GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A grant will help connect Northeast Wisconsin kids that are in need of a mentor, with a special group of people.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin is looking to expand their Bigs In Blue program that puts kids in a one on one mentorship relationship with members of law enforcement.
“The law enforcement officer comes into the school and they come in with full officer gear and they come to play.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin Executive Director Katie Hess says the steps go a long way.
“Some kids first experience with law enforcement has not been a positive one. It is nice for the kids to see the officers as someone that they can be friendly with.”
On Monday, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin received a contribution to held expand the program.
“We basically wrote a grant to AT&T to help match law enforcement officers with high school students,” Hess says it will give officers a chance to establish a one on one relationship with a teenager at a crucial time in their lives.
Green Bay Police have been actively involved in the program.
Commander Kevin Warych has been a Big Brother for a little over a year and says it is worth while and would be beneficial to anyone in law enforcement.
“Being a Big makes you look at life from a different perspective. It is a very rewarding experience and this is about recruitment, we need more Bigs.”
Warych says the program is also beneficial to officers as well.
“There are social barriers where kids do not like police, and that is usually taught. We fight the perception of fear every day, but we want people thinking that we are the good guys and we are here to help. We are not out to make enemies, we are out to make friends.”
He currently is a Big Brother of a fourth grader and says the results of the effects of a positive mentorship will hopefully show now and again in the future.
“You want to make sure you are part of that child’s life so 10 or 15 years down the road you can say that you were part of that child’s upbringing,” Hess says the Bigs in Blue program is really open to anyone with a badge, including fire fighters and EMT’s.
“We would like to see more males as bigs and we do have kids come into our program that want to be a police officer or fire fighter and it is nice to be able to match them with someone like that.”
