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October 18, 2002/Cheshvan 12 5763, Vol. 55, No. 8
Golf tournament benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters
JESSICA BARBER
Editorial Assistant
Big Brother Mike Benjamin, left, and his Little Brother Robert Glazer celebrate Glazer's high school graduation in May 2001. The pair was matched through BBBS for 10 years and still keep in touch.
Photo courtesy of Lynn Glazer
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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona, a nonprofit organization pairing more than 1,400 youths and mentors in the Valley, will benefit from the third annual Arby's Charity Tour Arizona to be held Nov. 4 at the Ancala Country Club.
The Arby's Foundation, a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization, generates funds for BBBS and Boys & Girls Clubs of America through a series of amateur golf tournaments and events held throughout the United States. The foundation is dedicated to supporting families and children in need.
"It's nice that they give us a lot of support," says Laura Capello, vice president of marketing and communications at BBBS of Central Arizona. "Putting together an event is very time consuming and we want to spend our time getting kids matched. We assist them but we don't do the entire thing."
According to Capello, the financial goal of the tournament is $180,000 for scholarships and programming at BBBS. Last year, Arby's contributed $30,000 to the organization by selling paper hands at local restaurants, a campaign developed after the 2001 tournament was cancelled due to the events of Sept. 11.
This year's tournament will include a live auction, cocktails, contests, award presentations and a chance for youths involved in BBBS to take a ride on Arby's luxurious tour bus that will stop in Scottsdale during the event.
BBBS of Central Arizona has grown to be one of the top five largest agencies in the United States, adding 400 mentors and youths to its program since 1997.
"We are hoping to serve two million children across the country by 2010," says Capello. "We're looking at our agency serving 4,000 kids by 2010."
As BBBS grows, the population of youths and mentors becomes more diverse, Capello explains. Participants range from children of single-parent families who may need extra attention to children faced with the hardships of incarcerated or drug-addicted parents.
In order to compensate for the wide range of participants, BBBS offers six mentoring programs, explains Capello. The most common is the Big Brother-Little Brother or Big Sister-Little Sister relationship, however the organization also offers family matching, a high school mentoring program, couple matching, a sports buddy program and a site-based program, in which a company sends employees to schools during lunch hour to spend time with students.
"We're all very busy and we all worry if we are spending enough time with our own kids," Capello explains. "What is nice is that you can mentor a child as a family and your kids can get involved. As I always say, what's one more?"
David Sloan, owner of a computer service company in Phoenix, finds time in his busy schedule to mentor an 11-year-old boy.
"I don't have any children of my own," he says, "so to be able to share with the next generation some of the things I've learned up to this point is great. I also want to keep a perspective on what they have to share with me."
For the last four months, the pair has spent a couple hours each week playing video games, swimming, going to baseball games and walking their dogs.
"I hope that (the relationship) gives him someone to look up to, talk to and count on in his life," says Sloan.
In fact, children who are mentored commonly experience a heightened sense of self-esteem and are less likely to start drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs, according to a five-year study of BBBS agencies nationwide conducted by private research firm Public/Private Ventures. Mentored children are 37 percent less likely to skip a class, 52 percent less likely to skip a day of school and usually earn higher grades, according to the study.
"There are kids in our program that would have never thought to go to college," says Capello. "It's not something that their families even talk about. We can get them to know how important education is."
Matches can last until the child is 18 years old, explains Capello, however some develop such a strong bond that the relationship continues into the child's adult years.
Such is the case of Robert Glazer, a youngster who was matched with a Big Brother, Mike Benjamin, at the age of 8. Glazer suffered the loss of his father when he was 5 years old, contributing to social problems and general anxiety.
"Robert had an anxiety disorder and had a very hard time leaving the house for anything - even fun things," says Lynn Glazer, Robert's mother. "I had heard of Valley Big Brothers so I called them because I knew I had to get him involved with a male role model."
At first, Robert and his Big Brother stayed close to home but eventually, Benjamin was able to gain Robert's trust.
"Little by little, they would go to the schoolyard and it kind of grew from there," Lynn Glazer recalls. "They ended up camping and going to various programs through BBBS."
Robert Glazer's story and successes through BBBS caught the attention of the organization's scholarship board during his senior year at Dobson High School in Mesa. He was awarded a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Arizona based on his academic achievements, extracurricular and community service activities and an essay about his experience with his Big Brother.
"When we found out about the scholarship, my first reaction was, 'No way is he going to get up in front of hundreds of people and accept this award,' " Lynn Glazer remembers. "But he just did a magnificent job ... he just seemed so poised. I think it was because he knew everybody there was on his side, everybody cared and no one was going to be critical of him."
Robert Glazer, who still keeps in touch with his Big Brother, is a junior at UA with a double major in psychology and Judaic studies.
"Having a male influence growing up helped, although at the time I didn't see it that way," says Glazer. "I just thought of him as a friend."
Glazer, who was once too anxious to leave his house, is now involved in Hillel and Young Israel. He hopes to attend a yeshiva after his college graduation.
"I am so proud of him and the man that he's become," says Lynn Glazer. "He is very involved in the Jewish community in Tucson and he almost seems older than his years in some respects. I think that is a result of his experiences (with BBBS) and what Mike (Benjamin) did with him."
Although BBBS is growing, the organization still has about 500 children, primarily boys in the West Valley, on waiting lists to be matched.
"Even though there is a need for more, we are so excited that we have so many volunteers already participating in our program."
Details
- Who: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona
- What: Arby's Charity Tour Arizona golf tournament
- When: 9:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 4
- Where: Ancala Country Club, 11700 E. Via Linda St., Scottsdale
- Call: 602-264-9254
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