Big Brothers Big Sisters is Coming to Graham County
We feel honored to be apart of bringing Big Bothers Big Sisters to our communities with a check for $59,750.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona is launching its one-to-one youth mentoring programs in Safford beginning in January 2020, with plans to expand to more communities in the area within the year.
Big Brothers Big Sisters matches children and youth (Littles) with carefully screened and professionally supported mentors (Bigs), for a one-to-one mentoring friendship. The professional staff of Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully builds and supports each match, and ensures it meets the strictest standards. Once a match is made, staff provides ongoing support and supervision to the Big, the Little and the Little’s family.
“The opportunity to expand our services is possible because of the grant from United Way of Graham and Greenlee Counties. We’ve been working with community members for several months now and we can’t wait to launch the program in January,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona Chief Executive Officer Marie Logan.
Research shows that the Big Brothers Big Sisters one-to-one mentoring model is an effective prevention program for youth. When matched with a Big for at least 12 months, Littles are 46 percent less likely to begin using drugs, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol, 52 percent less likely to skip school, 37 percent less likely to skip a class and 33 percent less likely to hit someone.
Studies also find that Littles are more confident of their performance in schoolwork and get along better with their families.
Big Brothers Big Sisters will launch its High School Mentors program at Safford High School, providing students the opportunity to mentor elementary students at Lafe Nelson School. Each week the high school students will spend time with their Littles, reading, helping with homework and enjoying activities together.
By mid-year, the organization plans to form a community board of directors and will begin mentoring Littles in the community-based program with screened and trained adult mentors.
