Since 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has made a difference in the lives of adversity-facing children throughout the country by providing them with mentors who help kids reach their full potential and build their futures.
And in a small city like Petal, with a population of 10,454 as of the last census, those one-on-one relationships may be more important than ever.
“Petal has exactly the same things that are in every other city, it’s just on a smaller scale over here,” said Nancy Hullum, program specialist with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Pine Belt. “We have children who live in poverty, we have children that go hungry, we have children that live with relatives other than mom and dad, we have single-parent children, we have children who are in (Department of Human Services) custody who are placed in another home.
“I don’t know that the city itself, or a lot of the people in Petal, understand that this happens if they’re not connected to it in some way. You don’t really get how deep this problem goes until you are faced with it yourself. So if we want to keep our community strong, then we want to raise the right kinds of leaders for the future.”
To that end, this year alone Hullum has made 106 matches in Petal between mentors and children – or as they’re better known, “Bigs” and “Littles.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters offers two types of mentoring programs - community-based or site-based - both aimed at children from 6 to 18 years old. In site-based programs, the mentor spends time with the child at school, while in community-based programs, the mentor treats the child to an event like a movie or meal at a restaurant.
Site-based programs usually require the mentor to spend at least one hour a week with the child, while community-based programs require about four to six hours of the mentor’s time every week.
Hullum said although Petal isn’t exactly the biggest city in Mississippi, the people and organizations there are certainly supportive.
“Churches are adopting schools, and when they adopt a school they will also provide me with mentors to go into the school to work with the children,” she said. “I’m also able to use high school children as mentors because of the two elementary schools that are on campus with (Petal High) school.
“And this has proven to be a really great thing for both sides – high school students and the kids – because the high school students learn that there are children who might not necessarily have grown up in the best circumstances or don’t have what they have. And it just gives them a bigger view of what life is actually about and what’s actually out there. And the ‘Littles’ get to have somebody they can relate to, to share the things that they like to do.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters has served in the Petal area since 2000, and its reach in the Friendly City is growing each year – to the point where Hullum has several “Littles” that she hasn’t been able to match with a mentor.
“We have a capacity – we’re really not supposed to match over 100 (pairs), but in most areas we go over that because the demand is so great,” she said. “And we want to continue to do what we can for these kids.”
Valerie Wilson, who serves as the executive director of the Petal Area Chamber of Commerce, is a Big Sister to two “Littles” – an 11-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy. Wilson said she’s a strong believer in Big Brothers Big Sisters, in part because of the care the organization takes when matching mentors with children.
“I think it makes a huge difference in the lives of children,” she said. “It changes their lives to know that somebody cares about them, that somebody is willing to take time with them and take an interest in them.
“Most of them just need someone to show them that they love them, and Big Brothers Big Sisters is so awesome.”
The organization is gearing up for its annual Bowl For Kids Sake event, which is the only fundraiser Big Brothers Big Sisters conducts each year. This year’s event will be held from 4-8 p.m. April 30 at Hub Bowling Lanes, 7022 U.S. 49 in Hattiesburg.
Groups are encouraged to sponsor a lane for $350, and donations in any amount also are welcome.
“Big sponsors will pay money to be able to have a lane to bowl, and they bring in their own people to bowl,” Hullum said. “We also have ‘Bigs’ and ‘Littles’ that come to bowl, and so members of the community can get to know these people who are working with Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“Especially the children, I think that’s the part they enjoy the most – we usually try to get at least a couple of the children to bowl at the same lane that the businesses are bowling, so that they can get to know them. And every bit of the money that we make from Bowl For Kids Sake comes right back to the Pine Belt.”
For more information on Bowl For Kids Sake, contact Hullum at (601) 584-4704.
