Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana says national honor highlights need for more mentors

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A local nonprofit youth mentoring organization is in the national spotlight.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Kentuckiana was recently honored with the Gold Standard Award, given to agencies that improve revenue and provide high-quality programming for children. It's an honor the organization said is highlighting a crucial need.

First-generation student Jazmin Martinez is an incoming freshman at the University of Louisville.

"As a first-generation student myself, I've had the struggle of trying this, even the simplest thing as filing out college applications," said Martinez.

Martinez admits, it's unfamiliar territory. Neither of her parents went to college, but she was able to get the help she needed through Brig Brothers Big Sisters.

"And so my big sister was able to kind of help me and lead me into finding different applications for schools," she said.

For more than 55 years, the nonprofit has been matching children with volunteer mentors. Last week, it was honored for its work.

"This is an award that recognizes any agency that receives the quality standards as well as the gold standards," said Chris Buerck, senior director of Program Experience for the organization.

Buerck believes the Gold Standard Award is a sign the nonprofit is moving in the right direction.

"So that means that we maintained a certain amount of budget, that means that we served a certain number of kids, and then we went above and beyond to get the Gold Standard, meaning that we kept our kids together longer than the national average," she said.

Like Martinez, Chase Savage has been in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for nearly 10 years.

"We've done a lot of things," Savage said. "We've gone to amusement parks, to Malibu Jack's, to Main Event, seen movies."

Savage said he sees his mentor as an important part of the family.

"Yeah, there's definitely been times where I've been kind of nervous to talk to my mom about something and then I just go to my big brother," he said.

Right now, Big Brothers Big Sisters is serving more than 600 youth locally, but Buerck said they need mentors for the other 600 still on the waiting list.

"They're really just youth who need an extra hand to succeed," she said. "There's so many studies out there that say that a child with a mentor, or a solid adult relationship, is much less likely to end up in the juvenile justice system, to end up skipping school."

For more information about the nonprofit, click here.

For information about becoming a big brother or sister, click here.

For information about getting a big brother or sister, click here.

You can also donate to the nonprofit by clicking here.