This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
BELLEFONTE — The Centre County Board of Commissioners made their first proclamation of the year during their weekly meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 7. During the meeting, the BOC declared the month of January as Big Brothers Big Sisters Month.
Big Brothers Big Sisters, which is operated locally by the Centre County Youth Service Bureau, is a mentoring program that pairs volunteers with children to provide friendship, support and encouragement. The commissioners noted at the meeting that the mentoring program has been working to impact the futures of local children for the past 100 years by partnering with volunteers.
During the meeting, Rebecca Lord, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Centre County program director, discussed more about the impact of the organization on the area sharing how volunteers are “safe spaces, listening ears, coaches, cheerleaders, friends, role models, self-confidence boosters and so much more.”
According to a press release from the BOC, research shows that a role model can have major influence children’s development.
“Children with positive adult role models fare better in school, develop healthier relationships with friends and family and are less likely to use illegal drugs or alcohol,” the press release stated.
Before approving the proclamation, the commissioners and Lord highlighted the need for volunteers, asking, “can you spare an hour or two each week?”
More specifically, a need for male volunteers was emphasized as 15 local children are currently waiting to be paired with a big brother and a smaller amount is waiting for a big sister partnership.
The BOC unanimously approved the proclamation, officially designating January 2025 as Big Brothers Big Sisters Month in Centre County. Those interested in volunteering or getting more information can do so by going to ccysb.com/services/big-brothers-big-sisters.
