Austin Police, Big Brothers Big Sisters Team Up For Community Mentoring Program

AUSTIN, TX — The Austin Police Department and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas will team up to launch a "Bigs in Blue" program for the Austin area, a community initiative about which details will be released on Tuesday.

"Created by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Bigs in Blue is a national initiative aimed at recruiting law enforcement officers to serve as mentors to youth in their communities, officials explained: "BBBS believes these mentoring relationships will create stronger, healthier bonds between law enforcement personnel and the children, families, and communities we serve," they noted in a statement.

A press conference announcing the effort is scheduled at 10 a.m. on June 20 at the BBBS Bennett-Rathgeber Mentoring Center located at 4800 Manor Rd. Scheduled speakers include APD Interim Chief Brian Manley; BBBS CEO Brent Fields and "Big Brother" Philip Kearney, who in turn will be joined by his "Little Brother" Malik; members of the BBBS staff,; board members; and Big and Little Brothers and Sisters. Families and members of the Austin Police Department will also be in attendance, officials said.

On their website, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America describe their mission as "...a one-to-one mentoring program that connects youth with police in communities throughout our nation, building strong, trusting, lasting relationships. These relationships can help build stronger bonds between law enforcement and the families they serve."

>>> Photo via U.S. Marine Corps