Big Brother Big Sister Looking For Big Brother Mentors

WALTHAM, MA –Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, which connects young people to older "siblings" in one-to-one mentoring programs is starting a “30 Guys in 30 Days” campaign to recruit more male mentors in Waltham and the surrounding communities.

The agency hopes to match Eduardo, 9, of Waltham, and more than 30 other waiting "littles" in the region with "big brothers." For the month of March there was a similar campaign to get young men to volunteer on the Cape and the Islands. The goal, as with Greater Boston, was to get 30 guys to volunteer to mentor the younger boys. By the end of March, 35 men had stepped forward to volunteer their time.

“As our service territory continues to expand, so does the number of kids we serve. Unfortunately, the number of youth on our wait list also increases,” said Vice President of Program Services at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay Terry McCarron, in a statement. “We need just as many volunteers as we have youth; no child should have to wait for a Big.”

Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy weighed into the effort:

The organization started from a conversation in 1948 when a group of community leaders met at the Boston City Club to discuss their concern for fatherless boys in that city. From that meeting, Big Brothers Association of Boston was formed. Created as a non-sectarian, interracial, interfaith service, in its first year 10 Big Brothers were matched with Little Brothers. In the 1990s, girls and women were added to the mentorships.

By 2016, the organization said it had served 17,000 matches since it began in the 1940s.

Each match is hand-selected by the organization based on shared interests, geography and personality. Generally, mentors and those they mentor agree to see each other for three hours, a couple of times a month. Bigs and littles in the community-based programs plan their own outings filled with things they enjoy doing, like sports, going to the beach or listening to music,

Big Brother's organization describes Eduardo as a calm, "personable kid with a good sense of humor." He is really into sports, and is looking for someone to explore the Waltham area with, try new board games, and play and new learn sports.

The organization says they're hoping to find someone who speaks Spanish to be his big brother.

"Eduardo is looking forward to having a positive role model in a Big Brother and someone who can introduce him to new hobbies. 'I would really like a Big Brother who is friendly and funny,' Eduardo said.

There are more than 30 children in Waltham and surrounding communities who are waiting to be matched with mentors. If you are interested check out their website here.

Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).