A Little Sister at Polk County Middle School gives a lot of the credit for her success to her Big Sister. This Little Sister has gone from the danger of failing first grade to consistently making the school honor roll, with her sights set not only on high school graduation but also on college. Little Sister says she is also thankful to her school counselor and mother for getting her signed up six years ago to become a part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters school mentoring program.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nations largest donor-supported volunteer network of long-term mentors for youth, providing careful matching, screening and ongoing support for Bigs, Littles, and families.

Our local Big Brothers Big Sisters currently serves 52 of Polk County and Landrums most vulnerable children, mostly those of single, low-income or incarcerated parents, or those children needing a little extra attention at school.

January is a time when Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates its Bigs. Coming off one of the most challenging fundraising years ever, this year BBBS recognizes their donors, the often unsung heroes whose funding makes possible the professional match support and structure that bring Littles and Bigs together and help sustain their mentoring matches over time.

Big Brothers Big Sisters says they know that longer matches yield strong results for Littles improvements in academic performance, behavior and relationships at home and elsewhere, confirmed by independent studies.

Mentoring Month is a big one for Big Brothers Big Sisters, a time when volunteers often come forward to help. Many parents want to get their children signed up but may encounter a waiting list due to lack of appropriate volunteers.

BBBS expects that to especially be true this month with economic circumstances creating a greater need for more families to have professionally backed long-term mentoring support.

The good news is that many men and women who want to help and dont have time to mentor can make it possible for our agency to have the necessary match support to make more matches possible. Donations of all sizes help, whether from small businesses, corporations, private foundations, government or individuals.

National Mentoring Month is spearheaded by the Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health, MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership, and the Corporation for National and Community Service with the understanding that mentoring assures brighter futures for our young people.

The goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to become the extra support that so many parents seek to help their children succeed and break negative cycles too often linked to young people who grow up in poverty and single-parent homes.

Learn how you can be a part of BBBSs work by going to www.bbbswnc.org, by emailing polk@bbbswnc.org or by calling 828-859-9230.