"I love the Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Y Program. I know I am making a difference in my Little's life. It has been extremely rewarding and I feel like this is what I was meant to do." (Beth, a Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Y mentor comment on Listen 360, our daily program satisfaction survey)
Life can be tough enough even for the oldest and most "seasoned" among us. Add in the inevitable uncertainties of youth as well as a crushing public health and economic crisis, and the importance of a mentor in a young person's life becomes about as clear as it gets. Mentors are that go-to person you can trust to always have your back and be by your side. They are a listening ear, a friend and a role model. They help young people see and explore a world beyond their neighborhoods and current line of sight. Perhaps most importantly, a mentor reminds a young person that she or he is a valued member of our community whose potential is seen and whose voice is heard and respected.
Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Y is only part of a much larger, highly intentional continuum of youth development programs the Y runs across the age spectrum for over 120,000 youth in central Maryland annually. Through our early childhood (Head Start and Preschool) work, our extensive school-based community school and after school programming, summer camp and enrichment, mentoring, youth sports and specialized programming for teens (like Youth & Government, Leaders Club and New Horizons), we are daily influencing the quality of life for children, youth and their families in this region. Volunteers like Beth are an essential part of the mix, helping to bind our communities more tightly together across what are too often intractable racial, economic and other divides.
We currently have a waiting list of over 800 children looking for a mentor. If you are or someone you know is interested in learning more about the commitment it takes to become a mentor, please visit ymaryland.org/volunteer/mentoring.
Thank you to Beth and to all the Y mentors who give of their time for this work. A big shout out also goes to the relentlessly amazing Tiffany Reinhardt and her small but mighty team, whose work is vitally important to the Y, to our community and most of all, to the promising young people who deserve to grow up to be healthy, strong and confident.
All the best,
John
John K. Hoey
President & CEO
The Y in Central Maryland