thedrifter
11-30-06, 07:48 PM
Big siblings sought for military children
By: ALEXANDRA DELUCA - For the North County Times
CAMP PENDLETON -- Andrew Escobar looks forward to Tuesdays.
The 8-year-old can't wait for the school day to end each Tuesday so he can hang out with his big brother, Darcy.
"I'm really excited to see him," said Andrew.
Andrew and Darcy do the usual brother stuff: They play catch, make Lego models, challenge each other at Connect Four, talk, laugh and goof around.
But Darcy isn't Andrew's actual brother. He's Andrew's "Big Brother," a volunteer with Operation Bigs, a program that provides mentors to children of military families on Camp Pendleton.
Launched in September 2004, Operation Bigs is the only Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter that specifically serves a military base. The program, which is part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, matches adult mentors with students at four elementary schools on Camp Pendleton.
Students are referred to Operation Bigs by parents, teachers and school administrators who feel they could benefit from the program. The majority of students in the program range in age from 7 to 12 and have at least one parent who is deployed.
After being interviewed, each student is matched with a mentor, and throughout the school year, the two meet at the student's school once a week and spend an hour together afterward, playing games and sports, doing arts and craft projects, working on homework or simply talking and hanging out.
Although an hour a week may not seem like much, Operation Bigs support specialist Vicki Pilkington said it makes a world of difference in the children's lives.
"You do really see a tangible difference in the kids," Pilkington said. "I've had a few teachers and parents come up to me and say what a difference it's made."
Now in its third year, Operation Bigs has about 40 pairs of students and mentors. However, Pilkington said the program is in need of more mentors ---- there are at least 12 students who are waiting to be matched with a mentor, and new referrals come in all the time.
Mentors must be at least 19 years old, and can be male or female. There is no cost to be a mentor, and all materials, such as sports equipment and games, are provided by the program. All applicants are interviewed and must submit to an extensive background check before they are matched with a child, and applicants should be willing and able to commit to being the child's mentor through the end of the school year in May.
A connection to the military is not necessary to be a mentor, although the majority of mentors in Operation Bigs are Marines and sailors. One such mentor is little Andrew's Big Brother, Col. Darcy Kauer, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group.
Kauer, 48, has been a Big Brother with Operation Bigs since the program's inception two years ago. The father of two said he understands how difficult it can be to have a parent deployed, and tries to do his part to fill the void.
"As a commander, part of my job is taking care of families," Kauer said. "I'm always looking for ways to support them."
Kauer said he has enjoyed his afternoons with Andrew and the other children he has mentored just as much as they have.
"I get a lot of personal satisfaction seeing the joy in their eyes, seeing them come out of their shell and open up," Kauer said. "It's something that's meaningful not only to me, but to the little brother that I support."
Another Marine, Capt. Luis Tiglao, 32, began mentoring 8-year-old Jalen Ross at the start of the school year. The two spend their Tuesday afternoons playing football and basketball, drawing or playing board games.
"It's fun," Tiglao said. "It gives me a chance to be a kid."
Tiglao said spending time with Jalen has given him a sense of purpose.
"This gives me a chance to put things in perspective and see what I'm doing all that Marine stuff for," he said. "We're here for these guys, ultimately."
Pilkington said she hopes more people will follow Kauer's and Tiglao's example and become "Bigs."
"It's a great program," she said. "It's really amazing, some of the relationships that are formed. You see how happy and excited the kids are. It really gives them a good feeling."
Next Tuesday, Operation Bigs will host a recruitment event at The Flying Bridge restaurant in Oceanside to encourage more people to become mentors. The free event begins at 6 p.m. and is open to anyone interested in becoming a "Big." Potential mentors can enjoy free food and soft drinks and will have the opportunity to meet current volunteers and learn more about the program.
For more information about Operation Bigs, contact Vicki Pilkington at (85 228-0032 or VickiP@sdbigs.org, or visit www.sdbigs.org.
