Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, another rebuilding effort is underway in New Orleans.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship organization is relaunching in the Big Easy for the first time since they were forced to close in the wake Hurricane Katrina.
Kalli Christ has been the CEO of BBBS in the wider area of Acadiana & Greater New Orleans since 2017. She says there are thousands of local kids who could benefit from a mentor.
And, in an encouraging development, there seems to be an emerging interest in people willing to volunteer.
New data from Big Brothers Big Sisters shows that there is a 7% increase in black males who are volunteering—a critical demographic for the organization.
Since the New Orleans relaunch, the group has already made 15 matches.
Mentorship typically occurs in one of two ways. The first option is school-based, in which a mentor visits their “little brother” or “little sister” in school and meets with them weekly.
The other option is a community-based experience in which the child and mentor participate in an activity together for two to three hours a month.
“Spending time together over pizza, 15 minutes over a cup of coffee or 30 minutes of playing football,” Christ told WGNO news. “This makes an incredible impact on young people by providing guidance, fostering hope, and inspiring resilience in that person.”
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Nationally, the program serves approximately 400,000 kids, with about 55% of them living below the poverty line. But, there are 30,000 children on the waiting list across the country, so volunteers are needed.
Recently, The TODAY show helped to reconnect a Big Brother with his ‘Little’, after 18 years. Their reporter Trymaine Lee first met Jonathan Harris in 2006 when Lee volunteered to be a Big Brother. Harris was just 10 years old. The two met frequently to hang out, talk, and sometimes just throw a football.
After Hurricane Katrina, the organization struggled to maintain its staff and volunteers, with the turmoil affecting the city, and eventually had to close its doors.
Harris and Lee drifted apart over the years but, in the end, their mentorship experience proved impactful for both parties. Lee credits the program for helping him envision marriage and family life—and he now has a daughter of his own..
“People think it’s all about the youngsters,” Harris said in the video below. “But he poured into me as much as I poured into him.
“And after all these years, to see this grown man from that little boy, it just touches my heart.”
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It’s a shining example to inspire new ‘Big Brothers’ to pair up with New Orleans youth—and make new memories 20 years in the making. Find out more about volunteering on their website.
ALERT VOLUNTEERS IN NEW ORLEANS By Sharing This on Social Media…