SOLON — The Big Brothers Big Sisters program has been around since 1904 as a nationwide mentoring network pairing volunteer adults (“Bigs”) and children aged 5 through adulthood (“Littles”) with the goal of forming positive relationships with a lifelong impact on the kids.
Addie Martinez, a Mentoring Support Specialist with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County, co-facilitates the Spartan Life program at the Solon Middle School with Laura Webb and plans events for Big Brothers Big Sisters. While pursuing a master’s degree in social work she did an advanced practicum with Big Brothers Big Sisters. She liked the organization so much, she decided to stay after graduation.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County professionally supports the matches (a Big with a Little). “We really take our matches to heart so we’re constantly checking in with them, we have guidelines we have to follow so we check in with them (the Bigs) every month. We also communicate with the youth and the family to make sure the match is successful and growing.”
Ideally every Little is paired with a Big. However, in Solon, there just aren’t enough adult volunteers currently to make that happen. On a recent Thursday afternoon, the dozen or so kids gathered after school where they were met by Addie, Laura, and volunteer Iris Garcia.
“We’ve got Iris, who’s been doing this for many, many years. We’ve got a couple more volunteer mentors who aren’t able to come back until after the first of the year, but we really are looking for more mentors to come and help support our youth, hang out with our youth, have a good time, and have fun.” In addition to the Spartan Life clubs at the middle school Big Brothers Big Sisters Johnson County also has “Knights of Lightning” at the North Central Junior High School in North Liberty.
“It’s an interesting bunch (in Solon), Addie said. “For me (the most rewarding aspect) is knowing that the kids want to come back every week. That is so rewarding. It means we’re engaging in the youth, we’re engaging with the activities that we do with them, we’re providing fun activities that make them want to come back. We’ve got kids that have come back for two years now, three years now. Sometimes we see kids for three years (sixth, seventh, and eighth grades) and that’s amazing.”
Interested kids sign up at the start of the school year and the program generally takes 15-18 kids per year. “We ask that they don’t have any other extracurricular activities so they’re not taking a spot from somebody that’s not currently involved in something.” Members of Spartan Life come from a variety of backgrounds, but the common denominator is a desire to come every Thursday afternoon (except when school is out) from 1:45 – 3:15 p.m. and hang out, learn, and have fun.
Laura Webb, the K-12 Outreach Coordinator for Johnson County Extension and Outreach, has been with the program for a year and works with afterschool clubs. “I plan research-based educational activities for the youth to participate in for the hour-and-a-half they’re here.” She also coordinates three field trips, which the students vote on. “We try to have our club student-centered so the kids have a voice in what we do. At the beginning of the year (September), once we have our core group, we have them vote and brainstorm different ideas different things that they want to do throughout the year; and then I take their ideas and find research-based lessons to support their ideas, plan the activities, gather all the supplies and materials, and lead the activity.” Being student-centered, at times Laura will ask if a student wants to lead an activity or icebreaker. Field trips vary from a fun event to career based. “We also do service projects,” Laura said. “Starting in January we’ll start doing service projects based on their interests and what they think is a need in the community.”
Spartan Life, she noted, is a 4-H Big Brothers Big Sisters program. “Addie’s role is the mentors and I bring in 4-H educational-based activities. Although it’s under the 4-H umbrella, Spartan Life is separate and under a different structure than 4-H clubs such as Macbride’s Pride and the Graham Champions.
“Its just really awesome each week…it’s the highlight of my week getting to work with the kids, it’s such an honor getting to watch them grow from the beginning of club and getting to know them and develop a relationship with them; they get to grow and step out of their shell and become leaders. It’s pretty awesome.”
Iris Garcia has been volunteering with Spartan Life for about five years.
“I work at ACT in Iowa City and for several years have been participating in the ‘Bowl for Kids Sake,’ which is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters.
One person kind of challenged me to take on a mentoring role. Raising money is fine, but they really need adult volunteers. I spoke with my sisters, who were in the program as children in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and asked them about their experience and what they thought about me being a mentor and they were very encouraging.” It was still a big decision, she said. “The process to become a volunteer is somewhat rigorous, which I think is great because we’re interacting with kids. But it’s been super fun and the coordinators are great at working with the adult volunteers.”
The most important part of being a volunteer, Iris said, is “just showing up, honestly. That’s pretty much what the research says, a consistent presence of an adult as a mentor and friend is just a huge benefit to children in any situation.”
There are many benefits to volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, she said, including learning about and learning with the kids. “It’s been really great and it benefits me as much as it does the kids. I feel that I’m a better person because I feel the impetus to be a role model. It’s made me examine how I’m acting, what I’m doing and why I’m doing it so I know that when I’m here being an influence on the children that I’m being the best example that I can be. And that’s been very rewarding.”
The first step to becoming a mentor is to apply online at www.bbbsjc.org. Next comes an interview and background check as applicants are thoroughly vetted. Successful applicants undergo orientation and training before they are able to go hangout with the kids.
“It’s fun, I’ve been doing this (Spartan Life) since I started with Big Brothers Big Sisters, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” said Addie. “It’s amazing.”

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Laura Webb