Big Brother Big Sister in Need of Male Volunteers

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Cumberland County’s Big Brother Big Sister program has struggled to match young boys with a “Big Brother” due to a low number of male volunteers. 

According to the Dickinson College website, Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) is a “mentoring program” in which members, called “Bigs,” are paired with a “Little” from a local elementary school. Bigs visit their littles once a week during the school’s lunch or recess hours, and participate in monthly group activities. 

“Around 10 percent of all Dickinson volunteers are male,” said Cumberland County Director of BBBS, Barrie Ann George.

There are currently 16 Dickinson students involved in BBBS–12 girls and four boys. Most female Bigs from Dickinson are paired with a male Little. However, these types of pairings are not isolated in Cumberland County. BBBS is in need of more male volunteers nationwide. 

According to the BBBS website, both girls and boys are waiting to be matched across the country, but “there are thousands of boys in particular who are ready and waiting to be matched with Big Brothers right now.” There are more than twice as many boys waiting for a Big than there are girls.

The reason for this, said George, is that many young boys who don’t have a father figure in their lives need a Big Brother to set an example.

George characterized the relationship between male Bigs and Littles as “This isn’t about wearing dresses and making arts and crafts, it’s about showing up and showing a little boy how to be a man and a girl can’t do that.”

Although BBBS has trouble recruiting men to join the program, George said “Men once they’re matched, tend to stay in the program longer than women.”

Harrison Gill ’19 is among the small group of male Bigs involved in Cumberland County’s BBBS program.

“Every guy that I’ve talked to who has been involved with the program has loved it,” said Gill. “You never think about it, but it’s really cool for them [the littles] to have a big brother.”

Marcus Witherspoon ’20 is also a Big Brother in the program. He developed a particularly strong relationship with his little, Randolph.

“We have a really awesome bond. Last year I saw him three to four days a week. This year [fall 2018 semester] it’s been more like two to three,” said Witherspoon.

“Every Monday he comes here and we either do homework or play basketball in the Kline Center,” said Witherspoon. “On the weekends he would come to my football games or I would go to his.” 

“He’s 10 and I’m 21. He reminds me to have fun and find the joy in the little things,” said Witherspoon.

“I think more guys should get involved in it to help out,” said Gill. “It would really benefit the younger boys.”

The high percentage of Dickinson students that study abroad each year can complicate the relationship. However, Bigs are urged to remain in contact with their Littles if possible.

“When I go abroad I’m going to try to send postcards back and forth to keep in touch,” said Skylar Young ’20, who is a Big Sister in BBBS.

Although the goal is for Bigs to stay in touch with their Littles while abroad, that doesn’t always happen.

“If the relationship needs to end that’s fine, but the important thing is that they end in a healthy way,” said George.

“These kids look up to us so much,” said Witherspoon, “…and they’re so grateful for our help. It’s only an hour out of my day to make that big of an impact on a kid’s life.”