2008 Woodie Awards
Big Brothers in short supply
Milwaukee Big Brothers Big Sisters needs more male voluneers
By Lindsay Fiori
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In Milwaukee and Waukesha counties, about 1,000 children, around 700 of whom are boys, find themselves on the waiting list for adult mentors, or "bigs." Because of age restrictions, boys 11 and older cannot be matched with female volunteers, said Jan Nowak, a spokeswoman for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.
Only 37 percent of the organization's adult volunteers are men, according to Nowak.
"Girls in general are more interested in volunteering to work with kids," said Bridget Cibulskis, vice president of Marquette's BBBS and a junior in the College of Health Sciences. "It's just not something guys really think about or think they'll be good at."
Nowak said it's always been difficult to find male volunteers.
"Sometimes they feel that being a Big Brother means they have to be perfect and that it is more demanding than it actually is," she said.
BBBS asks volunteers to dedicate one hour a week for at least one year to the child, or "little," they are paired up with after undergoing a screening and interview process to determine common interests.
The time is about having fun and supporting the child, not about solving his or her problems or fulfilling a parental role, Nowak said.
"For the child, Big Brothers and Big Sisters are like an extension of their family," she said. "And for the adult, it's being able to do fun things and be a kid again at heart."
Despite continuous recruiting efforts, an influx of children has caused the demand for services to outpace the number of volunteers. To address the shortage, BBBS is planning a new ad campaign to attract more male volunteers by showing more male matches, Nowak said.
To recruit male volunteers, BBBS at Marquette highlights the shortage and explains the types of activities BBBS offers, such as kickball, basketball and other sports, said Erica Bonikowske, president of Marquette's BBBS and a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences.
She said volunteers don't necessarily have to be good with kids.
"You have to be someone who likes to have fun and has some free time," Bonikowske said. "Part of being a mentor is to be a consistent positive influence in a child's life."
Last year Marquette provided almost 300 BBBS volunteers, and things look even more promising for this year, Nowak said.
At Organization Fest last week, the service organization had 549 students sign up to receive more information. Additional sign-ups also occurred at the Community Service Fair and at BBBS's second annual Kickoff barbecue held earlier this semester, Bonikowske said.
"We would like to see more involvement by faculty and staff," Nowak said. "We have also looked into opening it up to Marquette alumni because it is a great outreach opportunity for Marquette to show its quality."
Published: 9/11/07 Section: News
