Become a Mentor: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region

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Here at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the 7 Rivers Region we pair caring, responsible adults with children in our community for a one-to-one mentoring relationship. Our goal is to provide children with strong and enduring, professionally supported relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Independent research, as well as the data that we collect locally, shows that children who are involved with our program have higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships. They are more likely to avoid risky behaviors and to have greater educational success.

Our matches meet once a week, for at least an hour or two, either in the community or at a specific site. Site locations include local schools, after school programs, and the Boys and Girls Club. Our main office is located in La Crosse and from there we serve La Crosse County as well as Stoddard, La Crescent, Hokah, and Sparta. We also have satellite offices in Vernon County, WI and Winona County, MN. Last year our dedicated Bigs positively impacted the lives of 447 children throughout our service area. All of our services are provided free of charge to our children, families, volunteers, and schools/sites.

We match children between the ages of 5 and 14 years old, but once matched a child can stay in the program until they turn 18 or graduate from high school, whichever comes last. Once a match is made the Big, the Little, and the Parent/Guardian receive regular contact and support from our experienced, professional staff. We are there from day one to make sure that everyone is safe, happy, and having fun! At any time a parent, Big or Little can contact our staff if they have questions, concerns, or if they just need some new activity ideas.

Our two biggest needs are volunteers and funding. We currently have roughly 150 children waiting to be matched in our program and many of them are boys who are only open to being matched with a Big Brother. Unfortunately, we don't get enough male mentors to come close to meeting the need. For every Big Brother application we receive, we get 10-15 Big Sisters. We are always looking for caring, responsible adults to spend time with a child, especially Big Brothers and Big Couples. Big Couples are two people in a long-term, committed relationship who are matched with a Little who they spend time with each week, as a couple or individually as schedule permit.

For more information about our program and our upcoming events see our website: www.7riversbbbs.org! Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.

We are currently seeking Mentors aged 18+ for our Community Based Program and 16+ for our Site Based Program. Volunteers spend a minimum of one hour a week with their "Little" at a time that is convenient for them. All Mentors are supported from day one by our experienced professional staff.


Seeking Female Volunteers: Yes

Seeking Male Volunteers: Yes

Minimum Match Commitment (in months): 12 months or longer

Type of Mentoring: One-to-One

Youth Population Served: Academically At-Risk, Adjudicated/court involved, First-Generation College, Foster, Residential or Kinship Care, Gang At-Risk, General Youth Population, Gifted/Talented/Academic Achiever, Homeless/Runaway, Incarcerated Parent, LGBTQ Youth, Low Income, Mental Health Issues, Parent Involved in Military, School Drop-Out, Single-Parent Household, Special Education, Youth with Disabilities

Mentoring Program Goals: Career Exploration, Education/Academic Support, Friendship/Socialization, Healthy Behaviors, Reduce Recidivism, Other

Ages of Youth Served: 7 and under, 8-10, 11-14