WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — In Warner Robins, city council approved a partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia Monday evening.
The partnership involves Big Brothers Big Sisters, the City of Warner Robins, and the students of Central Georgia. They'll work together to pair professionals with children, giving them one-to-one and group mentoring services.
Council passed a memorandum Monday night, stating the city will work closely with the mentorship group.
"Longevity is the key. We want to have a child matched for as long as possible," Fitzgerald said.
Betsy Fitzgerald, the President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia, says the nonprofit provides children facing adversity with resources to help them reach their full potential.
"When we invest in our young right now, they are not going to prison. They are not going to be taking taxpayers' dollars away from services that could be used to help build more libraries and other community development pieces. We are ensuring that they are going to graduate, they have a focus in school, do well in school, and that they have a game plan for going into the military, or working directly, or going into higher education," Fitzgerald said.
Warner Robins Mayor LaRhonda Patrick says the partnership allows city employees to volunteer their time as mentors.
"When they do, they will get some free time away from work. They will still get compensated, but they can spend the last hour or last couple of hours mentoring a child in our community, so I believe it's a great accomplishment for our city, and for Big Brothers Big Sisters showing that partnership and collaboration to better our community as a whole," Mayor Patrick said.
Fitzgerald looks forward to working with the city and hopes to see children work with employees at Robins Air Force Base.
"There are so many defense contractors that we have never connected with. There are so many different entrepreneurs in this area that we don't know who they are, or they've been so busy trying to recover from the pandemic, they are not ready to talk with us, so this partnership will allow us to connect with so many very different people, because we serve all kinds of kids," Fitzgerald said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters will find and interview students and the City of Warner Robins agreed to find agreeable mentors. The city will also provide spaces for recruitment activities and trainings.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has served Central Georgia for 69 years. They work with students as soon as they enter kindergarten, all the way through until their high school graduation.
If you're interested in mentoring, head over to their website, and send them an email with your name, job description, and place of business.
Warner Robins City Council also discussed a few more items Monday night. They passed and changed the city code on nuisances to include parking lots that aren't properly paved and maintained, so now, they can make sure potholes get fixed on private lots. Council also discussed possibly putting together a future internship program that would allow college students to work for the city.
If you're looking for a job, Tuesday, you can attend a job fair. The Department of Labor, the City of Warner Robins, and Central Georgia Technical College are hosting it. It's happening Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Elberta Center.