Big Sister Carrie Walia and her Little Sister Emily Foss wait for their match pictures to dry so that they can frame them as special keepsakes representing their time together.

Oxford County Bigs, Littles celebrate program

PARIS – Bigs and Littles throughout Oxford County from the Child Health Center’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Community Mentoring Program got together for a time of celebrate at the First Congregational Church recently.

It was a time when matches met to renew old friendships with other matches they had over the years and make new friends with others who are experiencing the fun and support of the mentoring program.

The Child Health Center’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program is dedicated to helping young people succeed by offering children a special friend.

Some of the matches who attended the event were newly formed, while other Bigs and Littles have been together for many years.

“This year we even had several youth who are on the waiting list. They are children who are waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Sister,” said Diane Blanchard, match coordinator for the Oxford community-based program.

“This is a special opportunity as we currently have a total of 60 children waiting to be matched in Androscoggin and Oxford counties. Inviting them to an event like this helps them to realize that they have not been forgotten and renews their hope in being matched,” she said.

The Bigs and Littles had pizza and cake, followed by decorating cookies and having match photos taken and decorating a frame so that they could take them home in remembrance of their time together.

“The community-based mentoring program is based on one-on-one relationships between an adult, who acts as a positive role model, and a child in need of support. But it is always good to see new friendships form, as it is through these friendships that the children learn that they are not alone in their need for a special friend, In addition, the Bigs find support from others, who like themselves, sometimes need advice or find new activities to offer their Little,” said Blanchard.

For more information on the program, call 743-7035 and ask for Blanchard.