Long Island Big Brothers: More men needed to help more boys in need
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island is looking for volunteers to pair with boys in need of adult male role models. Credit: Randee Daddona
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island is looking for volunteers they can pair with boys on a waiting list for positive male role models.
The national organization's Long Island affiliate, which has operated for 46 years in Nassau and Suffolk counties, currently needs mentors for 66 boys, with 114 more boys expected to be added to that roster soon, Chief Program Officer Fabiola Turner said.
"Mentoring as an intervention is now more important than ever. Our Long Island children are struggling. They’re socially isolated, they’re having academic challenges and emotional difficulties socially,” Fabiola said. “They need the mentor to help share their experiences, expose them to new outlets as well as just to be a friend and go play ball at the park.”
Boys in the program are between the ages of 7 and 16.
“There’s always been a need for male mentors,” said Mark Cox, chief executive officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Long Island. “The reality is ever since COVID, there’s been an escalation for the need and more families are enrolling in the program … This is not just a local problem, but a national challenge to find male mentors.”
He said many of the boys come from single-parent families, live with other relatives or are in foster care. Bullying is common and some boys come to the program in need of self confidence and a role model to help them achieve it.
Applicants are screened, including a criminal-background check, before they are introduced to families. Volunteers are required to have a valid driver’s license and a vehicle, Cox said.
Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder said he became a Big Brother in 1987 when he was paired with a young boy from Roosevelt. A bond that formed 36 years ago is still strong. The two talk once a month, Ryder said.
“You can be a role model. Anybody can be a role model. It’s what’s in your heart and what you need to do,” Ryder said. “Kids today need guidance, they need help. They need mentors. It’s nice we can give back. It’s in everybody, it's just about getting it out.”
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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