Who are Bigs?
Who are Littles?
What do Bigs and Littles do together?
I don't have a lot of money or time – can I still be a Big?
What's involved in becoming a Big?
How does a child become a Little?
How are Bigs and Littles matched?
I've heard children in the program are usually "troubled" kids – is that true?
Are there group activities as part of the program?
Once a match is made, what kind of support is there for Bigs?
How long do matches last?

Q: Who are "Bigs"?
Are Big Brothers, Big Sisters and Big Couples are carefully screened men and women over the age of 19. They come from all walks of life, but share a common willingness to help improve the life of a child by volunteering 3-5 hours a week. Bigs are not professional counselors and they aren't surrogate parents. They are responsible people from the community willing to provide one-to-one friendship with kids who could benefit from another positive role model in their lives.

Q: Who are "Littles"?
Little Brothers and Sisters are children between the ages of 6 and 16. Littles normally come from single-parent homes, and benefit from the addition of a positive male or female role model in their lives.

Q: What do Bigs and Littles do together?
They go to a movie, do crafts, play sports, talk – whatever they enjoy doing. Bigs and Littles meet for 3-5 hours a week and just spend time together one-on-one as friends.

Q: I don't have a lot of money or time – can I still be a Big?
Sure! Being a Big involves 3-5 hours a week, usually on the same day, with a minimum one-year commitment. There is no cost to the Big or the Little to take part in the program, and we encourage our Bigs to keep spending to a minimum. Many local businesses provide free or discount activity opportunities for Bigs and Littles.

Q: What's involved in becoming a Big?
For the protection of both our Bigs and our Littles, we carefully screen applicants for all our Big programs. Police record checks are conducted, followed by personal interviews, reference checks and a training and safety program to make sure the Big is suitable and prepared for the program.

Q: How does a child become a Little?
Littles are usually referred to the program by parents or, sometimes, schools or social service agencies. A caseworker interviews the parent, the child and the child's schoolteacher to ensure the child is willing and suitable for the program. Once a child is accepted as a Little, they are placed on a waitlist until the perfect Big is available for a match.

Q: How are Bigs and Littles matched?
A caseworker interviews the Bigs and Littles to get to know them, their interests and their personalities. Bigs meet their prospective child's parent first, to ensure the parent is comfortable with the prospective match. If they agree to proceed, then the Big meets the Little with their parent and, hopefully, a friendship begins.

Q: I've heard children in the program are usually "troubled kids" – is that true?
On the contrary, children with serious physical, emotional or psychological issues are not accepted as Littles. Matching children who face these kinds of challenges with Bigs who aren't trained to help them simply wouldn't be fair to the child or the adult.

Our focus is to provide children with a positive opportunity to spend quality time with a friend and role model. If issues do arise in a match, caseworkers are always available and processes are in place to help Bigs and Littles deal with them.

Q: Are there group activities as part of the program?
The focus of the program is one-on-one time between the Big and their Little, but we do have several group activities throughout the year. We also often invite children on the waitlist, and their parents, to our events. Movie nights, summer picnics, bowling, and our annual Valentines Day Potluck are just some of the group activities we all enjoy together.

Q: Once a match is made, what kind of support is there for Bigs?
Our caseworkers are always available to help Bigs and Littles if problems arise in the match. We also check in on a regular basis with both the Big and the Little to make sure things are going well.

Q: How long do matches last?
Bigs commit to volunteer for one year. At the end of the year, it's up to the Big and the Little if they want the match to continue. Many matches continue on for years, developing into lasting friendships even after the Little outgrows the program.

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