Ellie
By: ALEXANDRA DELUCA - For the North County Times
CAMP PENDLETON -- Andrew Escobar looks forward to Tuesdays.
The 8-year-old can't wait for the school day to end each Tuesday so he can hang out with his big brother, Darcy.
"I'm really excited to see him," said Andrew.
Andrew and Darcy do the usual brother stuff: They play catch, make Lego models, challenge each other at Connect Four, talk, laugh and goof around.
But Darcy isn't Andrew's actual brother. He's Andrew's "Big Brother," a volunteer with Operation Bigs, a program that provides mentors to children of military families on Camp Pendleton.
Launched in September 2004, Operation Bigs is the only Big Brothers Big Sisters chapter that specifically serves a military base. The program, which is part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County, matches adult mentors with students at four elementary schools on Camp Pendleton.
Students are referred to Operation Bigs by parents, teachers and school administrators who feel they could benefit from the program. The majority of students in the program range in age from 7 to 12 and have at least one parent who is deployed.
After being interviewed, each student is matched with a mentor, and throughout the school year, the two meet at the student's school once a week and spend an hour together afterward, playing games and sports, doing arts and craft projects, working on homework or simply talking and hanging out.
Although an hour a week may not seem like much, Operation Bigs support specialist Vicki Pilkington said it makes a world of difference in the children's lives.
"You do really see a tangible difference in the kids," Pilkington said. "I've had a few teachers and parents come up to me and say what a difference it's made."
Now in its third year, Operation Bigs has about 40 pairs of students and mentors. However, Pilkington said the program is in need of more mentors ---- there are at least 12 students who are waiting to be matched with a mentor, and new referrals come in all the time.
Mentors must be at least 19 years old, and can be male or female. There is no cost to be a mentor, and all materials, such as sports equipment and games, are provided by the program. All applicants are interviewed and must submit to an extensive background check before they are matched with a child, and applicants should be willing and able to commit to being the child's mentor through the end of the school year in May.
A connection to the military is not necessary to be a mentor, although the majority of mentors in Operation Bigs are Marines and sailors. One such mentor is little Andrew's Big Brother, Col. Darcy Kauer, commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Headquarters Group.
Kauer, 48, has been a Big Brother with Operation Bigs since the program's inception two years ago. The father of two said he understands how difficult it can be to have a parent deployed, and tries to do his part to fill the void.
"As a commander, part of my job is taking care of families," Kauer said. "I'm always looking for ways to support them."
Kauer said he has enjoyed his afternoons with Andrew and the other children he has mentored just as much as they have.
"I get a lot of personal satisfaction seeing the joy in their eyes, seeing them come out of their shell and open up," Kauer said. "It's something that's meaningful not only to me, but to the little brother that I support."
Another Marine, Capt. Luis Tiglao, 32, began mentoring 8-year-old Jalen Ross at the start of the school year. The two spend their Tuesday afternoons playing football and basketball, drawing or playing board games.
"It's fun," Tiglao said. "It gives me a chance to be a kid."
Tiglao said spending time with Jalen has given him a sense of purpose.
"This gives me a chance to put things in perspective and see what I'm doing all that Marine stuff for," he said. "We're here for these guys, ultimately."
Pilkington said she hopes more people will follow Kauer's and Tiglao's example and become "Bigs."
"It's a great program," she said. "It's really amazing, some of the relationships that are formed. You see how happy and excited the kids are. It really gives them a good feeling."
Next Tuesday, Operation Bigs will host a recruitment event at The Flying Bridge restaurant in Oceanside to encourage more people to become mentors. The free event begins at 6 p.m. and is open to anyone interested in becoming a "Big." Potential mentors can enjoy free food and soft drinks and will have the opportunity to meet current volunteers and learn more about the program.
For more information about Operation Bigs, contact Vicki Pilkington at (85 228-0032 or VickiP@sdbigs.org, or visit www.sdbigs.org.
Ellie