President Barack Obama's National Mentoring Month Remarks Highlight Big Brothers Big Sisters Benefits

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 21 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- President Barack Obama praised Big Brothers Big Sisters at a National Mentoring Month celebration where he was introduced by 11-year-old Anthony, Little Brother to Big Brother of the Year Ben De Leon.

"…Anthony did a wonderful job introducing me.  I'm told that with the guidance of his mentor, Ben De Leon -- where's Ben?  There's Ben right there.  Anthony, I hear you're working hard, doing great in school.  And so we are very proud of you and we expect you to keep up the good work.  And Ben, thank you for your extraordinary service," the president said.

Also attending the event were Big Brother Anselmo DeLaCruz and his 11-year-old Little Brother Andre, who were matched in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado's Operation Mentor, a national program launched in 2004 at Camp Pendleton with funding from San Diego-based Jack in the Box Foundation. Anselmo, who is married with a 2-year-old daughter, became a Big Brother when he was medically discharged from the Army as the result of a bomb injury while serving in Iraq.  

"… as the folks up here on stage will tell you, the mentor usually gets as much or more out of it than the mentee.  So I'm pleased that non-profit organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters are stepping up -- expanding their efforts to connect children of deployed service members to mentors who are often veterans themselves," the president continued.

Also attending the White House event was Linda Lang, chairman and CEO of Jack in the Box Inc.  Continued funding from the restaurant company has enabled Big Brothers Big Sisters to expand Operation Mentor.

"We're pleased to commit an additional $1 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters to expand its military mentoring programs," Lang said. "We're proud to support our nation's youth who bravely share their parents with the rest of the country, and we commend the military personnel and volunteers for their efforts in filling the void created in a child's life when a parent is deployed."

President Barack Obama has proclaimed January National Mentoring Month, urging Americans to give back to young people, saying mentors help children grow into productive and responsible adults.  During the celebration, the president and first lady Michelle Obama kicked off a White House mentoring program for boys, similar to a program introduced earlier by the first lady to mentor girls.

Big Brothers Big Sisters, a network of 385 agencies serving 255,000 children of single, low-income and incarcerated parents and their 255,000 mentors, expects an increase this month in volunteers and parents enrolling their children.  To meet the demand for its services, the mentoring network is urging Americans to invest in the cause, not just with time, but also with financial support.  

"Historically, National Mentoring Month is a great opportunity for us to recruit volunteers. However, our growth and ability to serve more kids who need us requires additional financial support to fund our careful mentor matching and the personal ongoing support we provide children, their parents and our volunteer mentors," said Big Brothers Big Sisters of America President and CEO Karen Mathis. "Our screening, monitoring and individual match support enables our agencies to sustain long-term mentoring friendships that yield successful outcomes, which differentiates Big Brothers Big Sisters as an organization that is proven to help vulnerable kids break negative cycles."

About Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters helps vulnerable children beat the odds.  The organization depends on donations to help recruit volunteers and reach more children.  Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety; and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships.  Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven to improve children's odds for succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles.  Headquartered in Philadelphia and with 385 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more than a quarter million children.  Learn how you can change how children grow up in America by going to BigBrothersBigSisters.org.

SOURCE Big Brothers Big Sisters