Big Brothers Big Sisters needs ‘Big’ volunteers who are ‘an extra positive person’ in a kid’s life

CEDAR RAPIDS — More than 200 children are on a waitlist to be matched with a trusted adult through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa.

The nonprofit creates and supports mentoring relationships that empower youth to reach their full potential. Bigs — the adult volunteers — are “one extra positive person in a kid’s life,” said Catherine VanDraska, chief program officer with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa.

Trae Perez, 11, and Tabari Perez, 10, each are matched with a couple.

On Saturday, Trae went to The Grill Works in Marion with his matches — Tedde, 32, and Hunter Orton, 33 — for barbecue.

“One thing I don’t like about Hunter is he’s a Raiders fan,” Trae said. “I like the Bengals … And Tedde, I like her a lot because she’s a Bengals fan like me.”

Trae said Hunter and Tedde are “really fun.” Together, they play mini golf and baseball, joke around, and eat good food.

“They’re important to me. They cheer me on. They’re other people to play with me,” Trae said.

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Trae recently celebrated being matched with Tedde and Hunter for five years.

“He’s a very sweet kid. He reminds us what it’s like to be a kid and not take things too seriously all the time,” Tedde said.

The couple became interested in volunteering with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program after Tedde learned more about it at lunch and learn — a time for professional development or networking during the work day.

“There’s something to be said about volunteering with children. They are our future,” Tedde said.

When the couple first signed up with the program, they envisioned being matched with a teenager since the program is open to kids ages 5 to young adulthood. Trae was 6 years old. They thought they would meet him and see if they were a good match.

“There were so many smiles. He’s such a funny kid. The facial expressions he makes and jokes he has reminds us to stay young at heart,” Tedde said.

“Trae cannot wait to let Teddy and Hunter know things he’s done,” said Sara Perez, Trae and Tabari’s mother. “They were the second call when he lost his first tooth and when he learned to ride a bike without training wheels. Any milestone, he calls grandma first, and Tedde and Hunter second.”

Celebrating 50 years

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a challenge of adding 50 Bigs in 50 days beginning in September.

The same challenge this past spring helped the Big Brothers Big Sisters program meet their goal of matching 50 children or “Littles” with 50 adult volunteers or “Bigs.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program’s waitlist “exponentially increased” as families reached out seeking support, said Stephanie Hartson, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cedar Rapids & East Central Iowa. “We had way more child inquiries than we had volunteers,” she said.

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The goal is to get the waitlist below 100 children with no child waiting more than a year for a match, which was the status quo pre-pandemic, Hartson said.

“We’re passionate about getting kids support they need in a time frame that’s reasonable,” she said.

There are about 300 Bigs currently in the program, which asks for a minimum 12 month commitment from its volunteers.

Volunteers, after background and reference checks, are matched with a child within 30 to 45 days, Hartson said.

Once matched, volunteers can learn more about the child, meet them and their family and further determine if the match is a good fit. Matches are based on questionnaires that include questions about Bigs’ and Littles’ interests.

Big Brothers Big Sisters hosts several events each month that matches can attend for free. Match support specialists at Big Brothers Big Sisters provide resources and support specific to children's ages.

More adventures as a Big

Tabari matched with Warren and Alesha Bynoe, both 31, in 2021. He enjoys biking with the Bynoes. “It’s peaceful,” he said.

“It’s been a lot of fun watching Tabari grow. It’s gotten Warren and me out in the community doing activities we wouldn’t typically do just the two of us like trampoline parks and bike rides,” Alesha said.

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With Tabari, Warren and Alesha have been to Hawkeye games, Kernels games, farmers markets, the River Boat Museum in Dubuque — just to name a few adventures. They go to his basketball games, birthday parties and they were there for his graduation ceremony from Hoover Elementary School this year.

“We talk about school, his friends, sports, what video games he’s playing,” Warren said. “The kid’s a ball of energy.”

Warren said he and Alesha were “nervous at first” to be matched with a Little. “We didn’t know if we would be cool enough,” he said.

Sara said both Trae and Tabari “adore their Bigs.” “The more people that can love on your babies the better,” she said.

‘We’ll be lifelong friends’

Tammy Ohrnstein, 56, has been matched with her Little, Haley Dvorak, since 2017. Haley, now 17, is a rising senior at Jefferson High School.

“We’ll be lifelong friends,” Ohrnstein said.

Ohrnstein said she began volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters once her own children were grown and out of the house. She missed being around kids.

“When we started out, (Haley) was a very shy, quiet little girl,” Ohrnstein said. “Now, she’s outgoing and confident. She’s a cheerleader and runs track and is currently working two jobs. It’s been fun to see that change.”

Valerie Dvorak, Haley’s mother, said she initially signed Haley up for Big Brothers Big Sisters to have “someone outside the family” to turn to.

Ohrnstein has been there for Haley’s entire family through the pandemic, derecho and when the Dvoraks had a house fire, Valerie said.

How to be a Big

There are many options for those looking to get involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters.

There are one-on-one matches, couples matches and even family matches between Bigs and Littles.

There’s Lunch Buddies, where a Big meets with their Little at their school twice a month during lunch or recess, which is a “neat stepping stone” into volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Hartson said.

There also is Sports Buddies, a program that provides monthly sports-related activities, builds confidence and encourages physical activity. Hartson said they soon will have a similar program focused on the arts.

Big Futures ensures kids graduate on time and with a plan.

For more information about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, visit them online at bigcr.org.

Comments: (319) 398-8411; grace.king@thegazette.com