Latasha Wilson and her son, Xavier, run in and out of the Sumner School near Westcott, Syracuse, to deliver gift bags to the cars that roll in and out of the parking lot. It’s windy, and the red and white balloons lining the entrance of the building rattle against the railing they’re tied to. The operation is highly organized: one person stands outside alerting the others when a car rolls in, and other volunteers, some as young as 8 years old, grab the gift bags and deliver them. Simultaneously, another volunteer checks off the names of those who just pulled in. The cars would come in waves, and when they had a quiet moment, the volunteers would chat about the upcoming holidays and projects they’re working on. 

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   “Normally we would do the event outside, but this weather made us get creative with our setup,” said Latasha Wilson, in between dashes from the building to the parking lot. 

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    This eclectic group of community members are connected through their involvement with the local branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS). Latasha and Xavier Wilson were just two of the many volunteers who were delivering gifts to Bigs and Littles at the Sumner School last Saturday. 

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    Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit organization that matches adult volunteers with child volunteers. Adult volunteers, known as Bigs, serve as mentors and friends to the child volunteers, known as Littles. Bigs must be at least 18 years old, and depending on the program, Littles range between 6-18 years old. The Syracuse branch of BBBS is just one out of 250 in the country. 

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    There are three main programs that BBBS runs in Syracuse, explained John F. Bruzdzinski, the director of the program.

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    “Our community-based program is what most people think of when they think of Big Brothers Big Sisters.”

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    According to the BBBS website, the community-based program encourages each Big to, “spend a minimum of six hours a month in direct interaction/communication with their Littles doing everyday activities.” The application is rigorous: an applicant must pass a background and DMV record check, provide three references and have been interviewed in their home. Once this is completed, they’re given a questionnaire to fill out about their personality. Using the responses from the questionnaire, BBBS assigns them a Little. If both the Big and the Little agree to be a pair, they’re matched up. 

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   Although six hours is the minimum time a Big needs to spend with their Little, many do more than that. 

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   “They could go to hockey games, they could go to the library, they could come over to the Big’s house and do homework,” explained Bruzdzinski. 

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   In addition to volunteering at last Saturday’s event, Latasha Wilson is the community-based program manager at BBBS. She says that despite COVID-19 temporarily preventing Bigs and Littles from meeting each other in person, there was still a lot of enthusiasm and retention within the program. 

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    “Bigs and their Littles were using the ‘watch party’ feature on Netflix and playing games over Zoom. It was different but it worked out,” said Wilson.

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    Watch party is a feature on streaming services like Netflix and Hulu which allow groups of people to watch movies and shows together while communicating through the service. 

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    Latasha’s son, Xavier Wilson, is a freshman at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He just turned 18 years old, so he is eligible to be a Big, but for now, he’s being a helpful hand in any of the events BBBS runs.

 

    “I was always interested in volunteering, and my mom said, ‘why don’t you come to an event and see how you like it.’ I’ve really enjoyed it so far.”

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    The school-based program, Bruzdzinski explained, was hit particularly hard during the COVID-19 pandemic. The program assigns student volunteers from local high schools and elementary schools to serve as Bigs and Littles to each other. These students couldn’t visit each other during the pandemic as to limit possible transmission between schools. As pandemic restrictions ease up, the program is still limited with the sort of events they can organize. 

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    “We’re gonna start an in-person program at the schools, but there's no transportation available right now. We have no way to move our students around, even if we were in business.”

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    Bonnie Belcher, the school-based program manager at BBBS, said without permission to meet in schools, those involved in the program couldn’t see their Bigs or Littles at all. 

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    “There could be no contact between Bigs and Littles outside of when the mentor manager or BBBS representative is present. You can't put the responsibility of a minor being with another minor.”

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    A 2011 study was done on the impact of BBBS’ school-based mentoring programs  in 10 U.S. cities. Researchers found that the presence of mentors positively impacted students’ performances in schools. Belcher says she is eager to have the next round of Bigs meet their Littles and continue the program. Oftentimes, volunteers who enter BBBS as Littles become Bigs once they turn 18. 

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    “Sometimes that happens where they'll say they want to become a Big. It doesn’t always work out, but they always tell me they want to,” said Belcher. 

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    The third program BBBS runs is a workplace-based program. Littles are paired up with the employees of a company and events are held in the company’s buildings. That program too has been directly impacted by COVID-19. 

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    “ We just went through five years of a very successful partnership with BNY Mellon. COVID-19 came along, and all of their employees started working from home,” said Bruzdzinski.

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    This left the workplace program without a building to host events, Bruzdzinski explained. Although BBBS lost the venue, BNY Mellon has continued to donate to the organization.

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    Liz Kelly, a member of the advisory council at BBBS, says she’s hoping the workplace program will be revitalized soon. 

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   “It’s so important to have kids be inspired by their community, to see all the different things that happen. Being exposed to higher education gets these kids excited about their futures,” said Kelly. 

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    The Syracuse branch of BBBS is one of nine programs that PEACE Inc. operates. Under Bruzdzinski, there are four school-based mentor managers, two community-based mentor managers, and a program assistant. Within the community-based program alone, there are about 50 Big and Little matches, totaling to 100 volunteers. 

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    Sara Faucher, the program assistant for BBBS, says she was drawn to the program after having jobs in other types of social work. 

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   “I started working at the Food Bank of Central New York and I really enjoyed that. It’s rewarding and it’s what motivates me,” said Faucher. 

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    The importance of children having mentors is well documented. In a 2004 study conducted by psychology researchers, children having mentors in their lives was proven to promote bonding, foster resilience and encourage growth in various types of intellectual and emotional competence. Even families where at least one parent is actively present in their child’s life can benefit from the additional community support provided by organizations such as BBBS. According to the 2019 U.S. census done in Syracuse, NY, about 31% of families are living in poverty. That percentage translates to over 40,000 families in the city alone. However, the problem is not exclusive to Syracuse or even urban settings. In the United States, 11.4% of the population lives in poverty, approximately 1% higher than in 2019.

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    Bruzdzinski says that BBBS popped up in Syracuse due to a combination of both demand and natural circumstances.

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    “Mentorship programs are always popular. Kids that are involved have improved grades and are less likely to enter the juvenile justice system. It's not that hard to get people to jump on board.”

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    Both Faucher and Bruzdzinski say that the greatest challenge BBBS currently faces is finding enough Bigs to match with the Littles. BBBS has been working on recruiting students from Syracuse University who are interested in mentoring and assisting the community. 

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   “We’re looking for 10-12 Bigs starting in January to come to our offices in Sumner and hang with the Littles in the gym. That’s our new project.”

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    When it comes to the ideal Big, Kelly says the requirements are simple.

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“You just gotta love kids. You gotta want to help your community and help these kids grow,” said Kelly. 

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    As the PEACE Inc. Syracuse branch of BBBS enters its 41st year, Bruzdzinski says the organization is in need of more volunteers, particularly adult men.

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    “We want to be able to pair each Little with a Big. We have a waiting list of 60 boys looking for male Bigs, so that’s where our biggest need is.”

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    The interest in these types of mentorship programs is increasing in the community, and it is clear that Littles that are matched with Bigs are highly receptive towards the program. The work is demanding, but it isn’t thankless. 

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    As she handed out another gift bag, Latasha Wilson paused to answer her phone. Before the previous car even left the lot, the child in it was calling to thank her for the blanket and food she was just given. As it turned the corner and went out of sight, another car pulled in, and Wilson went back to work. 

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