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The Big Brother-Big Sister program brings together adult volunteers with children who typically come
from abusive or single-parent homes.
Children in need get big pals
JBig Brother-Big Sis
ter of Mid-Oregon
pairs children with
older role models
By Tammy Batey
Emerald Associate Editor
A child's words can say it all
And those words can Iks their
own reward for volunteers with
Big Brother-Big Sister of Mid
Oregon
One little boy simply ex
pressed in his program evalua
tion how he felt about his big
brother, said Merrie Guroutto.
Big Brother-Big Sister executive
director. "All i ran say is thank
heaven for Devon." the boy
wrote.
Garuutto said the program is
a big help to the kids, aged six
to 14-yoars-old, who typically
come from abusive or singlo
parent homes.
"There are two things that
keep kids out of trouble," she
said. "Number one, knowing
that someone cares about them,
and number two, something to
keep them busy."
Caroutte said the Big Brother
Big Sister program has 37 ac
tive matches. Alaiut 100 kids
are on the waiting list, the ma
jority of whom uru boys. She;
said this is because more wom
en volunteer than men.
h'or four yoars. University
student Tina Songer has been
the Big Sister to 11-year-old
Amandine Kastler.
"It's satisfying to know I'm
making a positive impact on a
young person's life," she said.
"Hopefully, (the kids) look
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back on (the experience) with a
positive outlook."
Songor said she hopes she
can reassure her little sister that
she's spocial, even though she
may not come from what socie
ty views as a nuclear family.
"She's not any less special
because she comes from a sin
gle parent family," Songer said
"Someone else thinks she's
pretty spocial."
Songer received the 1991 Itig
Sister of tho Year Award from
Big Brother-Big Sister of Mid
Oregon after Amandine de
scribed why Songer was such a
great big sister. Amandine gave
a speech at her middle school
graduation about her big sister
that brought tears to Songor's
eyes.
“I like being a little sister be
cause it gives you someone to
talk to, someone to share se
crets with,” Amandine said.
Volunteers must provide Big
Brother-Big Sister of Mid-Ore
gon with four personal refer
ences. all of which are chocked
Then, a criminal chock Is done
A two-to-four-hour interview
and a home visit follow if the
person's police record checks
out.
Garoutto said she hopes tho
lengthy screening process
doesn't detor volunteers. How
ever, it is done for a reason.
"A bad match is another fail
ure for a child who doesn't
nood another," sho said.
Garoutto said sho encourages
volunteers to spend the time
with their kids doing the things
thoy would in an ordinary day.
“I call it sharing an ethic of
success," Garoutto said. "Most
of (tho kids) are from multi
welfare families. Most of them
have been pieces of tho system
for so long a time, thoy don't
fool they can do anything."
Garoutto said about 50 per
cent of applicants are Universi
ty students But students' lives
change quickly, so only about
27 porcont of volunteers are
students.
Big Brother-Big Sister of Mid
Oregon is a non-profit organiza
tion The Lane County Inter
governmental Human Services
and United Way provide about
10 percent of the program's
funding. Garoutto said tor the
rest of tho program's money,
“We hustle."