June 2006 - The Parklander Magazine

Paying It Forward:MentoringBy Apryl Chapman ThomasJorge Garrido is a big believer in having a mentor. Afterall, this father of two had mentors in every stage of his lifeand he credits them for helping him get where he is today.He wanted to do the same for a child so he became a bigbrother with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS), the oldest andlargest mentoring organization in the U.S.Garrido got involved in 1992, prior to entering themilitary, and served as a mentor for two years. Later, whenhe moved to Broward County, he contacted its local chapter.Waiting to be matched up withGarrido was 11-year-old Edgar.Neither of them realized it, but theywere about to embark on a specialrelationship.“We got along from day one,” recallsGarrido. “There was not an awkward‘getting to know you’ period.” Hechuckles. “In fact, we got along sowell that my wife, who was matchedas Edgar’s big sister, felt left out.” Shecheerfully relinquished her role,allowing Edgar’s and Jorge’srelationship to strengthen.In the beginning, they did all of thetypical activities. They went to themovies, played basketball and wentbowling and fishing.Edgar and Jorge Garrido(with his son)“We have such a natural relationship that it doesn’t feellike I’m volunteering,” says Garrido. “I feel as if I amactually his big brother.” Now 17, Edgar is a regular atJorge’s office helping out after school. “Not only does hedevelop life skills, he gets to see me at work and moreimportantly, he stays out of trouble.”Garrido proclaims his experience as a Big Brother“tremendous” and says he’s glad to have had theopportunity to be a positive role model in a young person’slife. He was also drawn to the organization because, comingfrom a single-parent household himself, he could relate tothe kids on a personal level.“Most single parents work a full time job and when theycome home in the evening, they’re too tired or too busy tohave time or energy to talk with the kids,” he says. “Havinga big brother/little brother relationship can help relieve alot of problems kids might be facing.” Garrido feels it’sespecially important for boys, who can talk more freelywith older men than with their moms.His involvement with the BBBS doesn’t end withmentoring Edgar. Garrido is currently serving a two-yearterm as president of Broward County’s Big Brothers BigSisters program. “The opportunity to be involved with theorganization from both sides has been great,” he says. “I getto see the full spectrum, from how much the fundraisershelp the organization to how volunteers are matched withchildren.”Incorporated in 1973 the organization, much like BrowardCounty, is still growing. One of its long-term goals is tohave enough volunteers to cover the entire county.There are three ways to volunteer withBBBS. Edgar and Garrido participate inthe Community Based One-to-One,which is the most popular and wellknownmethod. After an interview andscreening process, a mentor is matchedwith a child who can be anywhere fromage six to 18 and who has similarinterests. The mentor and the child arerequired to get together almost everyweek for activities like movies, readingtogether, riding bikesor just hanging out.The other twoprograms are basedon the One-to-Onemodel. The Bigs inSchool and Sites (BISS) is the schoolbasedprogram. It was recently implemented into ParkTrails Elementary School where about 15 children are beingmentored. Each mentor meets with a child one hour a week,either at school or at an after-school site.Volunteers In Service In Our Neighborhoods (VISION) isa support group that assists in planning recreational eventsfor Bigs and kids, and social events to recognize volunteers.According to Ana Cendeño, executive director of BBBSBroward, there are 900 individuals in all of the programs.Garrido adds, “The beauty about volunteering with theBig Brothers Big Sisters is that you don’t need to have aspecific type of personality. You just need a willingness tomentor a child. The organization matches adults andchildren based on their personalities and interest, and thematches usually get along with each other.”For more information about volunteering with BigBrothers Big Sisters of Broward County, you can call (954)584-9990, or email info@bbbsbroward.org; or visit the website,www.bbbsbroward.org.Apryl Chapman Thomas is a freelance writer whose work hasappeared in national and regional publications. When not writing,she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and reading.10the PARKLANDER