By Jen Otterson,Staff Writer
Friday’s cookout at Range Pond featured swimming, games and plenty of food

POLAND – More than 50 people attended the Big Brothers Big Sisters annual cookout at Range Pond State Park in Poland on Friday.

Children in the program and their adult or teen mentors played volleyball, went swimming and enjoyed the cookout together. For dessert, the Bigs and Littles, as they call themselves, shared a cake and sundaes.

Thirteen-year-old Jeremy has been in the program for five years. He and his Big Brother, Peter Hutchinson, meet weekly to play miniature golf or go to the driving range. They go for walks together and occasionally play basketball, “but not too often,” Hutchinson adds. “He’s too good.”

Like many matches, they started meeting at Jeremy’s school for an hour a week, later moving on to a community-based program. In the school-based program, matches are encouraged to spend some time each week doing a physical activity, some working on schoolwork and some, just talking.

Ron Hood, site-based coordinator for schools in the Lewiston area, said that the biggest challenge for new Bigs is how to spend that hour. He suggests that volunteers keep in mind the words “mind, body and soul,” and ensure that a little time is spend each week to enrich each of those aspects of the Littles. Being in the school setting creates an opportunity to do that without a lot of extra work on the volunteer’s part.

20 kids waiting

Eventually, many matches find that one hour a week isn’t enough. When that happens, volunteers can move on to the community-based program. The program requires that volunteers spend six hours each month with their Little Brother or Sister. Unlike the site-based program, volunteers can choose how and where that time is spent.

Community-based program coordinator Diane Blanchard tries to arrange an outing each month for these matches. In the past, Big Brothers Big Sisters groups have gone to hockey games and ridden the Songo Queen riverboat. There are also three events each year for matches in both programs: an end of summer event like the cookout, a recognition dinner and a Christmas party.

Blanchard currently has more than 20 children on her waiting list, most of them boys. Littles are recommended for the program by parents, teachers or guidance councilors. Bigs can be teens or adults, single or married, with children of their own or without.

“You don’t have to be big into sports to do the program,” Hood said. “You don’t have to be a brain. You just have to be a friend.”

Hutchinson pointed out that the Littles are not the only members of the program who benefit from it. “As an adult, I get as much, maybe more,” out of his relationship with his Little, he said. “He keeps me young.”

“Energized, healthy,” Jeremy chimed in.

He reminded his Big Brother that the Littles get a lot out of the program, as well.

“Even if you had a stressful day at school,” Jeremy said, “you can see your Big Brother and he keeps you smiling.”