Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cherokee County celebrated its new location at 90 Tennessee St. in downtown Murphy on Thursday. That makes this a good time to take stock in how far the nonprofit has come since it was founded in late 2010, with the first matches made in early 2011.
The goal of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina is to “create and support mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.” They accomplish that by “working to ensure every child in WNC has an enjoyable, long-term relationship with a caring adult who believes in them and sees their potential.”
 |
Outcomes show the program works. When compared with their peers, Littles are 52 percent less likely to skip school, 46 percent less likely to use drugs and 33 percent less likely to hit someone. A 2017 school survey showed 93 percent of Littles improved academic performance, 92 percent improved problem solving and 87 percent improved attendance.
Bigs and Littles don’t just meet at school for lunch. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cherokee County awarded two $500 college scholarships on May 28. Four boys got a chance to build rockets on May 20. A fun end-of-year event was held at Konehete Veterans Park in Murphy on April 18. And the annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake was a blast in March.
In four decades, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Western North Carolina has served more than 14,000 children and expects to serve 2,000 in the next year. Organizers believe there is a special spark in every child that can lead them to become positive, productive citizens of our community and the world.
You can help. Just reach out in one of the ways below, and someone will get in touch with you to share how you can make a difference in the life of a young person who needs a mentor – maybe someone just like you.
Details: In Cherokee County, call the office at 828-361-0989; write to P.O. Box 248, Murphy, NC 28906; email senior program coordinator Gloria Dockery at cherokee@bbbswnc.org; or visit bbbswnc.org.
– Publisher David Brown