01/20/13 - Day 26 - Big Brothers Big Sisters FCC (free)

Festival of Church Choirs today!  It was an event to benefit the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.  It was inspiring. 

I did get paid for my participation so it wasn't exactly an act of complete selflessness on my part.  My buddy is the director of one of the church choirs in a neighboring town and he will sometimes pay me to sing with them when he knows he is going to be low on male voices.  I am glad that he called me for this Festival.  My knowledge of the Big Brother Big Sisters organization I extends as far as the movie Role Models.  It was really cool to get to see the real people involved in the organization and the lives that get affected. 

The organization's mission is "provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever."  Pretty good idea. 

Big Brothers Big Sisters

I started to get very skeptical of the results of someone just spending time with a child facing adversity.  What does it really do?  Does it make a tangible difference?

They actually strive to keep themselves very accountable.  These are the results of a 1995 study of children involved in the program:

more confident in their schoolwork performance

able to get along better with their families

46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs

27% less likely to begin using alcohol

52% less likely to skip school.

I have heard some pretty rough stories about Bigs getting emotionally attached to Littles and being really tore up when something goes wrong.  Not doing something like this because I'm afraid something will go wrong is just chickenshit.  Something is bound to go wrong but a lot more should go right for this kid if they have a positive role model.  I don't know if the organization would want me as a Big Brother.  I'm not super rich and I don't pretend to be a pillar of the community or anything.  I feel I could be a positive influence in a person's life though.

My anonymous kindness attack today was signing up to be a Big Brother.  I had been thinking about doing it since I started doing this project and today was a sign that I needed to commit.  I have a friend that is already a Big Sister and she really likes her Little.  So I have been able to see first hand what the program entails.  I think it will be really good.  I'm excited.

I am going to be gone for the next five days.  Out of the country gone.  My wife and I are going to Jamaica.  It's going to be warm and beautiful and I probably won't be able to update while I'm there.  I'm going to continue my kindness attacks while I'm down there, write them down and update when I get back home. 

Money spent so far:  $83.08