Larry Fitzgerald: Making a Difference

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona (BBBSAZ) welcomes All-Pro Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald as a Big Brother and spokesperson for the mentoring organization's new commercial.  The fun-spirited commercial brings additional awareness to the organization's need for more Big Brother mentors. Almost 90 percent of the 900 children waiting for a mentor are boys, and some of those boys wait up to two years for a Big Brother.For more than 50 years, BBBSAZ has provided quality mentors for children ages six to fourteen serving children and volunteers in Maricopa, Northern Gila and portions of Pinal Counties.

The Need

We need Big Brothers. Currently, more than 900 children are waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister mentor, most of which are boys.

The Commitment

Adult mentors (“Bigs”) and the children they mentor (“Littles”) are matched with similar interests, meet two to four times per month, and are paired in one of our two main programs:

Site-Based – Bigs meet with their Littles at his or her school during the lunch hour. Matches have lunch, play ball, do homework; just become friends!

Community-Based – Bigs and Littles spend a few hours a month doing things they both enjoy. Matches play sports, wash cars, watch movies or just hang out.

Mentoring Works

Children in our program show improved tes scores and positive behaviors in both school and home, compared with peers who are not matched with a Big. In fact, youth who regularly meet with their Big Brother or Sister are:

52% less likely to skip a day of school

46% less likely to start using illegal drugs

37% less likely to engage in an act of violence

More confident of their performance in schoolwork

(Tierney, J.P., Grossman, J.B., and Resch, N.L. – 1995 – Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Philadelphia: Public/Private Ventures)