Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida is launching a volunteer recruitment campaign during the month of March called ‘March Matchness’.
This basketball-themed campaign aims to recruit thirty new volunteers in a thirty-day period. Playing off the term ‘March Madness’, the agency hopes to engage potential volunteers from Pensacola to Panama City by getting them to mentor. CEO and President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida Paula Shell says volunteers are the agency’s key to success.
“Our children don’t need superheroes in their lives, they don’t need perfection,” said Shell. “What they do need is for someone to be present. They need consistency and for the community to give it their best shot, no matter what else is going on in our lives. They need action, not just words. Children are always our first priority and we need community-minded individuals to step up. Now is your time.”
Currently over 200 children are waiting to be paired with a mentor in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, and Bay Counties. Volunteers, also called ‘Bigs,’ can enter a school-based match or community-based match. School-based matches allow the Big to meet their Little once a week at the child’s school. Community-based matches meet and spend time together wherever they like and meet as frequently as two to four times a month.
Becoming a Big provides a child facing adversity with a positive role model. All mentoring relationships are professionally supported by a Match Specialist who helps the match set goals, find activities to do, and check in on the Little’s grades and progress.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida has been the area’s leader in one-to-one mentoring for 29 years by serving children ages six to 18. Our mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Florida served 616 children in Northwest Florida.
