blog:

by Julian Kussman on 12.27.2011 in Company News 1

Have you ever given to a charity and wondered where each of your dollars was spent, or even where just some of it was spent? Giving back can give you a great feeling but it can be diminished when you can’t see the impact of your gift. However, there is something you can give that is immediately rewarding–your time.

I recently became a Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri and I can’t say enough about how happy I am to volunteer. As a working professional, I’m in the office on a regular schedule and my hours are flexible to accommodate any special needs–it’s one of the biggest unspoken benefits of the job. Many families don’t have this luxury and the reality of making ends meet can mean kids don’t get as much one-on-one attention as they’d like. Being a “Big” lets me give what I have an excess of– namely, time– to someone who needs it.

I didn’t know all the details of the program before I joined and there are aspects of it that really make it great. First, it’s volunteer-based on both ends. That is, the “Little” is voluntarily enrolled by their parents and the “Big” is a volunteer as well. This means the team is committed to success from the start. Secondly, you’re only pledging to spend four hours per month for one year as a minimum. I’ve been in the program for about six weeks and I spent four hours with my Little within the first two outings we had. Third, and probably least understood, is that you’re not signing up to be a parent or Santa or a babysitter. You’re signing up to become a friend to a child. This is my favorite part.

My Little and I have had a lot of fun together so far. We’ve gone to a Rams game (with free tickets from BBBS), played video games together, built models, and have also just gone out for a meal and talked about our day. It gives me a chance to give locally and see the impact right away. I get to share with my Little a lot of the same activities that were my favorite as a child and know that I’m helping to shape a future member of our community.

This coming year, perhaps you might decide you’ve got some spare time to share with a new friend. You won’t believe how easy it can be for how much reward you get.

Learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters

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