang out with my Big,’ ” Luan said.
It is easy to get involved with the school buddy program, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community,” he said. “There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have the power and the opportunity to lead a Little in the right direction in life. You really are making an impact and at the same time having fun doing volunteer work.”
During fall quarter 2010, Luan became the president of Western’s Big Brothers Big Sisters club.
He said the club started about two years ago, but hasn’t been actively involved with the organization.
“This year we have definitely revitalized the club,” he said.
As president he said he has learned how to work with and lead a group of people to reach goals.
“Under Alan’s leadership the club has exploded in membership and volunteering,” Radmer said. “They contact me every week asking what they can do. They have the energy and excitement to do whatever, whether it is a bake sale, setting up for events or finding us more Bigs.”
Western sophomore Georgia McClaskey, vice president and event coordinator of the club, said Luan “goes all out” when he wants to do something.
“The ideas he brings to the table are really great, and he is good at delegating tasks,” she said.
This quarter McClaskey became a Big at Roosevelt Elementary School. “I was fortunate to grow up with a supportive family,” she said. “I wanted to be there for a child who didn’t have that. The best part is that it’s such a little time commitment but you are doing so much by being a stable person in your Little’s life once a week.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters’ youth mentoring programs have been shown to have a significant impact on the children involved, according to a study conducted by a Philadelphia-based research organization.
One in every 32 children in Washington state have a parent who is in jail. Seven out of 10 of those children will also end up incarcerated, the study said. These young people face a higher risk of making unhealthy decisions in their lives, according to the study.
Children who participate in the mentorship program are 97 percent less likely to become involved with juvenile authorities, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 52 percent less likely to skip school and 33 percent less likely to use violence as a means of solving problems, according to the study.
“At first, the impact I was having on the kids didn’t really hit me,” Luan said. A teacher told him she could see a big difference in the way his Little interacted in the classroom and that he made more friends.
One of Big Brothers Big Sisters greatest needs is for male Bigs, Radmer said. He said there are many more male Littles on the waitlist than there are male Bigs volunteering.
Radmer said they are also in need of more volunteers for their community based program, which requires 6 to 12 hours a month to meet with a Little outside of school.
Having Luan’s contagious enthusiasm for the program is great, Dayton said. She said it helps to have him and his male friends passing the word about the need for male Bigs and about how much fun the program is.
McClaskey said she encourages anyone to become a Big.
“Time is not an issue,” she said. “It’s only one hour a week for the school buddies program.”
If students cannot make a commitment to be a Big, there are plenty of other opportunities to help. The biggest help is spreading awareness and educating people about the program and how easy it is to get involved, she said.
“If you want to make a difference then this is the thing to do,” McClaskey said. “You can definitely see progress through your volunteering.”
Luan has been a “Big Brother” in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program since he was a freshman.
“I wanted to do something productive and not just sit around my dorm,” he said. “I love kids so I looked into the program and thought it was a good fit.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit mentorship organization that serves children ages 6 to 14.
“Our goal is to provide kids who may not have a good role model in their lives with a one-to-one relationship with an adult,” said Lynn Dayton, customer relations specialist at Whatcom County Big Brothers Big Sisters. She said many of the children they serve are from single parent homes where it is hard to give children the attention they need.
“Mentoring is just spending time with a kid,” said Jayson Radmer, volunteer recruiter at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “If a kid doesn’t get the attention they are looking for at home, they may look for it somewhere else and get mixed up in the wrong crowds or get involved with drugs. That is what we are looking to prevent.”
Luan said he grew up with an older brother who he looked up to as a role model.
“I realized that is crucial to have as a kid,” he said
Luan participates in the school-based buddy program, one of the organization’s three mentoring opportunities. The other programs include community-based mentoring and mentoring children of promise. After being interviewed about his interests, Luan was matched with a Little who he visits for one hour a week during school hours.
“One of my favorite parts is being able to show up in his class and just see his face light up because he knows, ‘Hey, I get to ditch out of school and hang out with my Big,’ ” Luan said.
It is easy to get involved with the school buddy program, he said.
“It’s a great opportunity to give back to the community,” he said. “There is nothing more rewarding than knowing that you have the power and the opportunity to lead a Little in the right direction in life. You really are making an impact and at the same time having fun doing volunteer work.”
During fall quarter 2010, Luan became the president of Western’s Big Brothers Big Sisters club.
He said the club started about two years ago, but hasn’t been actively involved with the organization.
“This year we have definitely revitalized the club,” he said.
As president he said he has learned how to work with and lead a group of people to reach goals.
“Under Alan’s leadership the club has exploded in membership and volunteering,” Radmer said. “They contact me every week asking what they can do. They have the energy and excitement to do whatever, whether it is a bake sale, setting up for events or finding us more Bigs.”
Western sophomore Georgia McClaskey, vice president and event coordinator of the club, said Luan “goes all out” when he wants to do something.
“The ideas he brings to the table are really great, and he is good at delegating tasks,” she said.
This quarter McClaskey became a Big at Roosevelt Elementary School. “I was fortunate to grow up with a supportive family,” she said. “I wanted to be there for a child who didn’t have that. The best part is that it’s such a little time commitment but you are doing so much by being a stable person in your Little’s life once a week.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters’ youth mentoring programs have been shown to have a significant impact on the children involved, according to a study conducted by a Philadelphia-based research organization.
One in every 32 children in Washington state have a parent who is in jail. Seven out of 10 of those children will also end up incarcerated, the study said. These young people face a higher risk of making unhealthy decisions in their lives, according to the study.
Children who participate in the mentorship program are 97 percent less likely to become involved with juvenile authorities, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 52 percent less likely to skip school and 33 percent less likely to use violence as a means of solving problems, according to the study.
“At first, the impact I was having on the kids didn’t really hit me,” Luan said. A teacher told him she could see a big difference in the way his Little interacted in the classroom and that he made more friends.
One of Big Brothers Big Sisters greatest needs is for male Bigs, Radmer said. He said there are many more male Littles on the waitlist than there are male Bigs volunteering.
Radmer said they are also in need of more volunteers for their community based program, which requires 6 to 12 hours a month to meet with a Little outside of school.
Having Luan’s contagious enthusiasm for the program is great, Dayton said. She said it helps to have him and his male friends passing the word about the need for male Bigs and about how much fun the program is.
McClaskey said she encourages anyone to become a Big.
“Time is not an issue,” she said. “It’s only one hour a week for the school buddies program.”
If students cannot make a commitment to be a Big, there are plenty of other opportunities to help. The biggest help is spreading awareness and educating people about the program and how easy it is to get involved, she said.
“If you want to make a difference then this is the thing to do,” McClaskey said. “You can definitely see progress through your volunteering.”
This is part one of a four-part series profiling volunteers around Bellingham. See pg. 4 next Tuesday for more volunteers.
The Western Front
February 8, 2011
