With a growing list of boys waiting for a mentor there was a clear need for an innovative program to engage more male volunteers. The Sports Buddies mentoring program emerged in Denver from this need in 2000. Now 20 years later, the program has grown to serve 250 matches with no wait list! It has recently become a national model, implemented by BBBS agencies across the country.
By leveraging partnerships with high school, college and professional teams along with community and corporate partners, the Sports Buddies program provides Littles with unique sports experiences that promote physical activity and healthy relationships.
Sports Buddies develops one-to-one mentoring friendships through group participatory and spectator sporting events. In the last 20 years hundreds of Littles and Bigs have enjoyed building their relationships through events like Rockies games, hikes, ski trips, park games, sports clinics, Silly Olympics, Sports Career Days and more.
Although we ask volunteers for a minimum six month commitment, the average match length for a Sports Buddies match is nearly three years with a 12 month retention rate of over 90%. Many Sports Buddies Bigs have said the structure, group environment and staff support is what helped them take the first step into mentoring and led to long term success in their matches.
Former Sports Buddies Big John Mortellaro is a great example of someone who was hesitant about mentoring but found the supportive environment he needed through Sports Buddies to feel confident about his abilities to be an effective mentor.
“I heard about the BBBS Sports Buddies program and was interested in joining as a mentor, but I had never been a mentor before, so I was hesitant,” Mortellaro said. “When I learned about the format of organized events with BBBS staff and volunteers this took my concerns away. Watching the BBBS staff and volunteers address difficult situations and make events fun and educational, I gained the experience, skills and confidence to move into the Sports Buddies Plus program with more one-on-one time. I would have not had the confidence or skills to do that prior to the Sports Buddies program. We were matched for 10 ½ years and we still get together as friends; my former little just turned 21.”
While we were not able to celebrate in-person as planned for an exciting 20 Year Anniversary Party at Empower Field at Mile High, we are still celebrating this important milestone and will reschedule our anniversary event as soon as we are able to.
Thank you to all of the amazing Littles, Bigs, families, staff and program supporters who have made this program possible and helped create such amazing memories and positive impacts the last 20 years!