NORWICH – January is National Mentoring Month, and as the only mentoring agency in Chenango County, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is taking the opportunity to celebrate its mentors and to hopefully recruit some more.

“We have a waiting list of children right now who are ready to be matched with a volunteer as soon as possible,” said program director Kobie Decker.

BBBS is the oldest youth mentoring organization in the United States. The purpose of the program is to match kids with adult mentors who can help them reach their full potential.

According to Decker, their are currently over 100 children combined in all of Chenango County’s BBBS programs, which include the school-based program, the community-based program and the New York State Mentoring Children of Promise program, a program for kids who have a loved one in incarceration. “We’re looking for retired individuals, college students or anyone else who might have a little spare time to make a difference,” Decker said.

Volunteering for the program does not represent a large time commitment. Decker said BBBS recommends spending a minimum of six to eight hours a week with your “little.”