Eau Claire (WQOW) - A local
group is hoping to find more men to volunteer their time with kids in the
community. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Wisconsin is looking for 40 men to volunteer
with children facing different types of adversity.
"I just thought
it'd be nice to be a mentor, to have an influence in somebody's life,"
said Brett Geboy.
Geboy is just one of dozens of "bigs"
at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Wisconsin. The organization is
hoping more men, like Brett, sign up to become bigs.
"It takes a little
bit of time to get to know one another, but I see a good foundation and base to
be able to speak into someone's life. And you also are rewarded heavily by just
seeing little victories. Sharing that, and hopefully then seeing them grow and
end up doing something great," Geboy said.
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, CEO
Craig Monson hopes to sign up 40 men by the end of the year. There are
currently more than 60 boys waiting for a big brother.
"Just to have that
guy to talk to, that one male to do guy things with and talk to them about guy
issues. It's hard to have a man to man talk with your mother. That's often what
we hear, so just to have that male role model in their life is just a big help
for them," said Craig Monson.
Once a big signs up, work begins to
pair the volunteer with a child.
"We want similar
likes and interests, what everyone is comfortable with, so we're not waiting
list driven. When a big comes in, we'll match them up with a little brother
that has similar likes and interests," Monson said.
Monson says there are fewer men that
sign up to be bigs than women, so they're making a push for more big brothers.
"Hanging
out at a park, going for a walk, a bike ride, shooting baskets, baking cookies,
making dinner. The big thing is just spending time together and talking to each
other. That's the big thing, a lot of kids just want someone to listen to them,"
said Monson.
Big
brothers, big sisters says although it is mostly in need of male volunteers, it
is also still looking for women. If you would like to get involved, you can
find all the information that you need here.
