WAREHAM – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod and the Islands has expanded services for an additional program in Wareham.
The new Site-Based Mentoring Program is a partnership with the Boys & Girls Club of Wareham and Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Cadet mentors, or “Bigs,” will travel to the Boys & Girls Club once a week during the school year to meet with their “Littles” for about an hour.
The program model is based on a one-to-one mentoring friendship.
There will also be quarterly visits to the MMA campus to expose the children to the idea of secondary education.
“The purpose of the program is to provide an additional, positive, adult role model to a child who could benefit from 1:1 attention,” said JR Mell, Regional Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We know our program works because of research. A child who is matched with a mentor, for at least a year, shows significant progress in youth development, academic achievement and behavior.”
Kenny Fontes, the unit director for Boys & Girls Club of Wareham, said the club is excited about the partnership.
“This hits home as over 65% of our members are from single family homes, low to extremely low income and some do not have siblings to share their thoughts and feelings with,” Fontes said.
The Boys & Girls Club has extended their hours once a week for kids in the program. The program runs from 5:30 to 7 p.m. and a donor has helped to sponsor dinner for the Bigs and Littles.
MMA is also providing transportation for the cadets.
The new program launched on October 23.
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