LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – It was book fair day at the Little Rock School District’s Stephens Elementary School and 4th grader Deshawn Tate was excited as he browsed through the books. The 10-year-old loves reading.

“My favorite thing [at school] is the library because you get to see cool books,” Deshawn said.

While the library is high on the list, the playground tops his list of favorite places at school.

“My extra favorite one is when you get to play outside, but I think they should add some swings cause they don’t got no swings,” Deshawn said.

Deshawn is not afraid to take risks. In fact, he wants to be a gymnast and showed off some of his tricks.

“I started off with the easy stuff, cartwheels. I’m pretty good with cartwheels. I started doing cartwheels when I was five,” he said. “I like to learn about new things. I like to learn about gymnastics a lot and I like to go outside, ride my bike, and play.”

Deshawn lives at home with his mom. He is currently one of more than 100 students waiting for a mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. He said he’s looking for a big brother who’s fun and helpful.

“I need to work on my behavior, so I want him to teach me how to work on my behavior,” Deshawn said.

BBBSCA requires mentors, also referred to as BIGs, to commit four hours per month. The organization offers the traditional mentoring program where BIGs meet up with their mentees, also referred to as Littles, outside of school. There’s also a site-based program, where BIGs and Littles meet at the Little’s school or after-school program.

If you’re interested in becoming a Big, click here.