SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners recognized the importance of mentoring with a proclamation this week.
On Tuesday the commissioners partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Eastern Shore to proclaim January as National Mentoring Month.
“This January, National Mentoring Month, we reflect on the power of mentors to transform young lives, and we honor those whose time, talents and availability help unlock the potential in young lives, empowering them to reach for their goals and inspiring them to give back to their communities,” Commissioner Chip Bertino said.
Jonathan Spencer, program assistant for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Eastern Shore, said the group helped more than 300 children in 2017. While the Eastern Shore was initially served by Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Chesapeake, when that program disbanded local sponsors got together to ensure the mentoring program continued on the Eastern Shore.
“We became our own affiliate in January 2017,” Spencer explained.
He said the group served children all over the Eastern Shore but that the biggest service areas were Worcester, Wicomico Dorchester and Kent counties. Spencer said he sees personally the way children benefit from the program, as many of them become more outgoing, perform better in school and improve their social skills after working with a mentor.
“I see improvement from day one,” he said.
There’s currently a waiting list of additional children who would benefit from being involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters. While the program can always use more adult volunteers, Spencer said more male volunteers are really needed.
“We’re seeing a strong female presence,” he said. “We’d like to see a stronger male presence.”
He said that anyone over the age of 18 could volunteer to be a mentor as long as they were willing to commit to meeting with a child twice a month for a year.
“It’s very wide open,” he said, stressing that volunteers just had to be willing to share their time with their “little” sister or brother.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Eastern Shore visit shorebiglittle.org or call 410-543-2447.
