Correction: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas has 45 children waiting to be matched with adult mentors. This article incorrectly attributed that number to adult mentors waiting to be matched with children. Also, the organization plans a fundraiser, The Big Event, on Thursday at the home of Jeff and Eileen Schomburger. The date of the event was incorrect.
FAYETTEVILLE - Some people believe that changing the world requires helping one person at a time.
Jeff Smith is of that disposition.
Smith has been a “big brother,” a role model and mentor for a child in Northwest Arkansas, for 10 years.
Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas exists to help children by providing a little extra attention and a listening ear from a caring adult who helps them realize their potential, often a self-esteem boost.
There are 200 of these matches in Northwest Arkansas, including Big Couples and Big Families, where groups share the responsibility of mentoring, and currently 45 adults are waiting to be matched as mentors. The mentors often benefit from the pairing just as much as, if not more than, the child.
“Getting to see our relationship progress and my little brother become a mature, contributing adult is absolutely the most rewarding thing that I’ve ever done,” Smith said. “It’s taught me about patience and being a little more mature …being more relaxed, more fun, and active.”
In his years as a big brother, Smith has mentored two children, a time that has been filled with trips to the bowling alley, afternoons of geocaching, playing video games and soon a trip to his little brother’s very first Razorbacks game.
Not all activities have to be entertainment or specially planned events that stray far from the daily routine.
“I would worry less about what you can’t doand realize that the simplest thing you do with this person is really the excitement for them for the week,” Smith said. “I basically do the things I would normally do, I just bring him along in it.”
This means they often go grocery shopping or on other errands, but as long as the little brother gets some time with him, he’s happy.
“Even the littlest things that we do at the house, like hanging out and grilling out in the backyard, is an exciting thing we do together,” he said.
Brittney Gulley, development director for the organization, seconds that.
“When [a mentor and child] do their first activity together, we have calls from parents or guardians saying ‘it was amazing how much theyopened up, they had so much fun and they can’t quit talking about it,’” she said.
“That really makes my day. That makes the week,” Smith said. “That I’ve made a difference in this boy’s life.”
One reason the arrangement works well for so manypeople is that the organization carefully matches big brothers and sisters with little brothers and sisters who have common interests.
Each mentor-child pairing costs about $1,000 to make, an expense covered by donations, which includes the cost of a background check and reimburses staff to examine the personality traits, interests and preferred activities of potential big brothers and sisters. It might come at a price, but it’s worth it for such a high success rate, Gulley said.
Mentors commit to spending two to four hours each month for a full 12 months. But in Northwest Arkansas, the average match lasts 26 months. Many mentors spend more than the required length of time with their little brothers or sisters.
One day, “my little started asking questions about when does the program end, what happens, and I told him basically when you turn 18, the match ends,” Smith said. “I figured he knew we would hang out after that. He got very quiet the rest of the trip home. He [finally] said, ‘Well, when I turn 18, I want us to be friends forever.’ He wanted toknow I was going to be there … even if this program ended, even if he moved away.”
“Our match has technically ended, but our relationship has not. We stay in constant contact.”
Extending the mentorship informally and indefinitely isnot the hard part, though.
“The worst part of all of this is that both of my littles became taller than I am,” Smith said.
To make as many matches as possible, the organization presents three fundraising events throughout the year,and each one on average enables 20 to 30 matches. One of these, The Big Event, will take place Oct. 13 at Jeff and Eileen Schomburger’s residence.
For more information visit http:// www.bbbsnwa.org/ or call (479) 966-4366.
Northwest Profile, Pages 37 on 09/29/2013