Johnny_Blaze_47
10-28-2006, 12:18 PM
More than 350 kids are waiting for mentors in Bexar County
Web Posted: 10/27/2006 11:05 PM CDT
Nancy Martinez
Express-News Staff Writer
Isaiah Bankhead hit golf balls with Damon Childs at Brackenridge Park. They challenged, then complimented each other, exchanging high-fives and teasing when balls were missed and dirt flew.
"He is the big brother I never had," 11-year-old Isaiah said of Childs, 29.
Theirs is a success story of the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of South Texas program, which serves Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Kendall, Kerr, Guadalupe, Nueces, Webb and Wilson counties.
As Isaiah's Big Brother, Childs spends time with Isaiah about three times a month.
But organizers of the program say there aren't enough people like Childs, who like Isaiah, is black. They say there's a dearth of minority mentors to partner with minority children.
In Bexar County, more than 350 children are waiting for a mentor. Organizers estimate that by the end of the year that list will grow to 400. About 1,200 children are currently being served in the program. Half of those matches are cross-cultural.
Anglo children make up 21 percent of children served while Anglo volunteers make up 52 percent of the volunteers in Bexar County, according to program officials.
By comparison, Hispanic volunteers make up 32 percent of the mentors while Hispanic children make up 55 percent of the children served. Black volunteers make up 9 percent of the mentors in the program while black children served make up 13 percent.
"They want to be matched with people that look like them and have the same cultural background," said BBBS spokeswoman Melissa Vela-Williamson of the children. "There is a positive impact in any of our matches, even if they are cross-cultural, but we know if we had more Hispanic and African Americans, we could reduce our waiting list."
The reasons for so many on the waiting list vary. Some parents and volunteers give preferences for matches such as age, location, race and religion, but most children are on the waiting list because of a shortage of volunteers in their area.
BBBS organizers say the majority of volunteers are from the North Side, even though the biggest needs are on the South and West sides. Sixty-six percent of volunteers in Bexar County are from the North Side while 40 percent of the children served live there.
The children in the program are between the ages of 5 and 14 when their parents enroll them. They can stay in the program until they reach 18. Children are eligible based on their circumstances; most of the children come from single-parent households.
BBBS officials normally recruit volunteers at corporations, businesses and colleges. Volunteers should be older than 18 with a clean driving record and background and be willing to spend time with a child on a regular basis.
Isaiah's mom wanted to find him a Big Brother because he has never met his father and had been growing up without a positive male influence.
She wanted Isaiah, a usually shy boy, to feel "more positive about himself, and become more focused." She said he did well in school, but had trouble concentrating and needed more adult attention.
Isaiah doesn't say much, but when it comes to talking about Childs, he lights up and speaks from the heart.
"I never had a brother or sister, and I really wanted one. He's great," Isaiah said. "He feels like a brother to me. I can tell him anything."
Lois J. Zachary, author of "The Mentors Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships," said culture is a minor part of what should be considered when finding a good mentor match.
"It all depends on what the focus is and whether the partner can relate to that person, and share who they are," she said. "There's diversity in any relationship because people bring their experiences to the table."
Michael Garringer, an adviser with the National Mentoring Center based in Portland, Ore., a nonprofit that primarily trains federal mentoring services, said there is a lack of concrete evidence that same-race mentors ensure success.
"I'm not familiar with definitive research that says if you have an African American male mentoring someone of the same race, it's better. Mentoring is all about a relationship, and any two human beings can form a relationship that can be beneficial," Garringer said.
That's evident in at least two pairs.
About two years ago Arturo Barriga, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, asked BBBS to match him with a Hispanic boy around 8 years old. Barriga envisioned helping the boy speak proper Spanish.
What he got was an 8-year-old, red-haired Anglo child. When Barriga was told that the child, Randall Mach, had lost his father just two years before entering the program, he agreed to the match.
Barriga had lost his own father when he was 23. He couldn't imagine that loss when he was 8. Barriga said that connection supersedes racial differences.
Barriga said Randall has improved in reading, school performance and socially. Randall playfully corrects Barriga's English and carefully explains the meaning of some words. Barriga, who said he tries to teach Randall a little Spanish, said Randall once told him, "Call me anytime if you need to know the meaning of any word."
Desireé de la Luz, 18, was matched at age 12 with Kathleen Fortino-Williams, who is Anglo. De la Luz is Hispanic and Anglo. Their BBBS mentorship lasted until de la Luz graduated high school.
For de la Luz, the mentorship was life changing.
She says her childhood was complicated: An affair ripped her family apart when she was in high school, she got depressed and her grades slipped.
But Fortino-Williams was there to support her through that, encouraging her to strengthen her faith.
"She was a big influence in my life, always there for me. When I had a problem, I felt like I could turn to her, I could trust her," de la Luz said. "We're still really close now. She's like a second mom."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA102806.01B.Minority_Mentors.30fcadf.html
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I posted this because I wrote a similar story when I was in San Angelo (the local BBBS chapter was celebrating its first year of service) and I got to see first-hand how the kids benefit from having a BB/BS.
