As the son of a Presbyterian minister, John Villesvik will admit that serving others might be part of his genetic makeup.
Villesvik, 44, an Everett native, worked as an architect for nine years before his passion for volunteering as a prison chaplain and a Big Brother set him up for a career change.
“I figured, ‘What does the world need more – another office building or a well-adjusted person?’ To me, helping kids get through difficult times is much more important than any architectural award or the money involved,” he said.
In his second career, Villesvik has been a detention officer with the King County Department of Juvenile Justice for the past 12 years.
“So many of those kids wouldn’t be in juvenile detention if they’d had a Big Brother or Big Sister,” Villesvik said.
At work, he said, he hears kids say all the time that they don’t care about their actions because nobody cares.
“You take boys who have no responsible role models in their lives, mix in abuse or neglect, and you have a sure-fire recipe for incarceration and all its costs to the community,” he said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been operating in Snohomish County for 20 years this month, and Villesvik has been involved since the start.
Honored earlier in March as the organization’s volunteer of the year, Villesvik continues to serve as a Big Brother and a member of the agency’s speakers bureau.
“John embodies the spirit of giving, and he recognizes the power of mentoring in the lives of children,” said Alan Brockway, director of partnership at Big Brothers Big Sisters. “He’s made a real investment of time and heart.”
Villesvik was volunteering in the chaplaincy programs at the Snohomish County Jail and Monroe Corrections Complex when he read a story in The Herald about the start of Big Brothers Big Sisters in the county.
“I thought, ‘That’s what I can do to make a difference, to make a change,’ and I made the phone call,” he said.
Villesvik was matched with Tony Doll, a 7-year-old boy living with his single mother. During the next 11 years, the “brothers” went fishing, biking, hiking, camping and skiing together.
“For Tony, it was just a matter of helping him see that he was a valuable person,” Villesvik said. “It was a chance to share with him all the fun, satisfying things in life.”
Today, Tony Doll is a hardworking homeowner in Marysville, and he and his wife are the parents of two active kids.
“John made it easy for my mom,” Doll said. “He invited me into his family and he provided great outdoor experiences that otherwise I might not have had. Once in a while, we still get together to go skiing.”
Villesvik, a single father of a 13-year-old son and 19-year-old stepdaughter, said he works hard to provide support and time for his former wife and their children.
“Single moms have it tough, and life can be overwhelming,” Villesvik said.
Getting involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the best ways other adults can help out, he said.
“If, as a society, we really do care about kids, we need to be there for them, or we deserve our ballooning prisons,” Villesvik said. “The number of kids finding themselves in dire straits is growing exponentially.”
Currently, there are 175 children, most of them boys, in Snohomish County on the waiting list to get a Big Brother or Big Sister, and some have been on the list since 2005, Villesvik said.
In fact, his current “little brother,” Jordan Boso, now 16, was on the waiting list for three years before Villesvik was paired with him in 2002.
Jordan, a student at Cascade High School, is interested in – along with girls, music and cars – a career in graphic arts, Villesvik said.
The recent death of Jordan’s grandmother, who provided financial assistance for his family, will make it tough for them to help Jordan afford his dream of attending the Art Institute of Seattle.
In the meantime, Villesvik said he encourages Jordan to stay away from gangs, work hard and be excited about the future.
“We need more Big Brothers because the lives of these boys are at stake,” he said. “It’s a small price to pay, and you come away with the satisfaction of knowing that you spent a few hours a week to a purpose greater than yourself. You have nothing to lose.”
Reporter Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427 or gfiege@heraldnet.com.
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating its 20th anniversary in Snohomish County. For more information, to volunteer or to donate to the nonprofit organization, call 425-252-2227 or go to www.bbbs-snoco.org.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
