Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound calling for mentors

SEATTLE - January is National Mentoring Month, but here in our backyard, hundreds of children are still waiting for a role model to step up.

Across King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties, Big Brothers Big Sisters has a waitlist of 700 kids just hoping for a match.

They’re now calling on the community to help and volunteer.

"It’s so much fun, it’s inviting someone into your life and building community and their family as an extension in a way you typically wouldn’t," said Mattie Mercado, Big Brothers Big Sisters program manager of match support.

The backstory:

Big Brothers Big Sisters is the country’s oldest and largest mentoring organization, and they focus on matching young people with caring volunteers, according to Alonda Williams, CEO and President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.

"One of the biggest populations of need we have is for men of color. Most of the kids on our waitlist, like 60%, is for boys of color," Williams said.

She told FOX 13 Seattle that, while that number of kids on the waitlist is high, it speaks to something even more important.

"That is the fact that the Surgeon General has said we are in the midst of a loneliness epidemic and young people are not immune to that," Williams said.

She herself is also a big, and has been for three years. "It’s really easy to become a big," Williams said. "It is an enriching experience, it gives you a glimpse into someone else’s life and someone else’s world and they get to see the world through your eyes as well."

Mercado is also a big sister.

"I can remember so many bigs saying ‘This was the first time they hugged me,’ or they said they had a really good time, that moment and relationship with the child is so fun, and it feels so good because you know you’re making an impact on them," Mercado said.

What you can do:

To become a mentor, you must be 18 or over, undergo an extensive background check and give two to four hours of your time a month. The team will also be there to help every step of the way. 

"What I love is that mentors are working on building a relationship, right, but the impact of that relationship could be years in the making, years down the road and that young person could be thinking of wow I was inspired by my mentor, years ago," Williams said.

"Having someone in your corner who does not have to be is invaluable, having someone who supports you and believes in you is invaluable," Mercado said.

If you’d like to become a mentor, you can sign up here.

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