Geauga County Board of Mental Health & Recovery Services
13244 Ravenna Road
Chardon, Ohio 44024
Phone 440-285-2282
Fax: 440-285-9617
Hearing Impaired 1-800-750-0750
email: gbmhadas@lightstream.net

Hours Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Jim Adams, Executive Director, CEO

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio provides after school mentoring programs to children in grades three through five in elementary schools located throughout Lake, Geauga and Ashtabula counties. The programs are designed to help the children develop positive attitudes towards school, build their self-esteem and have fun while improving natural abilities and social skills. The programs are held one day a week and last approximately 2 hours immediately after school during the school year. Children involved in the program are typically kids who need a little extra help or attention.

The programs are coordinated by a BBBS staff member who is on-site at all times. Children are recommended into this program by their teacher, counselor or parent.

High school student volunteers are recruited to act as Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the children in the program. They are thoroughly screened, must have their own transportation and provide two recommendations from their high schools. High school volunteers go to the elementary school they are assigned on their assigned day.

After school programs are not located in every elementary school. Check with your school office to see if your school participates in the Big Brothers Big Sisters after school program.

Children in the Big Brother/Big Sisters program are matched with an adult role model who serve as a mentor to them. These children, who come from single-parent families, benefit from having additional guidance and support in a one-to-one relationship. The School/Site Based Mentoring Program provides children with a positive friend and mentor. Weekly contact is encouraged to foster self-esteem, trust, and responsibility. However, unlike the traditional program, School/Site Based mentoring is done at a designated school or site and it is always in a group setting with a BBBS Program Manager facilitator. The volunteers for these programs are typically college or high school students and employees of area businesses who take time from their workday. The programs take place after school and run for an average of two hours. Most meet once a week for the duration of the school year.

SCHOOL BASED PROGRAMS

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Ohio provides after school and Lunch Buddy mentoring programs to children in grades three through five in elementary schools located throughout Lake and Geauga counties. The programs are designed to help children develop positive attitudes towards school, build their self-esteem and have fun while improving their natural abilities and social skills. The programs are held one day a week during the school year. After school programs last approximately 2 hours immediately after school; Lunch Buddy programs are held during specified lunch periods in the elementary schools.

The programs are coordinated by a Big Brothers Big Sisters staff member who is on-site at all times. Children are recommended into the programs by their teachers, counselors, or parents.

High school student volunteers are recruited to act as Big Brothers and Big Sisters to the children in the after school programs. Senior citizens are recruited to become Big Brother Big Sisters to the students in the Lunch Buddy programs. All volunteers go to the elementary schools during their assigned times.

After school and Lunch Buddy programs are not located in every elementary school. Check with school offices to see if your school participates in a Big Brothers Big Sisters after school or Lunch Buddy mentoring program.

How the Programs Work

Children are recommended into the after school programs by their teachers, counselor or parents. An informational letter and application are sent home to the child's parent/guardian. After the completed application is returned to the school, the school will add your child to the program.

After school programs meet one day a week for two hours after regular school hours. The day of the program and the time (usually 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm) are determined by the school. There are no after school programs on Friday.

High school students come directly to the elementary school to which they are assigned. They must provide their own transportation. These high school volunteer Bigs can be paired with the elementary school Littles to help with homework or to play games. Often both high school Bigs and elementary Littles participate in group activities designed to enhance social skills.

No fees

There are no fees associated with our after school programs. They are free to all children enrolled. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides all materials for activities and crafts. We also provide a snack and drink to each child.

High School Volunteers

To become a Big Brother or Big Sister in our after school or Lunch Buddy mentoring programs, volunteers should contact our office to find out which elementary schools are participating in the programs.

Lunch Buddy mentoring programs accept senior citizen volunteers to mentor the children during their lunch period.

After School high school student volunteers should check your high school schedule to see when our representatives will be in your school during the month of September. However, at any time during the year you may download a Volunteer Application Packet directly by clicking on button on the left.

Complete and sign the forms and mail them to our office. Upon receipt of the application students will be contacted to schedule an interview, and receive information about training. We ask that volunteer BIGS make at least a semester commitment to the program.

The Volunteer Advantage

Becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister in our after school programs not only offers you the opportunity to help a child, it is a great way to:

• Earn community service hours
  
• Try out a career
  
• Have fun
  
• Feel good about yourself
  
• Add to college and job application forms
  

Today's high school students aren't often recognized for the amount of time they contribute to volunteering in their local communities. In USA Weekend a recent teen survey showed that over the course of a year:
35% of teens volunteer between 20-40 hours
30% volunteer over 80 hours
most choose to volunteer with children

Volunteering touches everyone in some way. Both the volunteer and the recipient benefit, grow and are changed by the experience. Sometimes the result of volunteer efforts are immediately apparent. Often the effects are realized long after the experience is over.

Big Brothers Big Sisters acknowledges all students who participate in our programs and we're happy to supply letters of recommendation whenever requested. If you are interested in being a positive role model, a friend, a tutor, or if you enjoy participating in recreational activities, our after school mentoring program could be perfect for you.

In Geauga County, we will be holding after school programs in the following elementary schools: Lindsey, Westwood, Burton, Troy, Maple, Munson, Hambden, and Newbury. We are in need of high school students to volunteer to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters for these programs. They would require their own transportation and need to commit to 2 hours a week in the elementary school, 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm, with their Little Brother or Sister. It's always nice to note that the high school students will receive community service hours for their participation and their volunteer efforts are an attractive entry for college applications.

As funding through grants and other sources becomes available, we plan to expand the program to additional area schools. If your school, business, or organization is interested in participating in a School/Site Based Mentoring Program, please contact Tim Kehres, Executive Director at 1(800)222-2440.

"Little Moments/Big Magic"

Children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program are matched with adult role models who serve as a mentor to them. These children come from single-parent families and benefit from having additional guidance and support in a one-to-one relationship. Our Bigs and Littles usually get together weekly for a few hours. We encourage simple activities. The key is just spending time together. Research and our program outcome evaluations show that mentoring works for children. Feedback from our Bigs shows that mentoring is a very rewarding service activity.

Your contribution helps make it possible to provide the resources to match these children with role models in Geauga County. Or, if you are interested in mentoring a child, please contact Tim Kehres, Executive Director at 1-800-222-2440.

Your child's safety is very important to us.
Big Brothers Big Sisters conducts a thorough background check on every volunteer in our mentoring programs and every match is regularly reviewed by a professional trained match coordinator.

To help ensure child safety, Big Brothers Big Sisters National Standards of Excellence require the following steps to be taken:

• Completion of a formal written application
  
• A criminal history record check
  
• References Checks
  
• An in-person interview
  
• An assessment of their home environment (for community-based mentoring)
  
• A professional assessment of their appropriateness to volunteer with a child
  
• An orientation and training process that outlines the individualized needs of your child and provides information and resources on how to encourage your child's healthy development.