Little Rock child, age 9, longed for a mentor

Little Rock, Arkansas – At Brady Elementary School, there is a particular room that Vincent Kyzer likes to hang out in when he has free time. It is a place where students can enjoy themselves while also gaining knowledge through activities such as building with Lincoln Logs and experimenting with cool technology such as 3D printers.

“There’s a website that you look up what you want on there and it’ll 3D print, but the 3D printer has to be hooked up to the computer,” Vincent said.

Even though Vincent is interested in interesting things, there is one subject that the child in the fourth grade does not like.

“Reading,” Vincent said.

Vincent is one of the 109 students who are currently on the waiting list to be matched with a Big, also known as a mentor, at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. In the month of August, his mother registered him. Vincent expressed his excitement about the prospect of having an older sibling for two distinct reasons.

“I live with all girls,” he explained. “I don’t really get to see my dad that much.”

The organization is looking for male volunteers to fill the role of mentors. The requirement is simple. In order to ignite a young person’s potential, a commitment of at least four hours per month is required.

Traditional mentoring is available through BBBSCA, in which Bigs pick up their Littles, also known as mentees, and spend time with them outside of school. There are also mentorship programs that take place on a site-specific basis, such as those that take place in a school or an after-school program.

Even though Vincent is a reserved nine-year-old boy, he does have an idea of what the characteristics of the ideal partner would be.

“One that’s active, one that likes to play video games and watch TV,” Vincent said.

Vincent has also admitted that he has trouble in school, so he has expressed a desire to have a big brother who can assist him with his schoolwork and who will also lend him an attentive ear.

Visit BBBSC.org if you are interested in becoming a Big at our organization. If you would like to assist BBBSCA but are unable to do so in the capacity of a volunteer, the organization is also accepting monetary donations at this time.