DES MOINES, Iowa — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa is hosting an open house Wednesday night for its new Youth Mentoring Center.

Bridget Cravens-Neely, the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa, said that the new facility will provide better access to the organization’s services.

“We’re closer to some of the school system, some of the school districts, and so that makes it even easier for us to access them and hopefully be able to bring them in and say, hey, we’re here to help,” Cravens-Neely said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa is a non-profit organization that focuses on connecting adult mentors with at-risk youth to foster strong relationships that positively impact lives.

The new youth mentoring center roughly doubles the amount of space of its previous location, allowing the non-profit to expand its services.

Cravens-Neely said that now Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa needs mentors.

“We need, we again, we need male mentors. We need responsible, caring, dependable men who are not afraid to step in and help and guide a young male who might be similar to them. We have a very thorough process in matching. It’s not just if you’re a body matching you with another body. It truly is a very, what I would say, analytical and scientific process that we, that we follow to make sure that our matches sustain the test of time and that they last for at least a year because that’s how long it really takes to build trust and to be able to create that bond and that connection,” Cravens-Neely said.

The open house will begin Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. and run until 6:30 p.m. at the new location at 2130 Grand Avenue in Des Moines.

To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa or to apply to be a mentor, visit the non-profit’s website.