PROJECT: Big Brothers / Big Sisters of San Diego OpEd

BODY: We’ve all heard that in life there are no second chances. 

In 1953, a young boy in New York was referred to the local Big Brothers Big Sisters. The 13-year-old chronic truant had moved to New York city with his single mother. He was teased by other students for being different. The boy ended up spending much of his time alone and without a father or adult role model.

The agency social worker was unable to serve the boy immediately due to finances. The boy and his mother simply disappeared before help could arrive.

Ten years later the agency learned about the whereabouts of the young man when on November 22, 1963, he shot and killed President John F. Kennedy. Lee Harvey Oswald, the boy who needed help ten years earlier, was now a man doomed to be labeled as a killer throughout history. There would be no second chance for Oswald.

What if? What if the funds had been available to help that young man? What if there were enough social workers to aid his single mother? What if someone had stepped up and shown the boy a better way?

Every one of us has the opportunity right now to step up and make a difference in the life of a young person who needs help. Every one of us has something to offer. Every one of us can do something today that will impact tomorrow.

Children today face so many challenges – broken homes, living with grandparents, growing up as military children, poverty…the list can go on and on. When 30% of San Diego families are headed by a single parent and the number of children living with grandparents is up 64% since 1991, the fact is that kids get the short end of the deal.

Big Brother Big Sisters of San Diego County currently has 735 children waiting for a mentor right now. That’s 735 kids here in our community looking for an adult with whom to spend time and from whom to learn. That’s 735 kids who need a friend to guide them.

Big Brothers Big Sisters isn’t the only organization committed to helping children grow to be good people. Opportunities abound to make a child feel special. 

The only missing cog in the machine is you – a mentor. You are someone who can teach a child. You are someone who can make a difference. You are someone who can help.

How can your time benefit a child and our community as a whole? Over the span of our 50 years of service, we’ve served more than 20,000 children, changing their lives for the better. Kids in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mentoring programs perform better in school, are less likely to act violently, and are less likely to begin using drugs. Our mentoring programs and others like ours help young people cope with socio-emotional and self-esteem issues. The relationships we foster help children grow into good people, giving them the skills and knowledge to make smart life choices. 

Volunteers and good will are the heart of organizations like ours. We need you. The children of San Diego need you.

What if? What if you gave a few hours each month to a new friend? What if you could help that new friend navigate life’s challenges? What if that friend came to you in ten years and said, “Thanks.”?

We invite you to join us in creating a home that invests in its citizens and where all children have the opportunity to achieve their potential. Please donate. Please volunteer. Together we will make a difference in the life of a child.