A positive role model in a child’s life can make all the difference.

But all to often these days those role models simply are not there. There are a legion of reasons, from households where the parents have to work all hours of the day just to pay the bills and put food on the table to children who have been outright abandoned.

Regardless of the cause, there is a host of solid evidence that these children face greater risks of running into trouble and have less of a chance of succeeding throughout their lives.

Luckily, for children in Talladega County, there are a number of organizations dedicated to helping them stay on the right path and giving them the extra help they need.

Most recently, Big Brothers, Big Sisters has established itself in Talladega and already has two major grants in place to help the program help our youths.

One grant comes from the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect to initiate Talladega Bigs, which helps pair children with mentors. Big Brothers, Big Sisters also received $100,000 to implement a program to help children who have a parent or other significant family member who is incarcerated.

While the Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Northeast Alabama has been around for almost three decades and has come into Talladega County before, this is their first established program here.

The move is being done in partnership with Sylacauga’s Promise, a program that already has a well-established track record of helping children succeed.

Thanks to the hard work by organization and other local leaders, the children here who need help the most are now much more likely to receive it. Participants are much less likely to become involved in drug use, crime and other destructive behavior and usually do better academically and are more likely to remain in school.

That is great news for the children in our area, but also means an overall improvement for the entire Talladega community. Instead of being a burden on city and school system resources, these kids have a better chance to become productive, contributing citizens.

That’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.