BBBSPS expands Snohomish County mentor recruitment

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound is turning a small number of Snohomish County mentoring matches into a broader recruitment and enrollment effort. The push centers on Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek as the group looks to connect more kids and families with adult mentors.

Why it matters: - Snohomish County has proof that mentoring can scale across one family: three siblings each have a different adult mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound. - BBBSPS wants more families to get that kind of support as it expands from maintaining existing matches to building a countywide recruitment system. - Nationally, roughly one in three young people will reach adulthood without ever connecting with a mentor of any kind, according to research from MENTOR, the National Mentoring Partnership.

What happened: - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound spotlighted a Snohomish County family in which three children are each matched with a different mentor. - One pair has spent two summers berry picking. - Another pair builds birdhouses and visits animal shelters. - A third pair has gone horseback riding and made escape rooms a tradition. - In a separate Snohomish County match, one mentor transferred into BBBSPS specifically to keep mentoring her Little after the original program ended. - BBBSPS is recruiting adult mentors in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek, with Marysville planned for a later phase. - Families in Everett and Lynnwood can enroll a child in the mentoring program at any time.

The details: - BBBSPS currently supports a small number of mentoring matches in Snohomish County. - The organization is expanding into a full recruitment and enrollment system so more children can be matched with mentors. - The effort comes during BBBSPS's peak summer recruiting season, when volunteer interest typically rises before the new school year. - Adults ages 25-55 in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek are invited to apply. - No prior mentoring experience is required. - Mentors are not required to live in the same neighborhood as the young person they are matched with. - BBBSPS says being a good mentor requires showing up consistently for a few hours a month. - Businesses interested in early conversations about corporate and community partnerships can contact the philanthropy team at giving@bbbsps.org. - Interviews with BBBSPS leadership and mentors are available upon request. - BBBSPS shared social links for LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.

Between the lines: - The family example is meant to show that mentoring can take different shapes for different children, even within the same household. - BBBSPS is signaling that the current need is not just more volunteers, but a larger local pipeline that can support future matching and partnerships. - The focus on adults ages 25-55 and nearby cities suggests the organization is aiming for a practical recruitment base with easy access to South Everett and the Highway 99 corridor in Lynnwood. - Alonda Williams, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound, said the organization wants to bring consistency, encouragement and belonging to more kids and families across Snohomish County.

What's next: - BBBSPS plans to keep recruiting mentors in Edmonds, Mukilteo and Mill Creek, then expand into Marysville later. - The organization is laying early groundwork for business and community partnerships in Snohomish County. - More families in Everett and Lynnwood can enroll children now, while more adult volunteers are needed to meet future demand.

The bottom line: - BBBSPS is trying to turn a strong example of mentoring into a broader countywide program, and it needs more adults to make that possible.