Big Brothers Big Sisters, the longest-running youth mentorship organization in the United States, is actively recruiting mentors to help children in the community.
This call to action is crucial, as the organization currently has 351 children waiting to be matched with a mentor in the Suncoast region.
Alicia and Daniel Lott are one couple making a significant impact through their involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The pair, who have been together for 10 years, decided to become mentors amidst their personal struggles, including career changes and starting a family.
“We’ve been together 10 years, and spent a lot of time trying to have our own family,” said Alicia Lott. “I thought he would do a really good job. I personally wasn’t ready because I didn’t think I had the emotional bandwidth to pour into little ones at the time, but when Renee, our mentor manager, called him and said that they needed more Bigs, to me, it was just a matter of necessity.”
The Lotts mentor two brothers, Ithael and Raphael, who come from a single-parent home.
“When we first started working with them, they didn’t smile, and now, they’re just ear-to-ear grinning. It’s heartwarming,” said Daniel Lott.
Mentors, known as “Bigs,” commit to a minimum of 12 months with two outings per month, totaling at least four hours.
The organization ensures the safety and compatibility of matches through personal and professional references and extensive background checks.
“You learn so much throughout your life, and if you don’t share it with others, it’s kind of wasted experience,” said Daniel Lott.
Being a mentor does not require a significant financial or time investment.
As Alicia Lott explained, mentors can involve children in everyday activities like seeing a movie, grabbing a bite to eat or visiting a park.
For those interested in becoming a mentor, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Suncoast provides one-to-one mentoring relationships for children ages 6-18 throughout the Gulf Coast of Florida.
Potential Bigs must meet with a Mentor Manager, and the application process includes personal and professional references and extensive background checks to ensure the best match possible.
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