Just putting it out there in case anybody's interested.
Web Posted: 10/27/2006 11:05 PM CDT
Nancy Martinez
Express-News Staff Writer
Isaiah Bankhead hit golf balls with Damon Childs at Brackenridge Park. They challenged, then complimented each other, exchanging high-fives and teasing when balls were missed and dirt flew.
"He is the big brother I never had," 11-year-old Isaiah said of Childs, 29.
Theirs is a success story of the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of South Texas program, which serves Atascosa, Bexar, Comal, Kendall, Kerr, Guadalupe, Nueces, Webb and Wilson counties.
As Isaiah's Big Brother, Childs spends time with Isaiah about three times a month.
But organizers of the program say there aren't enough people like Childs, who like Isaiah, is black. They say there's a dearth of minority mentors to partner with minority children.
In Bexar County, more than 350 children are waiting for a mentor. Organizers estimate that by the end of the year that list will grow to 400. About 1,200 children are currently being served in the program. Half of those matches are cross-cultural.
Anglo children make up 21 percent of children served while Anglo volunteers make up 52 percent of the volunteers in Bexar County, according to program officials.
By comparison, Hispanic volunteers make up 32 percent of the mentors while Hispanic children make up 55 percent of the children served. Black volunteers make up 9 percent of the mentors in the program while black children served make up 13 percent.
"They want to be matched with people that look like them and have the same cultural background," said BBBS spokeswoman Melissa Vela-Williamson of the children. "There is a positive impact in any of our matches, even if they are cross-cultural, but we know if we had more Hispanic and African Americans, we could reduce our waiting list."
The reasons for so many on the waiting list vary. Some parents and volunteers give preferences for matches such as age, location, race and religion, but most children are on the waiting list because of a shortage of volunteers in their area.
BBBS organizers say the majority of volunteers are from the North Side, even though the biggest needs are on the South and West sides. Sixty-six percent of volunteers in Bexar County are from the North Side while 40 percent of the children served live there.
The children in the program are between the ages of 5 and 14 when their parents enroll them. They can stay in the program until they reach 18. Children are eligible based on their circumstances; most of the children come from single-parent households.
BBBS officials normally recruit volunteers at corporations, businesses and colleges. Volunteers should be older than 18 with a clean driving record and background and be willing to spend time with a child on a regular basis.
Isaiah's mom wanted to find him a Big Brother because he has never met his father and had been growing up without a positive male influence.
She wanted Isaiah, a usually shy boy, to feel "more positive about himself, and become more focused." She said he did well in school, but had trouble concentrating and needed more adult attention.
Isaiah doesn't say much, but when it comes to talking about Childs, he lights up and speaks from the heart.
"I never had a brother or sister, and I really wanted one. He's great," Isaiah said. "He feels like a brother to me. I can tell him anything."
Lois J. Zachary, author of "The Mentors Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships," said culture is a minor part of what should be considered when finding a good mentor match.
"It all depends on what the focus is and whether the partner can relate to that person, and share who they are," she said. "There's diversity in any relationship because people bring their experiences to the table."
Michael Garringer, an adviser with the National Mentoring Center based in Portland, Ore., a nonprofit that primarily trains federal mentoring services, said there is a lack of concrete evidence that same-race mentors ensure success.
"I'm not familiar with definitive research that says if you have an African American male mentoring someone of the same race, it's better. Mentoring is all about a relationship, and any two human beings can form a relationship that can be beneficial," Garringer said.
That's evident in at least two pairs.
About two years ago Arturo Barriga, originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, asked BBBS to match him with a Hispanic boy around 8 years old. Barriga envisioned helping the boy speak proper Spanish.
What he got was an 8-year-old, red-haired Anglo child. When Barriga was told that the child, Randall Mach, had lost his father just two years before entering the program, he agreed to the match.
Barriga had lost his own father when he was 23. He couldn't imagine that loss when he was 8. Barriga said that connection supersedes racial differences.
Barriga said Randall has improved in reading, school performance and socially. Randall playfully corrects Barriga's English and carefully explains the meaning of some words. Barriga, who said he tries to teach Randall a little Spanish, said Randall once told him, "Call me anytime if you need to know the meaning of any word."
Desireé de la Luz, 18, was matched at age 12 with Kathleen Fortino-Williams, who is Anglo. De la Luz is Hispanic and Anglo. Their BBBS mentorship lasted until de la Luz graduated high school.
For de la Luz, the mentorship was life changing.
She says her childhood was complicated: An affair ripped her family apart when she was in high school, she got depressed and her grades slipped.
But Fortino-Williams was there to support her through that, encouraging her to strengthen her faith.
"She was a big influence in my life, always there for me. When I had a problem, I felt like I could turn to her, I could trust her," de la Luz said. "We're still really close now. She's like a second mom."
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/stories/MYSA102806.01B.Minority_Mentors.30fcadf.html
---------
I posted this because I wrote a similar story when I was in San Angelo (the local BBBS chapter was celebrating its first year of service) and I got to see first-hand how the kids benefit from having a BB/BS.
Just putting it out there in case anybody's interested.