A little mentoring can go a long way in a child's life.

Kids mentored in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program see big benefits.

"You'll see a dramatic difference," said Phil Knight, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Michigan Capital Region. "52 percent are less likely to skip school, skip classes... 77 percent grow up and give back as part of a community group."

But Knight says money's been tight at times. This chapter of the non-profit mentoring group briefly stopped making new matches earlier this year after laying off staff over the winter. It's started matching again since then, but there are a lot of kids waiting.

"What we have is about 98 kids right now that are ready to be mentored and 68 of those are boys who need a male mentor," said Knight.

Some of the kids on the list have been waiting longer than six months. It's not just volunteers needed though, it's also cash.

Big Brothers Big Sisters conducts extensive background and reference checks on anyone applying to be a mentor and has case workers supporting every match it makes.

"We break it down to about a thousand dollars per match relationship," said Knight.

Meaning manpower and money are the main things standing between a kid in need and a mentor to guide them.

You can find more information about the program at http://www.bbbsmcr.org .