Big Brothers Big Sisters
As a branch of the nationally-known mentoring program, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Arkansas serves children ages 6 to 14 who live in Benton and Washington Counties. These children are typically from unstable families and have one or more risk factors. Because more than 90 percent of the children served live in a household that makes $10,000 or less annually, these mentoring programs work to break the cycle of poverty. BBBSNWA offers three such programs.
The first is Community-Based Mentoring where adults become big brothers or sisters and are paired with a child and spend several days a month together. The School/Site-Based Mentoring program sends adult matches to spend time with kids on their school grounds. The third program is the High School Bigs program in which high school students spend time weekly mentoring elementary school students. Through mentoring, BBBSNWA hopes to make a difference in the lives of children in our area.
Darcy & Christi's Story
After her older sister became a Little Sister, Darcy patiently waited two years to become eligible for the program. Shortly after her sixth birthday, Darcy met her new Big Sister Christi. Since then, they have had a lot of fun together every other weekend, going out for dinner and ice cream, watching movies, attending performances at the Walton Arts Center, cheering at Razorback baseball games and gymnastic events, and more. Darcy says Christi is “funny” and “nice.” Becoming a Little Sister has made a big impact on Darcy’s life, giving her positive experiences that will hopefully build her confidence and give her a good foundation for life.