In our own lives, each of us was touched by someone other than our parents who broadened our horizons and brought a little magic into our lives.  By becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister, you can do the same for a child.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Otero County offers several volunteer opportunities.  We have two types of programs, one for community-based matches and the other for site-based matches.

	The Community-Based Program

This program serves children ages 6-14.  We ask volunteers for a one-year commitment to spend two to four hours with their Littles two to four times a month.  Big Brothers are matched with Little Brothers, and Big Sisters are matched with Little Sisters.  Activities may include things like going to the park, walking the dog, going fishing, making arts and crafts, or cooking; activities that both the Big and Little enjoy!  

	The S.T.A.R.S. School-Based Program

The S.T.A.R.S. program is a partnership with local schools, for children in grades K-8, where volunteers commit to meeting with a child only at school for one hour once a week during the school year.  Volunteers are matched with Littles who have been referred by their teacher or parent, who may need a little extra help with reading or another academic or social area.  We have matches in the Alamogordo, Cloudcroft and Tularosa schools.

Volunteers who cannot meet with a child during school hours may be matched at a site-based program between 3:30 and 5 pm.  Matches meet for one hour once a week at Full House Child Development Center.  S.T.A.R.S. matches can meet during the summer months in our S.M.A.R.T. Program.  This stands for Summer Mentoring and Reading Together and meets at the Alamogordo Public Library or Heights Elementary School.

	Other Opportunities

If you aren't interested in working with a child, but would like to help the agency in some way    there are other volunteer opportunities that may interest you. Give us a call! We'd love to hear from you!