From The Jeffersonian By: Lauren Taylor, January 17, 2007 The impact of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is evident every week: Eyes shine with excitement and the hallway fills with excited chatter. And that's just the Bigs' reaction. At eight schools across the county, volunteers -- known as "Bigs" -- lunch with their "Littles," students in grades two through five. They share peanut butter sandwiches, work on multiplication, shoot basketballs and play board games. For the sixth year, employees from Black & Decker in Towson have been involved at Villa Cresta Elementary. More than 30 students participate. On Jan. 9, Debra Beaty and fifth-grader Shannon Woolf set up the game board so they could play Life over lunch. The two, who were paired up last year, have continued their friendship. "We play games together and Shannon normally wins," said Beaty, who's mentoring her fourth Little. "She's pretty nice and pretty cool," Shannon said of her Big. "I think some of the Bigs get as much out of it as the Littles," said Beaty, an engineer specialist at Black & Decker. At most schools, Bigs spend an hour with the students, eating lunch, doing classwork and having fun. Villa Cresta's program is only a half hour long to allow the school to cover the required curriculum. "Some struggle academically and it's hard to catch up if they miss class," Principal Kathleen Bishop explained. Until she came to Villa Cresta two years ago, she had never seen such a program, Bishop said. "The idea that the company was willing to let its employees leave work during the day and come here. ... They think that it's such an important project that they leave work," Bishop said. Other companies involved in the program include the Injured Workers Insurance Fund, Lockheed Martin, Stout Causey, Benelogic, Legg Mason, T. Rowe Price, Bank of America and St. Paul's Travelers. Seven Baltimore County elementary schools are involved in the program: Harford Hills, in Carney; Hawthorne, in Middle River; Pot Springs, in Timonium; Sandalwood, in Essex; Timber Grove, in Owings Mills; Villa Cresta, in Parkville and Warren, in Cockeysville. Stemmers Run Middle School, in Essex, also participates. "We're real proud of our corporate partnerships," which have allowed the program to reach more youngsters and volunteers, said Carley Thimmesch, director of outreach for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Maryland. "We're always looking to help more kids," she said. "It's a little bit of time; it's fun, and it's during work." Bigs in School programs usually start with a school requesting the program and finding a business partner. But some programs are started because businesses or groups ask how they can help. Companies can also help out by donating money, helping at the Big Brothers Big Sisters spring bowling fundraiser or helping out at one-day events. For example, Black & Decker donated $7,000 for furniture and books to create a Villa Cresta Reading Room. An after-school tutoring program was added last year at the urging of Black & Decker employees. There's also an evening and weekend program, School Plus, for volunteers who want to extend their relationships. Now in their second year together, Big Donna Patnode and her Little, fifth-grader Beatrice Worstell, often get together outside of school. They usually start off with an educational activity, such as the National Aquarium or the Baltimore Museum of Art. "We're both artists. I just met Bea at a time in her life when she was growing as an artist," said Patnode, Black & Decker's corporate graphics manager. "She's really come out since I met her," Patnode said. Rounding out their time together, the pair shares a meal and a fun activity --Êoften a stop at Beatrice's favorite store, The Limited Too. Beatrice, who's heading for an art magnet program in middle school next year, said she most enjoys spending time with Patnode, "having fun." Vicky Basso, Villa Cresta's counselor, has seen first-hand how Bigs influence students. "You see their self-esteem get much better. Their academics go up. Just the way they feel about things, it's more positive," Basso said. In a 2006 evaluation of the Bigs in School program, students showed a 89.1 percent improvement in confidence, a 71.4 percent improvement in academic performance and a 71 percent improvement in peer relationships, among other indicators. Attendance also improves, with students rarely missing school on days their mentors come, Basso said. At the end of each year, Basso surveys all the teachers to find students who could benefit from a mentor. Basso and the Big Brothers Big Sisters site specialist, Brandon Scott, then match the students to available mentors from Black & Decker. "It's great for me, just seeing the kids," Scott said. "They get quality time, self-respect and accountability. They don't want to tell their Bigs they did something wrong."