A new registered student organization has made its way to campus, and members say it may be a valuable outlet for youth - especially those seeking answers after last Tuesday’s terrorist attacks on the United States.
Spartan BIGS is an on-campus extension of Big Brothers-Big Sisters of Greater Lansing Inc., which provides one-on-one mentoring programs for some children in the community.
The group is recruiting MSU students to become Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Students are matched with children to provide a positive influence for them and spend about three or four hours each week participating in various activities together.
Jennifer Hance, a communication senior and president of Spartan BIGS, said she believes the group will bring needed mentoring to Lansing-area youth who don’t know what to make of the chaos and trauma following last week’s tragedies.
“As mentors, we need to surround our kids with a sense of (routine) and positive guidance - especially those kids with single parents,” she said. “We will be there to answer their questions and let them know they are safe and there are people who care.”
With more than 40,000 students at MSU, Hance said the group was certain it would be able to find students willing to mentor more than 250 youth in the Lansing area who are waiting to be matched with a “caring adult volunteer.”
Marc Linderman, a fisheries and wildlife graduate student and volunteer for the program in Lansing, said he is ready to be a shoulder his “kids” can cry on.
“At a time like this, kids need someone there for them, whether it’s a parent or a mentor,” he said.
Raul Alvarez, recruitment liaison for Spartan BIGS, said about 50 students volunteer for the program and with its extension at MSU, the number of student volunteers will quickly rise.
“With Spartan BIGS here in MSU, there is a lot of potential to create bigger and better activities for the kids,” he said.
“The chance of being a volunteer and mentor will have a huge impact on students and their experiences. But the impact of this program goes beyond MSU because students all over the Lansing area will continue to have great exposure to community service.”
The organization’s first meeting was scheduled for last Tuesday, but was canceled due to the events in New York City and Washington. Instead, the group will meet at 7:30 p.m. today, at the Ohio State Room in the Union.
