Hundreds of children are on a waiting list at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago, and the need for mentors who are men, and people of color, is particularly acute on the city’s south and west sides.
Now the group has opened an office in Englewood, hoping to tackle that part of the problem. The office, at 747 W. 63rd St., is in rented space at Kennedy-King College.
The list could be even longer, but the group says it cuts it off to keep children from waiting for years without any real hope of a match.
About 70 percent of the children on the waiting list live on the South and West sides of Chicago, said Kristine Brown, a local spokesperson. The metro Chicago group covers Cook, Lake and DuPage counties, as well as Lake County in northwest Indiana.
Having a well-marked office in a high-traffic location — it used to be a bookstore — will, the group hopes, promote the organization and attract more people willing to become mentors, Brown said.
A donation from the Caerus Foundation is helping the group with the expansion into Englewood.
