Can You Be a Big Brother?
– © 2000 by Michael Juarez

Every month, for one day, we accept calls from mothers who want their sons to have Big Brothers. Because we can only accept 15 new referrals, we usually stop accepting those same calls by noon. Those 15 boys are then added to the list of 450 other children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister. They will then wait an average of a year to a year and a half before they are introduced to their Big Brother.

As the Volunteer Recruiter for Big Brothers Big Sisters, the most common question people ask is, "What's the commitment?" Usually, I respond by letting them know how much time they will be asked to commit – two to four visits per month for at least a year. Actually, what is hard to quantify is the commitment we ask our volunteers to make to these children. If I told most people what the kids hope to gain from their Big Brother or Big Sister, I believe very few would feel up to such high expectations. And while most people want to "make a difference" when they volunteer, they would be disappointed to find out that it takes a long time to see such results.

But really, what the kids need isn't Superman, a perfect person impervious to everything and everywhere at once. To be sure, many of our volunteers feel that way. Most kids, including ours, aren't concerned with what will happen next week, let alone next year. Instead, they just want to have fun with someone who is there just for them – one visit at a time.

What we hope, and what the children want, is to have an adult who is genuinely interested in them and their lives to spend one-to-one time with them. Many of our successful volunteers include their "Littles" in their daily activities, cooking dinner, cleaning the yard, washing their car, going grocery shopping. They take each opportunity to talk their Little, share about their lives and learn about each other. They aren't concerned if they are doing a good job and they aren't worried about each and every problem facing their Little. Instead, they're more concerned if they are having fun.

As friends of the Men's Center, you have the chance to be someone to a child in the Minneapolis community. Not to be their surrogate father, their tutor, their therapist or their personal activity director who takes them to a new amusement park every weekend. Rather, to just be their friend. If you are interested in becoming a Big Brother, or if you would like to know more information, please call Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Minneapolis at 612.381.2675, and ask for me, Michael Juarez. Help shorten the wait.