A growing network of daycare centers
means love for the children and peace of mind for their working moms.
Big Brother/Big Sister Program
Children at risk are the inevitable byproduct of poverty. Parents are absent, working long hours at two or more menial jobs, and there is no one at home to supervise homework let alone maintain a clean and positive domestic environment. Hence the pull of the streets becomes very powerful, resulting in a downward spiral of indolence, indifference, failure and crime.
Coming to the rescue is Colel Chabad’s Big Brother and Big Sister program, which pairs such children with an adult role model who is tasked with keeping them on track.
Unlike other Big Brother / Big Sister programs, ours is comprised of serious young men and women who are educators themselves. They are paid a modest salary to help their charges with both schoolwork and their personal issues.
Each Big Brother or Sister invests quality, scheduled time with their ‘sibling’. What’s more, they must be on call at all times to respond to anything from an emergency to a question about a school assignment.
The results are dramatic, with a high percentage of our at-risk children performing well in school and going on to become productive citizens.
Big Brother/Sister at a Glance:
- Established in 2007
- Number of volunteers: 23
- Children helped: 447