Courtesy photo Big Sister Sandy McLaughlin of Gilford, Little Sister Brianna, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire CEO Stacy Kramer and Gov. Chris Sununu pose for a photo during the January Executive Council meeting.

CONCORD – New Hampshire is celebrating National Mentoring Month with a proclamation naming January Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Month in the Granite State.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire staff members and a mentoring match from the Lakes Region recently joined Gov. Chris Sununu and the Executive Council at the statehouse for an announcement of the proclamation. The organization provides one-to-one mentors to more than 700 children in New Hampshire each year.

“This is an organization that from, day one, from their inception, has been all about providing that one-on-one, individualized opportunity for some of these young men and women and kids all across the state and the country, and they just continue to do great work,” Sununu said.

Big Sister Sandy McLaughlin of Gilford and her Little Sister, Brianna, along with organization CEO Stacy Kramer, thanked the governor and council for the recognition. Kramer spoke about the urgent need for mentors and the variety of mentoring opportunities offered, including partnering with local businesses to offer workplace mentoring programs.

Currently, 224 children in New Hampshire are waiting for a mentor, including many who face adversities such as poverty, parental substance misuse or incarceration, trauma from abuse or neglect, bullying, or academic struggles. Mentors (Bigs) in the program are professionally screened and trained volunteers who commit to spending four hours a month with their mentees (Littles) for at least a year.

“There is a tremendous need in our communities for mentors to provide friendship and guidance to youth, and that need has never been greater with tens of thousands of New Hampshire children directly experiencing the impact of the state’s opioid crisis and growing income gap,” Kramer said. “All youth have potential, and the capacity of a caring adult to inspire and empower a child is profound.”

The organization will continue to celebrate National Mentoring Month throughout January.

For more information about becoming a mentor, or to enroll a child, visit www.bbbsnh.org or call 1-844-NH4-BIGS.

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