OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, one in three kids grows up without a sustained, positive adult role model.
This National Mentoring Month, BBBS is calling on you to make a difference.
BBBS says the need for mentors is urgent right now. Currently, more than 100 youth are still waiting for a mentor.
The organization has helped connect Omaha metro youth with mentors for over 65 years. In 2025 alone, it served about 900 kids and young adults.
That includes 21-year-old Tylina Cookman-Booth.
"Being in the program, mentorship, I feel like, is something very important and something everybody should have," Cookman-Booth said. "I didn't have a really good childhood, so having that additional adult support really, truly benefited me and helped me."
Cookman-Booth has been a "Little" in the Big Brother Big Sisters program since 2011. She has had two "Big Sisters" in that time, and has been matched with woman named Lachelle now for over 11 years.
"I had a really rough transition from high school to college. My mom passed away, so like I was navigating grief and things like that, and Lachelle made sure that she was always there for me," Cookman-Booth said. "They're truly like my sisters."
She remains very close to both as she wraps up her final semester at the College of Saint Mary in Omaha.
The impact BBBS has had on her speaks for itself. Cookman-Booth said she is now planning to get her master's degree in social work and she is currently serving as a BBBS program intern.
The organization emphasizes that making an impact doesn't require extraordinary effort. Just sharing meaningful moments in everyday life and showing that you care can have a profoundly positive impact on a young person's future.
You can learn more about becoming a Big Brothers Big Sisters mentor by clicking here.
