By Malena Mendez, President and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County
As a brand-new mentor in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County program,
the impact of mentoring has become more real and infinitely more significant. This
new experience has opened my eyes to the life-changing path of the mentoring
relationship.
Although being a Big Sister is new to me, I’m no stranger to the good work of this
nonprofit organization, now celebrating 50 years in our community. I’ve been a
supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters for years and took the helm of the Broward
agency two years ago as President and CEO.
That said, now that I’m immersed in a Big/Little relationship, it all feels brand new
with surprises and joys as well as bumps and challenges. Now I have a personal
understanding of what it means to be a mentor. And I love mentoring my Little
Sister, adorable six-year-old Malaysia, who is a sassy delight.
It started like all of our matches do. I filled out a detailed questionnaire and had a
long discussion with a match support specialist about my family background and
my likes and dislikes. As we spoke, the match support specialist began to
understand who I was. She was thinking about the girls on the waitlist who had
interests similar to mine with the goal of establishing a suitable and sustainable
match.
She also was considering the families of the children. It’s as important for the
mentor to connect to the parent(s) or guardian as it is to connect with the child. A
Big/Little relationship is not about two people, it’s about at least three people. The
parent, typically single, or guardian partners with the adult mentor to support the
child. After taking into consideration these various factors, the match specialist
recommended Malaysia as my Little.
When I met Malaysia, I have to say I fell in love with her. I also met her mother, and
we immediately established a positive rapport. Malaysia lives in a bustling environment. She has eight siblings, ranging from four months to 19 years old. To say her mom is busy is an understatement for sure.
The sheer numbers create a certain joyful, boisterous homelife. In short order, I
realized that what I could give Malaysia was my undivided attention in a focused,
relaxed and fun setting.
Malaysia and I now have been matched for about seven months. We’ve had lots of
fun and typically end each outing with our signature McDonald’s McFlurry.
(Malaysia loves them.) We’ve also had some challenges, where I’ve had to set
expectations to help her understand why the answer sometimes is “no.” Overall,
however, we’ve had a blast. It’s been a great learning experience for us both.
While I know it’s a treat for Malaysia every time we get together, I think it’s even
more fun for me. As a mother of two grown-up boys, I get to experience life
through the eyes of a child again. It’s extremely special. And even though
Malaysia’s only six, I think she recognizes how meaningful our time is together.
She’s very intuitive and thoughtful, always asking to bring something home to her
brothers and sisters.
I’m proud to be Malayshia’s Big Sister and look forward to watching her grow up as
our relationship deepens over the coming years. This experience has fueled even
more urgency to match every child on our waitlist with a mentor. And while it took
two months from beginning to end to be matched with Malaysia, it takes double or
triple the time for boys to be matched. We simply have fewer men who have
stepped up to be mentors.
While we would like to see all men, and women for that matter, volunteer to
become Bigs, we particularly need Black men to become Bigs. Of the 797 youth
waiting to be matched, 62 percent are Black boys. The majority of their families
request that their children be matched with Black men. Truly, the need is great.
The good news is that over the last couple of years, we’ve increased our capacity to
serve more youth by securing more funding, expanding our footprint, adding
personnel and improving our infrastructure. As a result, we’ve launched the Road
to 3,000 initiative with the goal of serving 3,000 youth by 2025. By the end of the
year, our hope is to have matched 1,100 Littles.
We’re excited about serving additional youth because this program works. Seventy
percent of the youth in our program receive free or reduced lunch, indicating low–
income circumstances and 23 percent have a parent who is or has been
incarcerated.
The odds are stacked against these young people, yet our kids defy
their circumstances. Last year, 100 percent of our Littles graduated high school, 80
percent were promoted to the next grade level and 99 percent stayed out of the
juvenile justice system. They also manage their emotions better, are more socially
competent and are more connected at school.
I encourage everyone who has an interest in becoming a Big to reach out by
visiting ![]()
www.BBBSBroward.orgThere is a child waiting for you here. A Little one, —just like my Malaysia.
Disclaimer
The information contained in South Florida Reporter is for general information purposes only.
The South Florida Reporter assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions in the contents of the Service.
In no event shall the South Florida Reporter be liable for any special, direct, indirect, consequential, or incidental damages or any damages whatsoever, whether in an action of contract, negligence or other tort, arising out of or in connection with the use of the Service or the contents of the Service. The Company reserves the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the contents of the Service at any time without prior notice.
The Company does not warrant that the Service is free of viruses or other harmful components
