Volunteer Training

As a Big Sister or Big Brother you will have many questions in the beginning stages of building a relationship with your Little Sister/Little Brother. As time passes, new situations will develop and more questions will surface. Staying connected to CBS is a requirement for volunteer mentors as well as the family. The agency provides the following structure in order to facilitate healthy and long-term mentoring relationships:

• After each of your first two outings (approximately the first month of the relationship), please call your Little Sister/Little Brother’s social worker to discuss the match. Once the relationship has progressed, you are required to speak with your social worker on a monthly basis. Our staff will also have regular contact with the child and parents.
• Each volunteer is expected to attend one MANDATORY Volunteer Training Session that is held at our East 2^nd Street office. The date and time of the meetings will be discussed after a volunteer is accepted.  
• A quarterly newsletter will be sent to you, which will include trip suggestions, child/adolescent developmental issues, and agency announcements. Mentors are encouraged to submit trip summaries or to share information about upcoming activities.
• The agency has insurance that covers both volunteer and Little Sister/Little Brother when on a match activity, providing the parent/guardian has full knowledge of the activity. When CBSBB sponsors a group outing, the child’s parent/guardian must sign an additional permission form. Please note: certain activities that require driving, long trips, or risky behavior will not be covered by the agency and increase liability for the volunteer.