Wheaton Bible Church has worked closely with the Outreach Community Center
in Carol Stream (OCC) since its inception in the mid-1980s. The church has
partnered with OCC in its mission to restore hope and provide opportunities for
people to become all that God intends them to be. And, as partners, we put
Christian faith into action by serving our local community.
Since 2003, Wheaton Bible Church has supported OCC’s Big Buddy Program as a
ministry of the church. The Big Buddy Program is a faith-based, mentoring
program that matches mature, Christian adults one-on-one with at risk children from
the south Carol Stream neighborhood served by OCC. The goal is to create a
positive, supportive relationship for the child. The relationship provides
opportunities for a child to be exposed to new experiences, set goals toward a
successful future, and develop life skills simply by spending time with a
responsible adult who cares about them and wants to spend time together.
As a Big Buddy, you will meet with your Little Buddy twice a month. What you
do with him/her isn’t as important as the fact that you are spending time
together. In fact, you could do just about anything. Invite your Little Buddy over
to your house to make cookies or do a project together, go to the park, help
with homework, go to the library, or attend a sporting event in which your
Little Buddy is participating. Plus, OCC’s Mentoring Coordinator plans bimonthly
social activities for all Big and Little Buddies to get together. In addition
to being fun, the activities are a great way to meet and network with other Big
Buddies!
We ask each Big Buddy volunteer prospect to complete our application and
screening process that includes an application, interview, references, and fingerprint background
check. As a Big Buddy volunteer, you will receive ongoing
training and support from the Mentoring Coordinator, who is a full-time,
professional on staff at OCC.
To learn more about the program, please contact Kathy Christensen, Volunteer
Coordinator at Outreach Community Ministries at
/ 630.682.1910.
If you are ready to put your faith into action and want to take the first
step, follow this link and complete a volunteer application at the Outreach website.