Community Spotlight: Big Buddies of Bloomfield

At the program’s core, Yaker and Roslin wanted to create a mentoring platform for the elementary school kids. Yaker knew from personal experiences talking with younger cousins that kids simply were not receiving the amount of communication they normally would at school. With Big Buddies, Yaker and Roslin hoped to alleviate some of the stress younger students were facing.

The first step in helping the program come to life was setting up a website and social media pages to help spread the word and find Little Buddies. Then came the recruiting of other Big Buddies from their school to commit to a couple of calls per week with their Little Buddy.

As more and more volunteers joined the cause and the number of Little Buddies grew, Yaker and Roslin were able to appreciate the bonds they helped create between high school and elementary school students. 

“It’s really rewarding knowing that you created a friendship,” said Yaker.

During each call, the topic discussed was really up to the Little Buddy, with the Big Buddy acting as a mentor, and more importantly, as a friend. Roslin said with a laugh that he has done everything from homework to playing basketball with his Little Buddies on their calls.

“It’s more about having a Big Buddy hang out with them, so if they want to do something, we’ll just do it with them,” said Roslin.

What both Roslin and Yaker are most proud of, though, is the deep bonds they see happening every day between Big and Little Buddies. To know that they had a hand in making their Little Buddies’ days that much brighter is reward enough.

Though Roslin and Yaker are unsure what the future holds for the program, they hope that their initiative will help inspire other young people across the country.

“I hope that it can inspire people to either try to replicate what we’re doing or try to find their own idea, because this isn’t necessarily the first thing on everyone’s mind,” said Roslin.  “For us, I think it was creative to find a problem that needed solving that wasn’t necessarily in the headlines.”

“There’s no right answer when you’re giving back to your community,” added Yaker.

In addition to aiding in solving an interesting problem, the sessions have also been raising money for United Way with an option to donate during each session.

Rosin and Yaker both agree that Big Buddies of Bloomfield has been a humbling experience and a service they are so grateful to be able to provide their community. As society slowly returns back to normal, the positive effects of the program designed by these two bright, young men will be felt for days and months to come.

Find out more about Big Buddies of Bloomfield by clicking here.