Big Brothers Big Sisters

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Big Brothers Big Sisters

• One of the best examples of a successful
  mentoring program is Big Brothers Big Sisters,
  the oldest and largest agency of its kind in the
  nation. Founded over 100 years ago, it has now
  matched over 200,000 at-risk children with a
  mentor. The children, aged 5 through 18, are
  served by the 500 localized agencies of Big
  Brothers Big Sisters located throughout the
  country.

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Big Ram Little Ram
Shepherd University

• Big Ram Little Ram is Shepherd Universitys
  on-campus division of Big Brothers Big Sister of
  the Eastern Panhandle. It utilizes Shepherd
  University students as mentors. It serves
  at-risk children in the same way as any other
  division of Big Brothers Big Sisters while
  providing students a convenient and enjoyable way
  of helping out in their community.

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To become a Big Ram

• You must be 18 years of age or older.
• You must meet with your Little Ram at least twice
  a month for about two hours each time.
• You must fill out an application, provide
  references, and allow a background check to be
  performed on you.
• You must commit yourself to participating for at
  least one semester.

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Volunteer opportunities available for a Big Ram

• Big Ram Little Ram monthly meetings
• Annual Bowl for Kids Sake
• Picnics
• Various other scheduled events (i.e. skating)
• Big Rams can even plan their own events to see
  their Littles.

Many events are on-campus!
Jimmy and myself at a Big Ram Little Ram skating
rink event.
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Mentoring

• Big Brothers Big Sisters is the largest, and
  arguably the most successful, mentoring program
  in the nation. Various studies have shown how
  much these programs can benefit the child being
  mentored. But in addition, there is a ripple
  effect that can lead to benefits for the entire
  community. For example, if the child learns to
  avoid resorting to physical violence during
  childhood, this would eventually lead to less
  violent crimes within the community.

The success of a program such as Big Brothers Big
Sisters relies largely upon the financial and
volunteer support it receives from the community.
Contributions of money and/or mentoring services
by individuals within the community is vital!
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The benefits of mentoring
In a study1 by Public/Private Ventures of Big
Brothers Big Sisters, noticeable improvements
were found in the mentored children compared to
the un-mentored children who were also at-risk.
1 Tierney, J.P., J.B. Grossman, and N.L. Resch.
Making a Difference An Impact Study of Big
Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia
Public/Private Ventures, 1995
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More resources are needed
To ensure the success of these programs, there
must be a large number of volunteers acting as
mentors meaning a volunteers time and energy.
Currently, out of the approximately 14 million
at-risk children in the U.S., Big Brothers Big
Sisters, the largest mentoring organization in
the nation, has matched only 200,000 of those
children with a mentor. 1
Financial support is also lacking. Monetary
support is needed, considering for a successful
mentoring relationship, it can cost about 1,000
per match in the Big Brothers Big Sisters
organization. 2
1,000 per match
1 million for 1,000 matches
1 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. FAQs
Big Brothers Big Sisters. 2004. 19 Apr.
2005 http//www.bbbsa.org/site/pp.asp?ciuJ3JgO2F
b14603 2 Tierney, J.P., J.B. Grossman, and
N.L. Resch. Making a Difference An Impact Study
of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia
Public/Private Ventures, 1995
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How to help

• Volunteer as a mentor
• Go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
  website at http//www.bbbsa.org
• Click the Volunteer as a big button on the
  right side of the page
• Enter your zip code or city/state to locate the
  local agency
• The local agency will be listed, along with its
  contact information, and an option to apply online

• Offer financial support
• Go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
  website at http//www.bbbsa.org
• Click the Donate Now button on the right side
  of the page
• Fill out the form, giving credit card information
  and donation amount
• Other donation options, such as memorial gifts
  and vehicle donations, are listed on the left of
  the page
• To donate by phone, call
• 1-888-412-BIGS
• To donate by mail, send check to
• Big Brothers Big Sisters 230 N. 13th
  Street Philadelphia, PA 19107-1538

http//www.bbbsa.org
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Final thoughts
C
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• Big Brothers Big Sisters is obviously beneficial
  to at-risk children, and the entire community as
  well. Shepherd Universitys Big Ram Little Ram
  program is an excellent community resource,
  mixing convenient volunteer work for students,
  with Big Brothers Big Sisters proven system.

I strongly suggest for Shepherd University to
continue to support this wonderful program!