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10The Daily Tar HeelWednesday, August 26, 1992
Local children find friends and role models in Big Buddies
By Anna Meadows
Staff Writer
Beverly Fearrington' s twin boys were
7 when she became concerned that they
needed to spend time with positive adult
role models.
As a single parent working full time
at the UNC School of Nursing, she was
worried that she didn't have the time.
"The options for my sons to be exposed
to older role models were limited,"
Fearrington said. "I knew they needed
to spend some time with another adult
who could influence them positively."
The twins, Brandon and Carlton,
brought home some literature from
school that described a UNC program
that would be the answer to her worries.
Fearrington's boys had been recom
mended for the Campus Y's Big Buddy
program. The twins, if they were inter
ested, could have a UNC student as
signed to each of them who would take
them out about once a week to see
movies, visit museums or just hang out.
"They ended up with two female
buddies," Fearrington said. "I was sur
prised. I thought they would be paired
up with males, but I haven't been disap
pointed." ; The lack of male Big Buddies is a
problem the program directors would
like to see corrected, said co-chairwoman
Stormie Forte, who has been
Brandon's Big Buddy for two years.
Sixty percent to 70 percent of Little
Buddies are male, while only 40 per
cent of Big Buddies are men.
"We always pair off the male Big
Buddies with male Little Buddies first,
so male Big Buddies are assured they'll
get a male child to work with," Forte
said.
Since a lot of the Little Buddies are in
households headed by single mothers,
the boys often need male role models.
The major focus of the program is to
provide role models to local children,
regardless of gender. The program of
fers children an outlet for fun activities,
yet the primary goal is to develop a
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constructive relationship between a
needy youngster and a caring adult.
Fearrington has been pleased with
the results. "There are conversations
(between my sons) about 'What are you
going to do when you grow up?' that
weren't there before," she said. "And I
don't have to initiate them.
"There has been a lack of hope in the
black community. But if children can
get this one message from their Big
Buddies: 'If I can do it if I can go to
college so can you,' this may be
enough of an incentive to keep a child in
Democrat
"We're trying to make students aware
of all their options," Dunn said.
Students at UNC will be very active
in the registration drive, said Katherine
Wilson, a senior from Gastonia. Wilson
was the youngest N.C. delegate at the
Democratic National Convention.
The goal is to make registration avail
able by having on-campus and off-cam-pus
registration sites, Wilson said.
"We want to get students involved on
the national level as well as on cam
pus," she said.
Jim Hunt, the Democratic candidate
for governor, and Wicker are hoping
benefit from this enthusiasm as they
tour the state, Geis said.
Hunt, who served as governor from
1976 to 1984, will face Lt. Gov. Jim
Gardner in the November election.
Wicker will attend a rally Sept. 1 5 on
the UNC campus, and Hunt also is sched
uled to make an appearance in Septem
ber, Wilson said.
Many Democratic candidates, includ
ing Wicker and Hunt, will be in Chapel
Hill Sept. 27 for a unity barbecue spon
sored by Orange County Democrats.
school.
'The kids can learn that they don't
need to settle for things. They know
they don't have to work at McDonald's
if they don't want to. They don't have to'
go into the Army. There are other things
they can do with their lives they didn't
think of before." S,
The Big Buddy program works di
rectly with area elementary school guid
ance counselors who recommend chil
dren they think will benefit from having
a UNC student as a friend. ,,-r
The children are paired up with stu
dents who have been trained by expert-,
enced Big Buddies. New participants,
are also armed with a guide that has
ideas about how to break the ice with
Little Buddies and a list of free or inex-.
pensive local activities. u.
'The emphasis is on the relationship
and the friendship between the two
people," Forte said. "We encourage the
Big Buddies not to spend money on
their kids, but to be more involved in
building a trusting and lasting relation;,
ship." I
Big Buddies must commit to the pro-,
gram for one year and spend a minimum
of two hours a week with their Little
Buddy. "Sometimes they spend more
than that with their kids," Forte said.;
"They get really involved with their
Little Buddy." (
The program recruits students,
through ads in The Daily Tar Heel and
the Black Ink.
"But word of mouth is the major way,
we attract people," Forte said. "People
will come to the (Campus) Y and say
they really want to work with kids."
Students interested in the Big Buddy
program should contact Stormie Forte
or Joel Rosenstein at the Campus Y,
962-2333.
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