INDIANAPOLIS — January is National Mentoring Month, but even as the month wraps up, organizations like Big Brothers, Big Sisters (BBBS) echo that it's always a good time to volunteer.
The need for mentors is ever-growing in central Indiana. There are more than 1,000 young people on a local waitlist for a mentor, commonly known as a "big."
"Of those thousand kids, about 700 are boys, so we are always looking for more positive male role models," said Amy Essley, the chief program officer for BBBS Central Indiana.
The constant demand for more male mentors makes matches like Xavier and Robert all the more impactful. The pair has been matched for three years now.
"He was 13 when we matched, and he's 17 now. That's a lot of growth," Robert said.
"Bob has become a friend to me personally, or even like a family member," Xavier said.
There's always a push in January to let mentors know how much they are needed, but being able to show off connections like Bob and Xavier's are a win-win.
Xavier opened up about the confidence he has now in making friendships, pursuing career goals after high school, and the love for the outdoors that he and Bob now share.
Bob admits Xavier is the more creative of the two and looks forward to seeing him become an engineer one day.
Xavier and Bob typically carve out a few hours to get together each month, but interested mentors don't have to do it alone.
"There's also 'big friend' and 'big couple' options, where two people can (mentor) together, so in both of those, you just have to have known the other person for two years and you mentor one child together," Essley said.
BBBS works to provide low-cost activities for it's matches and informational meetings for interested "bigs." If you'd like to learn more about becoming a mentor, you can visit their website here.