ABILENE, Texas — Big Brothers Big Sisters Abilene, Abilene Mayor Weldon Hurt and the Abilene Police Department are launching a city-wide mentoring campaign Sept. 1. The campaign, "30 Men in 30 Days", is aimed at recruiting 30 dedicated male volunteers in 30 days to become mentors for boys in the Abilene area.
The goal for the partnership is to inspire Abilene area men to step forward to make a lasting impact on the lives of young boys who could greatly benefit from a positive adult mentor.
“One out of three young people report not having a consistent, supportive, caring adult in their life, and I believe there are thousands of men in our community with the integrity, compassion, and time to greatly change that statistic. A significant population of the future of Abilene is on our waiting list,” Talan Cobb, BBBS market president, said.
“With a shared vision of fostering strong relationships between adult volunteers (Bigs) and young mentees (Littles), the APD, Mayor Hurt, and BBBS are joining forces to encourage men from all walks of life to become mentors and friends to boys in the community of Abilene. By dedicating 30 minutes a week or a couple of hours a month, our volunteers will be shaping the future of Abilene and contributing to the growth and development of the next generation,” Joel Paris, director of recruitment, BBBS Abilene, said.
"A lot of us can think back and recall a person who had a significant, positive impact on our lives. But what's important to remember is that the people who leave that impact don't necessarily spend a lot of time with us. A lot of times, a big impact is made in relatively short amounts of time or experiences. This is the perfect opportunity to be that person and know the difference you make may be in ways you never expected," Hurt said.
APD interim Chief Doug Wrenn reinforced the need for mentoring and declared a call to action for men to volunteer saying, "The potential for Abilene's youth does not meet with the same growth opportunities for all. Having men of character, willing to give up a small part of their time mentoring our Littles, could affect a lifetime of change. Our future cannot be purchased, inherited or rented. It must be home grown. Please consider being a Big.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a professionally supported one-to-one mentoring organization serving the Abilene area since 1978.
To learn more about the "30 Men in 30 Days" campaign, go to bbbstx.org/be-a-big/; or call Joel Paris at 325-674-3129.