Most of you have heard about Big Brothers Big Sisters, but may not be too familiar with what they do. It is a program that provides one-on-one mentors for children from dysfunctional backgrounds who need a strong, positive role model.
The local program started here in Hays in 2000 as a way to help at risk children grow into productive members of society.
Research has shown that if a child has a positive role model in their lives, they have a greater chance of succeeding in life and breaking the cycle of earlier generations. At that time, there were no mentoring programs in Ellis County and Big Brothers Big Sisters was chosen because research indicated that high-risk youth matched with caring adult Big Brothers or Sisters were less likely to be arrested, less likely to skip school, less likely to engage in violent confrontations and less likely to initiate drug use.
The profile of the children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters in Ellis County is:
90% come from single parent households
75% live in homes at or below the poverty level
53% come from alcohol or drug addicted families
40% have been abused or neglected
23% have a parent who is currently or formerly incarcerated
In addition, there are children in the program who are simply struggling with school or are having trouble fitting in with their peers. Each child has their own story and no matter the severity of their circumstances, all have a need for a positive adult role model in their lives.
Big Brothers Big Sisters works to match volunteer mentors with at-risk children who have been referred to them by teachers, social workers, law enforcement, mental health agencies, etc. The mentors spend a couple of hours per week with their Little Brother or Sister doing homework, shooting hoops in the park, baking cookies, or just spending time together. After being matched for only a short while, the children show improvement in self-esteem, social skills, and grades. With the help of their mentor, they are able to break the cycle of past generations and become productive, valuable, contributing members of society when reaching adulthood.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is not a federally funded program and they depend on contributions, fund raisers and occasional grants to keep their program going. They are also a respected United Way agency. All money I raise for Race Cars & Superstars stays right here in our community to help children in Ellis County. All kids need role models and if I can help some of these kids, I want to do what I can
Although this is called Race Cars and Superstars, it’s much bigger than that. It’s a way we can help our community and have fun at the same time. I hope you will help by donating to this worthy cause. Please do what you can and let me know how many free tickets you would like for the event. I would love to have you in the stands cheering me on.
Nancy Jeter, BBBS of Ellis County executive director