Mentor program works for youth

Cameron Brown bowls with his friend Rick Silver. photo by Torri Barco

Rick Silver gave a high-five to an animated young boy at Sun Mountain Fun Center. The boy jumped in the air after bowling a ball that sunk some pins. He ran at Rick exclaiming, "Look what I did!"

He kept his bowling wrist even this time -- a technique his friend Rick taught him.

Rick Silver, 53, is a retired owner of a barcode label business. He's lived for nine years in Tumalo on 20 acres of land in a beautiful home, with a pond, horse pastures with three horses and nearby trails, his pound dog, Hattie, and his wife Janice. He has two adult sons who live in California.

Cameron Brown is a 10-year-old boy who lives in a single-parent home in a duplex in Sisters, built by Habitat for Humanity. He lives with his mom, his pet rat, two cats and a dog. He attends Sisters Elementary School and plays many sports like soccer and basketball.

It's not likely that Cameron and Silver would cross paths and become friends -- not without the help of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon.

The organization is a branch of J Bar J Youth Services in Bend and is funded through state and federal grants. It works to pair adults with children ages 6-15 in one-on-one mentoring relationships. Often the children are from single-parent homes and need additional support, said Aimee McClinton, case manager.

Before Silver came along, Cameron had relatives and friends, but no male figure in his life, said Tana Sproat, Cameron's mom.

Silver went through an extensive interview process with Sproat, Cameron and the organization's officials before he was selected to be Cameron's "big brother."

"It just seemed right," Sproat said. "He is very easy-going and interested in Cameron. They both like horses so it seemed to fit. It's giving him a man-figure in his life who can do things with him I can't do.

"He (Cameron) is more outgoing now and has more outside interests," Sproat said. "I know he has Rick to turn to and talk to about problems he can't talk to mom about. The other day, he had some problems with soccer and Rick called and it was the most he ever talked to him. He just went on and on and on."

The organization recommends big brothers and sisters spend at least a couple hours per week with their child. Silver said he averages two to four hours every other week with Cameron, because he often travels on extended vacations.

Still, their friendship's three-year history is packed with stories of whimsical adventures and activities, including biking, swimming, horseback riding, softball, fishing, camping and bowling.

"It (the friendship) keeps you young up here," Silver said, pointing to his head, "no matter how old you are. That energy and vitality -- that is part of the selfishness of why I am doing this and I hope I always have some of that."

Silver recounted the time he went swimming in the pond by his house with Cameron, his dog Hattie, and Cameron's dog, Lily.

"Lily had never gone swimming and Hattie is a great swimmer, so Hattie was teaching Lily how to swim," Silver said. "So Cameron gets in the water and is holding onto the legs of the two dogs and they're pulling Cameron through the water, so that was a great moment. The dog learned to swim and Cameron had a great smile on his face."

Other children are waiting for similar companionship.

Big Brothers Big Sisters currently has an 11-year-old girl and a 10-year-old boy on the waiting list for a big brother and sister, said McClinton. Two children chose to drop off the list this year after having waited for months.

Men or women who are older than 18 and pass background checks and interview processes can qualify.

The organization has been serving Central Oregon for 10 years; it served 152 children in Deschutes County last year, but only two in Sisters, McClinton said. Silver and Cameron are the only two paired from Sisters this year.

For more information call 312-6047. Visit the website at www.bbbsco.org.