With the holiday season swiftly approaching, the need for funds and volunteers is ramping up at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

"Here in Missoula, we have a waiting list of about 68 boys and girls that are just waiting for a big brother, a big sister or a big couple to get involved and be their big mentor," said Missoula Big Brothers and Big Sisters CEO Danette Rector. "These are children that range in age from 6 to 17 and are all either living in a single parent family, or might be living with a grandparent, but they are just just need another healthy adult in their life."

Rector says the waiting list is longer than normal this year and that the number of Missoula girls waiting for mentors is higher than it has ever been.

"It is a bit higher this year, especially given the fact that we have 23 little girls that are waiting, that really doesn't happen very often for us, we usually match the little girls up quickly, but it kind of indicates that there is a bigger and bigger demand," Rector said

Although the Big Brothers Big Sisters waiting list is big, the number of children with mentors is even bigger, with about 130 Missoula children currently paired up with a mentor. Rector says that there are currently after school mentoring programs currently running at C.S. Porter Middle School, Russel Elementary and Franklin Elementary.

 

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