Pictured: Lisa Groh, Byesville Rotary President, and Katy Mainini, Executive Director Big Brothers and Big Sisters Zanesville.
Katy Mainini, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Zanesville (BBBSZ), spoke to the Byesville Rotary about how BBBSZ uses mentoring programs to help kids reach their full potential and steer them toward a confident, successful life.
Mainini explained BBBSZ serves as an intermediary to match mentors with kids The results of a having a Big Brother of Big Sister are the kids feel better about themselves and become more confident. They are also more likely to avoid problems with drugs and alcohol, do better in school and get along better with their family and friends. These positive effects on kids’ lives can only happen when people volunteer to become a mentor.
BBBSZ had developed several different programs to providing volunteers a chance to interact with kids. In School based programs, kids grades 2nd through 6th, are matched with high school, college, or community volunteers and meet once a week.
The best know mentoring program is the Community based program in which young people ages 6–17 are matched with volunteer mentors. The mentors often include their kids in activities they both like such as sports or board games.
Several programs are safely adaptable for safety during COVID. One is the virtual mentoring program in which mentors and kids are expected to meet 2 times a month to interact virtually to play games, listen to music or watch movies. Any platform used by the mentors will be monitored by BBBSZ. BBBSZ also has a pen pal program in which mentors agree to write to their kid at least two times a month. To ensure this program is safe for kids, the participants will submit their letters to BBBS which will then deliver them to the recipients.
Mainini explained BBBSZ also has a lunch buddy program in which mentor and child arrange to meet for lunch once a week. According to the BBBSZ web site, this program is currently on hold because of COVID.
Mainini stated, “BBBSZ serves a big area--Muskingum, Guernsey, Morgan, and Noble Counties. I have kids on waiting lists and am looking for volunteers to help reach out to kids needing a mentor.” A volunteer must be at least 18 years old with a driver’s license. High School volunteers in our School Based Programs must be a freshman or older. Mainini continued, “I am working to build community partnerships in Guernsey County—especially with organization such as 4H, the local the art community, or the YMCA.”
All school age children ae eligible for matches for a mentor. There are some eligibility requirements: Kids must be between the ages of 9-13 at the time of enrollment. The BBBSZ will prioritize children from a single-parent household, kinship care, or are from a nontraditional household and children who are low-income or facing adversity. Both the child and his/her family must be interested in participating in the program.
More details about programs and applying to the programs or volunteering to be a mentor can be found at https://www.bbbsz.org/
Connect with #ByesvilleRotary at: www.Byesvillerotary.blogspot.com , Twitter Byesville_Club, or Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Byesville-Rotary/256548047818283. Join us for a meeting—most club meetings are live streamed to Facebook and Zoomed. Watch the Byesville Rotary Facebook page for details.
Posts
