A Message from Cindi Saadi, Case Manager for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Sussex County, Delaware:
There are 50 kids waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister and that number will likely grow once school starts and we have more referrals. We have more boys than girls who are waiting, in part becasue more women than men tend to volunteer. We also have a lot more kids on the waiting list who live in the western part of the county because we don’t have as many volunteers in that area, especially in Seaford, Laurel, & Bridgeville.
There are a few options for folks to get involved. For example, a lot of people like to start out as school-based or site-based mentors. In this case, volunteers commit to going to the child’s school once a week and meeting with him/her during lunch or recess for the duration of the school year. They might play a game together or help with school work or just talk. School or site-based volunteers are not permitted to take their “Little” out into the community or have them to their home, etc. A site-based volunteer would meet with the child at an after-school program such as the Boys and Girls Club or the Lewes After-School Program.
The other option is community-based matches where volunteers have the freedom to do things with their Little out in the community, at their home….. These volunteers are committing to getting together with their Little 2-4 times per month, for a minimum of a year.
People can also apply to be couple-matched or family-matched with a child. Our definition of couple is expanding. For example, two college sorority sisters might decide to be a couple’s match for a child. The idea with the couple’s match is that they can either all do activities together, or if one person is unavailable due to work or travel, the other person can take the child out. Family-based matches are great for people who have kids of their own and want to include the Little in their family activities.
The process is pretty straightforward – a volunteer first completes an application (attached) and then comes in for an interview in our Georgetown office. The application includes listing 3 references. We then conduct criminal record checks, motor vehicle checks, call your references, and conduct a short home visit. Once approved , we work to match the volunteer with a child in their preferred area (i.e. how far they are willing to travel) and also try to match people based on interests.
In addition to getting together with your Little on your own – we offer occasional group outings and activities (usually all paid-for) and these offer the kids and the volunteers a nice opportunity to get to know one another. This past weekend we all went to Freeman Stage for an exceptional show and everyone really enjoyed it. Attached is an application booklet with info about the program and the application is at the end. If anyone is interested or has additional questions, they can feel free to contact me, or program coordinator, Ray Quillen, who is available at the same number. Our Web site is www.bbbsde.org and people can also apply online.
We also welcome donations, and if anyone has bikes or school supplies or things they’d like to go to a needy child, we can facilitate that as well. Thank you.~
Cindi Cindi Saadi
Case Manager
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Delaware (Sussex County)
111-A North Bedford Street
Georgetown, DE 19947
302-856-2918
http://www.bbbsde.org/
csaadi@bbbsde.org
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