Taffy Olszewski, Community Engagement Manager of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star
President Barbara Leurig welcomed Taffy Olszewski, Community Engagement Manager of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Lone Star. Taffy presented an engaging overview of Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) was founded 125 years ago as a prevention to youth from entering the juvenile justice system. Our area is a part of BBBS Lone Star, the largest affiliate agency of BBBSA. BBBS Lone Star made 1,784 new matches and served 4,926 youth in 2023.
Big Brothers Big Sisters works to clear the path to a child’s brightest possible future by matching them with a caring adult mentor in a one-to-one friendship. BBBS provides children (aka Littles) with volunteer adult mentors (aka Bigs) who serve as a consistent presence in their Little’s lives.
The children in the programs face adversity at a higher rate than the average young person in America: 86% are from low- or moderate-income families, 25% have a parent incarcerated or on probation or parole, and 84% are from non-two-parent homes. They face poverty, bullying, and are impacted by incarceration and substance abuse at higher rates than their peers.
For kids involved with BBBS, 97% improved self-confidence, 92% are less likely to get in trouble, and 86% performed better in school. There are great outcomes for kids involved with BBBS: 98% enrolled, enlisted, or are employed.
Taffy asked the members to reflect on their early lives and who might have been a mentor who helped them successfully develop toward adulthood. It’s these success stories that makes BBBS so vital to our society. There is a huge need for mentors (Bigs) for the programs. Mentors are matched with a child one-to-one. The matching process is designed to find the best ways to use the Bigs’ experience to help the child. The application process for Bigs is comprehensive. There are currently 20 kids on the waiting list in our area.
The ways our community can volunteer are divided into three areas, each suited to an individual’s time and commitment level.
• Community-Based
Meet two to four times per month in person at the child’s home or other activity location—free/low-cost activities, one-year commitment
• Site Based
Meet weekly during school hours at the school—partnerships with local school districts, such as Argyle and Northwest, two-semester commitment
• Mentor 2.0
College/career focus—chat weekly online, monthly in-person event
For more information, please see their website at bbbstx.org.