Once a match is made, what do the Big Brother or Sister and Little Brother or Sister do?
That is up to the volunteer and the child’s parent. We do our best to
match the child with a volunteer who has similar interests, based on
the interview process with the child, parent and volunteer. The goal is
that the match will be like a normal friendship where the big and
little will do things that are interesting and entertaining to them
(movies, sports, parks, eating out, hanging out, etc.).
What kind of time commitment is involved once you become a volunteer?
It depends on which program you become involved with. The community
based Big Brothers Big Sisters program requires a time commitment of
approximately ten hours per month, or approximately two hours per week.
The site-based mentoring programs require 1 to 1 ½ hours per week. For
a solid relationship to build, there needs to be consistent, ongoing
contact between the Little Brother or Sister and Big Brother or Sister.
It is expected that a volunteer will have occasions where they have to
go out of town (for vacation, work, etc.) and cannot spend time with
the child on those weeks. What is important is that the big and
little are meeting on a regular basis.
Does it cost money to be a volunteer?
A volunteer is not required to spend money as part of the program.
However, any outings that you and your Little attend (ie movies, eating
out, ballgames, etc.) you are responsible for costs incurred, not the
parent. It is up to you and your Little Brother or Sister to decide
what types of activities you participate in. You may want to set a
budget and plan your activities accordingly (with the parent or
guardian’s permission, of course). Remember, it is the quality of your
time together that is important, not how much money is spent.
How long does it take to be approved as a volunteer and matched?
It depends. After you let us know you’re interested, we send out an
application and schedule an interview time. We will schedule your
interview as conveniently as possible, and contact your references as
well. The sooner we can reach these individuals, the shorter the
process will take. If you are approved, we work on finding a compatible
match for you. Please understand if you have very specific requests of
the type of child you want to be matched with (for instance, child's
age, background, geographic location), the process may take longer.
Generally speaking, four weeks is a good rule of thumb.
