Seven-year-old Kaleb Wagner wasn’t even born when Kevin Ballard thought for the first time about mentoring a child.
It was the mid-1980s and Ballard was living on the East Coast. Ballard soon realized that he couldn’t commit to the Big Brother program he’d learned about because of his Navy deployment schedule.
But last Christmas a woman involved in Big Sisters in Snohomish County rekindled Ballard’s desire to take action. The mention of the Big Brother program spurred him into checking out the possibilities.
Then, like two planets coming into perfect alignment, Ballard and Kaleb were brought together. Kaleb had been on a Big Brothers waiting list for 18 months.
"It has been great," Ballard, 39, said. "He teaches me stuff about me all the time."
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County is a youth mentoring organization that focuses on safe and nurturing relationships between adult volunteers and children between the ages of 6 and 14. Adult commitment to the program is two to four hours a visit, two to four times a month.
Behind Kaleb’s shy smile and coy demeanor is a boy who loves to skateboard, eat pizza and go hiking. He’s been able to enjoy these events with Ballard throughout the past six months.
"He just loves it. It’s just been great," said Kaleb’s mother, Chelsea Wagner.
Wagner, 28, decided to sign up for Big Brothers because she thought Kaleb could benefit from having a male role model.
When Big Brothers suggested Ballard for the match, Wagner met him. Then Kaleb and his new Big Brother had their first outing.
"We went to Alfy’s," Kaleb said.
Potential Big Brothers and Big Sisters go through training, criminal background checks and personal references before making it to the program finish line. Ballard also had to sit down and talk with a caseworker for three hours.
"She made it as comfortable as it could be," Ballard said. "But it was very, very personal."
There are choices for mentors. If an adult wants to help a child but has little time, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County has a school program called Mentors Matter.
This program deals with children in the first through fifth grades who are at the highest levels of risk for social and academic failure. Adults spend an hour a week with a child at school reading or having lunch. Mentors in this program are called School Bigs.
With the Big Brother Big Sister community programs, matched up children and adults spend more time together.
"They can go for pizza, go bowling, do what they like," said Suzan Thompson Forrest, director of resource development at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Snohomish County. "Children can become as much a part of the family as they want."
The numbers of children waiting for a match with an adult fluctuates throughout the year. During summer months volunteers are fewer. More calls are received from potential Big Brothers or Big Sisters at Thanksgiving, Forrest said.
Boys are harder to place because not as many men volunteer to mentor. At times there can be from 60 to 100 boys waiting for a Big Brother, Forrest said.
"We’re working very hard on speeding up the process and streamlining to make it a slightly easier process," Forrest said.
The single biggest reason for a match ending is that either the Big or the Little moves away, Forrest said.
When Kaleb goes into second grade at Mukilteo Elementary School, it will be with the memories of time spent with Ballard and dreams of outings yet to come.
The pair have visited the Seattle Art Museum where Kaleb saw pictures of George Washington and other presidents. They have flown kites, and Ballard ate a bug at the Seattle Science Center — not a requirement for the Big Brothers program, Ballards hastens to add. He’s now teaching Kaleb to juggle.
Wagner noticed the change in her son at the beginning of the year. At school his teacher commented on Kaleb’s extra energy. He even took to school a photograph of himself and Ballard taken at Big Brothers before their first outing.
"Kaleb seemed much more centered," said Kay Wagner, Kaleb’s grandmother.
He told her shortly after meeting Ballard that it was meant to be, she said.
Ballard said he feels rewarded by their relationship especially if he has had a hard work week. When he gets caught up in everyday life, Kaleb can bring him down to earth.
"He is so good, so attentive, so well behaved," Ballard said. "He’s a good teacher."
Reporter Christina Harper: 425-339-3491 or harper@heraldnet.com.
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