Sandra Estrella got a chance to be with her Little Sister Xochitl a few weeks ago at a Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters’ party. But her biological brother, Anthony, still waits for a Big Brother. 

Some boys have to wait over one year to be paired with an adult volunteer mentor. Xochitl and her brothers are sharing a small apartment with their family in the predominately Latino community in Pasadena.

Xochitl’s mother, Adriana, wants a better life for her four children and does whatever she can to keep them safe and in school. She called Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters three years ago in hopes of finding a male role-model for her three boys. 

“One of the obstacles for Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters,” Ken Martinet, president/CEO says, “is having enough male volunteers willing to befriend a young man in need.” 

National studies and agency evidence reports that having a mentor helps youth break the cycle of poverty largely due to having a Big Brother or Big Sister — they do better and graduate from school. Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters strives to have a Big Brother for Anthony so he can have a role model too.

Xochitl’s family received Christmas gifts from Sandra’s company, Primary Residential Mortgage, one of the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters organizational supporters. Anthony got a Big Brother for the Day. He hopes he can have a permanent Big Brother soon since boys age out for being matched by the time they reach 15 years of age. 

More information, visit the web: www.catholicbigbrothers.org.