INDIANAPOLIS — January is National Mentoring Month and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) is making a big push to find more volunteers to mentor young Hoosiers.
"Jaedyn and I got matched, that will be coming up on three years and May,” Andy Ancel said.
Being a "Big" is a familiar role for Ancel.
"He's my second little here in Indianapolis,” said Ancel. “My youngest son went away to college, and that's when I decided to sign up because I wanted somebody to hang out with."
"I got really lucky because I got a good thing," Jaedyn said.
In just three years, Jaedyn said he has learned so much from Andy.
"I've learned a lot of stuff about different subjects, like sports, some school stuff, and, like, handy work sometimes,” Jaedyn said.
“And maybe some cooking too. Yeah, that's one of Jayden's favorite activities, is cooking," Ancel said.
Cherished experiences make a greater impact on kids who need it most.
"We have over 1,000 kids still waiting for a big brother, a big sister, a big, so we're just hoping that more people step up this new year and help build a community for kids," Jackie Lai, Director of Marketing and Communications for BBBSCI, said.
Lai said BBBSCI sees more interest in mentorship during National Mentoring Month.
"Everybody is coming back into the new year, all refreshed and ready to potentially make a change for their lives. And one of those great changes is becoming a mentor," Lai said.
Being a mentor is a commitment that only requires two to six hours a month.
"The two most common fears that we hear about are, A, I don't have enough time to commit to this, and B, I'm not good enough to be a mentor," Lai said.
This month, BBBSCI encourages folks to stop by to see how other “Bigs” interact with their littles and try it.
"It's something I look forward to, because if not, I would probably just still be sitting at my desk working longer, and now I have a good reason to shut it down because I'm hanging out with Jaedyn tonight," Ancel said.
You can learn more about becoming a mentor by visiting BBBSCI's website.
Staff members will also host pop-ups at some Starbucks around our community in Central Indiana.
