Whats involved:
     Brother to Brother has two different levels of involvement.  The first is simply attending our monthly activities and spending time together as a group.  Our monthly activities take place on the 3rd Saturday of each month.  (In late fall, we usually have a 2-3 day camping trip which may not fall on the 3rd weekend.) We do things like go to the park, take the boys fishing or go bowling.  Don't worry about being athletic or needing to carve out a lot of time from your busy schedule.  Our weekend activities usually only take 4 hours a month for just one Saturday.  Not all of our boys participate when we play ball and sometimes they just want to "chill" - we need mentors who are willing to sit on the sidelines and "chill" with them.  From time to time, we also participate in the Men at Arms ministry - if you are not "handy" , don't worry.  We have ways you can help there too.
     After attending three months of our Saturday activities, we will then consider matching you up with one of our boys who does not already have a mentor.  This is the second level which we call "One-on-one mentoring".  At this point, both you and the young man you are matched with make a commitment to spend 1-2 hours a week together for the next 52 weeks.  (See below for some ideas of activities to do together.)

     Not all of our boys want to be matched up with our mentor who will meet with them every week, but we still need adults who will join us on a monthly basis.  Joining us for the monthly events gives you a chance to get your feet wet and an opportunity to connect with one of the boys before making the 52 week commitment.  If you have any questions, call the ministry leader Kevin McCane at (727) 452-6393.  If you get voice mail, leave a message and he will call you back as soon as possible.

Where Do I Start:

•      Applicants must be 21 years old
  
•      Apply to become a mentor using our internet based youth mentoring software.  Simply sign up, log in, and then fill out the ministry application
  
•      Interview with a member of the leadership team
  
•      Fingerprinting (A background check will be done and you must provide two references)
•      Start attending monthly activities on the 3rd Saturday of every month
•      Training - attend a 4 hour orientation class that will help equip you to be an effective mentor

Help! I need 52 activities!

• 3rd Saturday of every month - attend our group activity - 12 down, 40 to go...
• Borders - take your protege to Barnes & Noble and grab a comic book, magazine or book
• Fishing - Don't forget the fishing license if the child is 16 or over.  Email us if you would like to go out on a boat.
• Geocaching - Got a GPS?  You and your protege might enjoy this activity
• County Park - Pinellas has some great parks!  I recommend Sawgrass Lake (You might even see some baby gators.)
  
• Go for a bike ride
• Go to the Library - some library's offer free coupons for food and other goodies when the child reads a certain number of books
• Play a game - popular favorites?  Chess, Backgammon, Risk, Life, Dutch Blitz
• Shoot some hoops, throw a football around, kick the soccer ball
  
• Go to a thrift shop - see what you can do with only $5.00
• Go to a music shop together - try out the guitars, keyboards and drums
• Starbucks - grab a cup of coffee or cocoa and chat
• Ice Skating - Icot center or Countryside Mall
• See a play - Pinellas Park has info on upcoming plays on their website. 
• Head to the beach
• Martial arts - participate or just watch.  (There is a Japanese sword dojo on 66th, just south of the Army/Navy Store)
• Shoot some pool
• Ping Pong
• Miniature Golf
• SPCA - volunteer or just spend some time playing with the dogs and cats
• Bowling
• Jogging
• Darts - cricket anyone?
• Paint ball
• Lazer Tag - we have a relationship with a place in Largo and can sometimes get discounted pricing - email us for details.
• Hit a bucket of balls at the driving range
• Hit the batting cages (Bring a helmet!)
• Frisbee golf
• Invent a new game (Camping trip 09 - Circle game)
• Go to the dog park - bring a dog, borrow a dog or just go hang out with them.
• Pick up your protege before school and have breakfast together
• Go to a nursing home: give out smiles, read to them or just sit down and chat
• Search for buried treasure - go Metal Detecting.  (Bill Jackson's has Metal Detectors available to rent.)
• Got a video camera?  Write, direct and star in your own movie. Upload it to Youtube and go viral!
• Men of Arms: Join the men of Calvary on the first Saturday of each month for a work project
• Learn how to change the oil in your mom's car.
• Feed the homeless.  Join other volunteers Friday's from 6:30 to 8:30 at St. Vincent DePaul's in St. Pete
• Have a Bar-B-Q
  

49 down, only 3 to go!