Seventy children whose moms and dads are on active military duty will get one-on-one mentoring through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah, thanks to a new grant.
The Utah group’s share of the $3 million grant will be $122,500, allowing it to get in on the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America’s Military Mentoring Program, said Pam Sanders, director of the Utah group.
 |
Join the Discussion |
 |
Post a Comment |
The grant comes from the U.S. Justice Department’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency.
Nationally, the program already serves more than 6,000 children and families across the country, but this is the first time Utah has had funding to specifically serve military families, Sanders said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters Utah served 1,575 children across the state last year, partnering children with volunteer mentors. The "bigs" are screened and trained, and they typically get together with the "littles" two to four times a month.
"This is one more support that can be given to these families who are doing so much for our country," Sanders said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Utah is recruiting children ages 9 to 16 who have never been matched with a mentor in the program and who have a parent on active duty in the military, she said.
An online enrollment form is available at www.bbbsu.org.
Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
