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Character and leadership development. Programs include aquatics, arts, sports, fitness and recreation, health and life skills, educational and career development, job training, career preparation, tutoring services, and age appropriate community service.

Outdoor activities, including Carter Lake Summer Camp (Mon-Fri 8 am-4 pm).

Meals served. Limited bus service - call for details.

Volunteers (Bigs) are matched with children, teen, and young adult mentees (“Littles”) in communities across McHenry County based on their interests, skill sets, experience and any other pertinent information. The matches are then provided with support and guidance from professional match support staff.

The matches spend anywhere from 4 to 8 hours per month together, and a 12 month commitment is required.

Provides the opportunity for the mentor (Big) to visit their Little in the child's school, after school program, or at another youth-serving agency. This allows for the mentor to meet in a more structured environment than out in the community, usually for about an hour per week.

Character and leadership development. Programs include aquatics, arts, sports, fitness and recreation, health and life skills, educational and career development, job training, career preparation, tutoring services, and age appropriate community service.

Outdoor activities, including Carter Lake Summer Camp (Mon-Fri 8 am-4 pm).

Meals served. Limited bus service - call for details.

Intensive support to high-risk children in foster care to stabilize placements and prevent entry into higher levels of care. Services offered include:

-- Brief individual and family counseling.

-- Placement stabilization services.

-- Crisis intervention.

-- Community linkage.

-- Foster parent support.

-- School intervention and tutoring.

-- Court advocacy.

-- Mentoring services.

-- Enrichment activities.

Offers to empower male youth to make positive life choices. Program provides participants with mentor/mentee matches, weekly group mentoring sessions, graduation ceremonies and special events. Locations vary within the Polk County area, including community and school-based sites.

Volunteer tutors for adults, available to native speakers of English seeking to improve literacy skills and those learning English as a new language (English Language Learners).

One to one instruction is available for learners desiring to work at their own pace and/or on a specific skill area.

Small group tutoring is offered through programs organized around students of particular cultures, needs, or goals (Citizenship, Family Literacy, and Workforce Readiness for Refugees, GED Prep and CNA Prep), and in programs to develop vocabulary and skills in a specific subject area (Computer Literacy). Additionally, family literacy programs are available for adult English language learners and their preschool and early elementary age children.

Free conversation groups provide a forum for students to practice their skills in listening and speaking English. Tutors facilitate the groups by giving students discussion topics, vocabulary and dialogue practice.

Volunteer tutors are trained through a 3-5-hour program covering learning styles, adult language acquisition and lesson development. Persons 18 years or older are invited to become tutors and LL members. A minimum commitment of one year is requested for volunteer tutors.

Offers professionally supported, one-on-one relationships with adult mentors. Mentors and mentees are matched by similar interests. Monthly activities and community service projects are planned for mentoring pairs to participate in. Mentors spend an average of 4-8 hour per month for a minimum of one year with their mentee.

Long term residential placement for youth 10-18 years of age. Outpatient substance abuse treatment and therapy services available for youth placed in the long-term residential program.

Behavioral health services for youth 5-18 years of age depending on the program or service.

Volunteer mentoring program for 3rd through 12th grade in math or reading skills.

Family preservation services in Iowa and Nebraska.

Educational programs for professionals working with youth.

Serves children ages 7-21 by matching them with a caring, positive adult role model. The child and mentor meet in the community and spend time doing different activities they both enjoy and/or interact on any video conferencing platform that is not observable by BBBS. The participants commit to meeting for a minimum of 4 hours in 2-4 outings per month for a minimum of 12 months. Mentors can be a Big Brother, Big Sister, or a Big Couple. (Married couple or 2 individuals in a committed relationship for 3 or more years who currently live together.)

The following programs are part of the Community Based Mentoring program and serve a specific population of children:

- Juvenile Justice – Youth in this program have had some contact with the juvenile justice system (delinquency court appearance, parole intake or actual arrest) and can benefit from a friend and role model who helps guide them as they work towards making better choices.

- Mentoring Children of Prisoners – The children in this program have one or both parents currently incarcerated. Bigs in this program can help just by being their friend and giving stability to that youth.

- Latino Mentoring – Children in this program have Latino heritage and may have Spanish speaking parents, and may prefer a Spanish speaking mentor. These matches are supported by bilingual Big Brothers Big Sisters’ staff members.

- Foster Care – Youth in foster care placements have interpersonal, developmental challenges and are vulnerable as they transition into adulthood. These youth can benefit from a friend and role model who helps guide them as they work towards making healthy choices.

- LGBTQ+ – One-to-one mentoring can help LGBTQ+ youth confront challenges and promote positive personal and educational outcomes.

Boxing gym with a mentorship and violence prevention program, with the goal of helping increase school graduation rates.

Programming teaches non-combative de-escalation, how to properly exercise and diet for a healthy lifestyle, and how to process and release emotions or stress in a positive manner.

Members are given strategic exercises individually and in a group, in both a classroom and gym setting.

Offers educational, social, cultural, and recreational opportunities for families including mentoring, community meal, and summer food program.

Offers mentoring, goal achievement, financial aid support, last dollar in scholarships and college-bound programming to youth from Omaha’s under-resourced communities, providing these students with a continuum of support from pre-kindergarten to careers.

Matches youth ages 5-12 with caring, positive, committed, adult role models. The youth (Little) and mentor (Big) meet in the community 2-4 times per month for a minimum of 4 hours and spend time exploring activities they already enjoy and trying some new ones.

Services for individuals with disabilities. Includes information and referral, service coordination, independent living skills training, individual and system advocacy, equipment loan and rental, barrier removal consultations and grants, and disability awareness training. Assists people with disabilities to transition from nursing homes to community based living. Offers a personal assistant referral and management program. Peer mentoring. Mobility options equipment repair and sales.

SchoolConnect matches elementary school students in Kindergarted through 5th grade with a mentor from area high schools and colleges. Matches meet once a week for 30 minutes at the elementary schools during the academic year. Matches are encouraged to be creative together and do activities that they both enjoy with an emphasis on enhancing communication and social skills. MentoringWorks provides games, craft supplies, books and STEM activities for matches at each elementary school.

CareerConnect focuses on developing career interest within sophomores, juniors and seniors in high school and also building an employment pipeline within the community. Participants shadow a mentor in the career field of their choosing to establish new contacts, employment skills and potential employment. All services provided at no cost.