Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia provides one-on-one mentors, but they need your help.p dir="ltr">More than 1,600 kids had mentors last year, but right now there are a couple hundred on the waiting list, needing a volunteer to match with.p dir="ltr">That's according to Patricia Williamson with Big Brothers Big Sisters.p dir="ltr">She says, "We are really looking for African American men to step up to the plate and become Big Brothers, we have a lot of little boys on our waiting list."p dir="ltr">Williamson says kids with mentors are often in single-family homes or live with grandparents or other caregivers.p dir="ltr">She says they are focusing on forming long-term matches for the kids they serve. She says the goal is to help the kids be successful in life and continue their education.p dir="ltr">"We are looking for just everyday people, we're looking for people who want to make a difference in the community and someone who is willing to spend that one hour a week or that few hours a month with their little brother or little sister," she says.p dir="ltr">Lynn Haddock got custody of her four grandkids a little more than two years ago, and things have not always been easy.p dir="ltr">She says, "I have a vision impairment so I can't drive and so they don't get to go do a lot of the things other kids get to do."p dir="ltr">That is, she says, until Big Brothers Big Sisters came along, providing a friend and a big sister for Destini, Dex, Demi and Dekota.p dir="ltr">13WMAZ's Stephanie Susskind and Sonya Stevens are Big Sisters to two of the kids.p dir="ltr">10-year-old Dex and Sonya were matched up last year, and Stephanie became 12-year-old Destini's mentor this spring.p dir="ltr">Dex and Sonya worked on his wooden-airplane science fair project, helping him earn second place.p dir="ltr">Lynn Haddock says it has been a while since she saw Destini light up the way she did when she and Stephanie went to see Disney on Ice.p dir="ltr">Haddock says these experience help shape her grandkids' lives.p dir="ltr">"It's made the kids have some one-on-one stability, and I think it's given them some confidence in themselves to have a friend that they can talk to," she says.p dir="ltr">Haddock says she enjoys seeing each child get lost in their own world with their 'big.'p dir="ltr">"I just feel like it is one of the best things that could have ever happened to these kids," she says.p dir="ltr">If you are interested in volunteering to become a big brother or big sister, you can call 478-745-3984 or visit their website at www.bbbsheartga.org. />
