A Big Sister is an adult female volunteer who is matched with a girl between the ages of five and sixteen for a mentoring friendship. A "Big" may be from any walk of life, either married or single, and with or without her own children. She is committed, caring, and has the ability to provide positive guidance and support to her Little Sister.
FAQs
What is the basic commitment of a Big Sister?
Big Sisters are asked to make a commitment for a minimum of 18 months. Developing a friendship with a child and creating a positive influence takes time. We strongly believe that the success of the friendship between a "Big" and a "Little" depends more on regular and consistent contact and the enjoyment of the activities together, than on the length of the outing. While any amount of time that a Big Sister contributes to a child's life is beneficial, we encourage an average of 3 hours a week as a guideline.
How do I apply to become a Big Sister?
There are several ways to apply to become a Big Sister:
Is there an age limit for Big Sisters?
The minimum age for Big Sisters is 18. There is no maximum age limit, as long as the volunteer is in good general health and is physically active.
Do you need to own a car?
No, some of our Big and Little Sisters rely on public transit. We’ll try to match a particular Big Sister to a child on an easy bus route.
Who are the Little Sisters?
Children in our programs range in age from 5 - 16 years. Each child is unique, responsive, and has a need for a consistent, positive role model. As we are a volunteer service, our program is friendship based and is not designed as a form of intervention for serious individual or family problems.
Are Big Sisters expected to help with family issues?
A Big Sister’s primary responsibility is to spend time with her Little Sister, and is discouraged from getting involved in family dynamics. Agency support ensures that clear boundaries are maintained.
Is there a cost involved in being a Big Sister?
Some incidental costs may be incurred while on outings with your "Little"; however, we encourage all participants to be creative about finding low or no cost activities to do together. We plan some special events for our volunteers and Littles that everyone is encouraged to attend at little or no cost to them. These events may include holiday parties, picnics, sporting events, water parks, etc. Additionally, we have made special arrangements with many local businesses and recreational organizations for cost-saving deals when matched Bigs and Littles are on outings together.
What do the kids like to do?
While interests vary, most kids like to participate in out-door activities, like swimming, mountain biking, and roller blading. They also enjoy movies and cooking. Many of our Little Sisters enjoy team sports while others prefer art, computers, music, and working on crafts.
The focus of the program is to spend quality time together. It’s not always necessary to do exciting activities, or spend money.
Does the agency stay involved once the match is made?
Yes. We provide ongoing support and monitoring. Our caseworkers are available to deal with any questions or concerns that come up. Regular phone contact with all parties is an expectation of the program as are regularly scheduled meetings to discuss the progress of the match.
We also provide agency sponsored activities so that the Big and Little Sisters can meet each other. We match a Big Sister with a Little Sister taking care to ensure they have similar interests. Matches spend one-to-one time together doing things that friends do… like talking, walking a dog, watching a movie or just hanging out. You don’t have to change your life to become a Big Sister… having a Little Sister just means you have someone else to share a little magic with.
It's easy to get involved
- Call 519-824-5154
- E-mail us to find out more about volunteering as a Big Sister