{"id":677,"date":"2008-05-08T12:46:13","date_gmt":"2008-05-08T17:46:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ezing.me\/transfer\/?p=677"},"modified":"2014-09-23T09:24:32","modified_gmt":"2014-09-23T14:24:32","slug":"students-find-satisfaction-friendship-in-big-brothers-big-sisters-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/web20.olemiss.edu\/news\/wordpress\/students-find-satisfaction-friendship-in-big-brothers-big-sisters-program\/","title":{"rendered":"Students Find Satisfaction, Friendship in Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. – Four years ago, Stephen Taylor was a
\nmarketing student at the University of Mississippi looking
\nfor an opportunity to fulfill scholarship requirements and
\ngive back to the community. He found a chance with the Big
\nBrothers Big Sisters of Mississippi Program.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\nAn Ole Miss graduate and intern with Grace Bible Church in
\nOxford, Taylor, 23, continues his weekly meetings with his
\nlittle brother, a fifth-grader named Zach. Taylor and Zach
\nwere matched in 2004 and are the program’s longest running
\nmatch.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n\"zack?and?stephen.jpg\"<\/p>\n
\nZach and Stephen Taylor\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Once a week, Taylor meets Zach for lunch at school and they
\neat, play board games or just talk.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n“Stephen is a very laid-back mentor, and Zach just loves
\nhim,” said Erin Baker, program specialist for the Oxford
\nbranch of BBBS of Mississippi.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nOf the 100 or so matches each BBBS specialist in Oxford
\ntries to make annually, 95 percent of those mentors are Ole
\nMiss students. One is Rachel Macklin, a 21-year-old biology
\nmajor from Tupelo. Macklin has been involved in the state
\nprogram for seven years and has volunteered with the Oxford
\nbranch for the past four years, mentoring a young girl
\nnamed Salena.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nBoth Macklin and Baker have noticed significant changes in
\nSalena’s behavior since she became Macklin’s little
\nsister.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Rachel and Salena are quite a pair,” Baker said. “Salena
\nhas calmed down and isn’t getting into as much trouble as
\nbefore she met Rachel. She is a very expressive young lady
\nnow.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“She has become more considerate and respectful of her
\npeers, as well as her teachers,” Macklin said. “She is more
\nattentive in class.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nThe process of becoming a mentor in the program requires an
\napplication process, an interview and background and
\nreference checks. Before a match can be made, all of the
\npotential mentor’s background and reference checks must be
\npositive, Baker said.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\"elisha?and?charlie.jpg\"<\/p>\n
\nElisha with Charlie Dettbarn\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“From there, it’s a matter of matching the child’s
\navailable times with the mentor’s available times, the
\nmentor’s preferences and the parent’s preferences,” Baker
\nsaid.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\nThe local chapter of BBBS of Mississippi strives to attract
\nOle Miss freshmen in hopes of creating long-lasting
\nrelationships.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“We ask that the mentors commit at least one year to the
\nchild,” Baker said. “Many of them, however, have been
\nmatched for over a year and some even three years now.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nCharlie Dettbarn, 22, a senior history major from Richmond,
\nVa., tries to meet with her little sister, 10-year-old
\nElisha.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nDettbarn, who has volunteered for about a year, helps with
\nElisha’s homework at the Boys and Girls Club at Oxford and
\nsometimes takes her to dinner and for ice cream. Elisha
\nalso has visited Dettbarn’s sorority house on occasion for
\ndinner.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n\"salena?and?rachel.jpg\"<\/p>\n
\nSalena with Rachel Macklin\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Charlie is always planning activities for her and Elisha
\nto do, and Elisha’s mom is very supportive of their
\nrelationship,” Baker said. “Elisha just needed another role
\nmodel in her life.”
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\nAlthough Dettbarn will be moving back to Virginia after
\ngraduation, she hopes to continue working with the national
\nprogram there.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I am going to miss getting the chance to see Elisha every
\nweek, but I know that we will keep in touch,” she said.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nIn the four years BBBS has been in Oxford, Baker has
\nnoticed a number of changes in the children who become
\nlittle brothers and sisters. For example, Zach has become
\nless selfish since he has been paired with Taylor, she
\nsaid.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“Many of our children have shown an improvement in
\nself-esteem, as well as in grades and behavior,” she said.
\n“Having a mentor provides the child with a positive role
\nmodel.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nTaylor also has noted changes in Zach during the years he
\nhas mentored him.
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\n“I’ve definitely seen him mature since I first started with
\nhim,” he said. “He doesn’t whine and pout like he used to.”
\n<\/span>\n<\/p>\n

\nFor more information on the Oxford chapter of BBBS of
\nMississippi, go to http:\/\/www.bbbsms.org<\/a>.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OXFORD, Miss. – Four years ago, Stephen Taylor was a marketing student at the University of Mississippi looking for an opportunity to fulfill scholarship requirements and give back to the community. He found a chance with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi Program. An Ole Miss graduate and intern with Grace Bible Church inRead the story …<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[222],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nStudents Find Satisfaction, Friendship in Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program - Ole Miss News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/news.olemiss.edu\/students-find-satisfaction-friendship-in-big-brothers-big-sisters-program\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Students Find Satisfaction, Friendship in Big Brothers, Big Sisters Program - Ole Miss News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"OXFORD, Miss. – Four years ago, Stephen Taylor was a marketing student at the University of Mississippi looking for an opportunity to fulfill scholarship requirements and give back to the community. He found a chance with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mississippi Program. 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