DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas — On Saturday evening, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas recruited about 30 to 40 adults to become mentors for kids across the area. While that helps, Vice President of Programs Joe Strychalski said the number of kids on the waitlist is too high.
"There's enough volunteers in Austin – there's enough goodwill in Austin – that we think we can match all those kids and get that waitlist to zero," Strychalski said.
Around 450 of those kids are boys. Strychalski said 85% to 90% of those boys are African American or Hispanic. To help BBBS recruit adult men, a handful of big brothers in the program told their stories of mentoring boys.
"The best part for me is I enjoy having a little brother to mentor, hang around with," said Austin Barrett, who's been a Big Brother for six months. "I'm the oldest of four, so I've missed doing that."
"You don't realize just a little effort of meeting with someone once a week and sending a text maybe once a week, what impact that has on a young person," said Shawn Bradley, who has mentored kids through BBBS for six years.
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Strychalski added having 500 kids on the waitlist is lower than years past.
"At times it's been over 700," he said. "Often that number is the number of kids who have reached out to us and we can't even enroll."
Both Barrett and Bradley talked about the fulfillment they get out of mentoring. Strychalski echoed that, saying positive relationships bring positive results in the kids.
"They do better in school, they avoid risky behaviors, they have better confidence, they get along better with peers and family members," Strychalski said. "The longer it lasts, the stronger that relationship is and the better we see those outcomes."
If you would like to sign up to be a Big Brother or Big Sister, check out the BBBS website for Central Texas.
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