CLARKSVILLE, TN – That old man you see running down Madison is named Milton Moore, and he has a message for Clarksville: The community needs more men to volunteer as mentors to youth facing adversity.

Moore, 76, is training to run the Boston Marathon. He has a lot of time to think while he puts in the miles, and lately he’s been reflecting on the nearly two decades of volunteer experiences he built with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Clarksville.

Moore was a Big Brother to a handful of young men through the BBBS program in the late 1990s and through the 2010s. In each Match, he was paired one-to-one with a Little Brother. Some of the Matches lasted the agency minimum of one year. Others lasted several years. Moore said he recognized the tremendous need for young boys to have a male role, and he saw that the agency – then as it does now – did not have enough men volunteering as mentors. So, he stepped up over and over again.

“My biggest disappointment would be that so few men volunteer in this particular area,” Moore said.

He said he wants people to realize they can do it if they just believe. “My sport in running is about the courage and the spirit that we can do it,” he said. “We can do it.”

Moore is using his run to raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Clarksville. He has a fundraising page set up through the agency where people can show their support for his run and the youth mentoring program that means so much to him. The page also has a link to learn more about volunteering as a Big Brother. He plans to wear a BBBS T-shirt and possibly carry a flag or sign at the run.

Moore said he wants to prove that something you think is unattainable – like running the Boston Marathon in your 70s – is absolutely within reach. And spending an hour a week mentoring a child is even easier to accomplish.

In the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, one adult mentor (a “Big”) is matched with one youth (a “Little”) in a mentoring relationship chosen specifically for them by agency staff. Agency staff also call to provide support once a month to help coach the mentor on how to relate to the youth, ideas on activities and encouragement to keep going.

“You’re talking about two kids coming together. And to sit there and sometimes it would take weeks, but to bring out a smile. It’s tough on these kids to smile,” he said.

Moore was in the School Based Program where he would meet the Little at the school, during the school day. He was a Big Brother to one young man all the way through high school. “Richard. He was tremendous,” Moore said. “He grew up in a very challenging environment.”

They started as School Based for several years and eventually switched to also meeting outside of the schools, going on outings in the evenings or weekends. One Saturday, Moore asked his Little Brother what he wanted to do.

“He said ‘I want to go see my father.’ and I said ‘Well that’s wonderful,’” Moore said, and he drove through town until his Little Brother Richard told him to turn.

“It was the cemetery,” Moore said. “After about five  minutes we found [his father’s] resting place. That’s the nearest thing he saw of his daddy.”

Moore knew his Little Brother just needed a friend. A consistent presence to talk with and to trust. The pair ate meals together, went for hikes and learned to identify trees in the forest. By the time he graduated, the Little Brother could name dozens of tree species from red oak to poplar to maple.

“Just a little bit goes a long way with the program,” Moore said “Just a little bit. If you just care a little bit.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Clarksville has been serving youth in the community since 1975. The organization has 53 active matches and more than 70 children waiting to get into the program. The agency receives an average of 10 new child inquiries per month. Mentors, especially men, are needed to help fill the gap and provide brighter futures to you in Clarksville.

To learn more about becoming a mentor or supporting Moore in his run, visit www.bbbsclarksville.org/BigRun.

HOW TO HELP: For more information on local charities, go to #ClarksvilleStrong.