‘Littles’ looking for older ‘siblings’

Students looking to volunteer this semester can learn how to make a “big” difference in the lives of Bloomington children.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central Indiana is having an information session from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the organization’s Bloomington office at 418 S. Walnut St.
Kathy Delaney Willett, director of outreach and enrollment, encourages anyone interested in volunteering to attend.

“Most people interested get involved by volunteering with a child, but we have other ways to get involved, too,” Willett said. “We offer information sessions about once a month to give a general overview of the agency, the children we serve and how to volunteer.”

Willett has worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters for about eight years, recruiting volunteers and marketing the agency. She said the agency has about 500 volunteers, ranging from pairing with kids in the community-based program, school-mentoring programs, club programs and people who do activities with kids on the wait list.

“A lot of IU students are in our club or school-based program where they can meet with their ‘little’ one day a week,” Willett said. “The primary focus of Wednesday’s meeting will be to match people with ‘littles’ because there are over 100 kids waiting for a big brother or big sister.”  

Senior Anna Remenschneider said she got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters after becoming a service-learning coordinator for the Advocates for Community Engagement.  

Remenschneider said her role is to facilitate service learning to students by being liaison to Big Brothers Big Sisters. She said she sees what the campus can provide for them and serves as an advocate to help get people involved with events and fundraisers.

“I love working with non-profit groups because it’s great insight for how you can function better as a community, which translates anywhere you go,” Remenschneider said.

IU Bowl for Kids Sake, in February, is another volunteer opportunity for Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Senior Megan Cotton said this year marks the 21st anniversary of the IU Bowl. Cotton said she enjoys being part of one of Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest fundraisers and that the IU Bowl alone raised $42,000 last year.

“If people at IU think and work together, we can raise money to save a kid’s life,” Cotton said. “Big Brothers Big Sisters is a great place to learn how to adapt to a professional setting and really make a difference.”