TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Slide Insurance hosted an event with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on Tuesday night.
Slide employees became "Bigs" for the day and played flag football with children waiting to get into the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Nearly 500 children in the Tampa Bay region are waiting to be paired with a big brother or a big sister.
"We have a huge waitlist. We’re looking for more Bigs and caring adults to come out to take a chance on a Little and create this wonderful friendship," said Heather Castle, Senior Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.
Alana Grove has a blended family. Her step-daughter, Tianna, has a mentor through the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Her son is waiting to join the program.
"We decided to put our kids in Big Brothers Big Sisters because we feel it's important kids have the option to always have another person, sometimes kids don't feel comfortable talking to their parents," said Alana Grove, a mother.
15-year-old Tianna Potts has a mentor and said the program is beneficial.
"Just having like a Big for a long amount of time, you have a bond and you know you always have someone there to talk to and depend on," said Potts.
Heather Castle is the Senior Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. She said sometimes children remain on a waitlist for two to three years.
She said there is a growing need for mentors.
"We serve over 9 counties throughout our Tampa Bay region. We have roughly 500 kids on the waitlist. We’re currently looking for more Bigs to come in and make a wonderful impact in these kids lives," said Castle.
For more information on the Be a Big program click here.
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