Carlos, a 10-year-old student at Cascade View Elementary in Tukwila, was having trouble with his spelling, so his Big Brother, David Cox, decided to forgo his and Carlos' weekly chess game in exchange for some study time.

In their hour of work, Carlos improved his spelling and got a perfect score on his practice test, all with very little help from Cox. But it wasn't the spelling that was the real accomplishment. It was Carlos' realization that he had done it all by himself. "It showed him he was capable of doing this himself every time. ... His face was absolutely beaming," says Cox, recalling the moment, one of his favorite memories so far, from his participation in the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) program.

Cox, the general manager of Graebel Quality Movers Inc.'s Kent branch, has been a member of the board for BBBS of King and Pierce Counties since 2004 and has enthusiastically encouraged his employees to participate in the program ever since he got involved. He became a Big Brother (or "Big" in BBBS-speak) in January 2005, along with 11 of his employees - about one-third of the branch's administrative staff. To encourage employees to participate, Graebel compensates them for their time, paying regular wages for an hour a week of volunteer time, an increasingly common business practice in Washington.

Participants are each assigned a child (a "Little"?), who they visit at Cascade View Elementary for an hour a week, and they work with the Little's teacher to tailor their time to what would most benefit the child. Cox, who first became involved with BBBS through the then-chairman of the board, says, "I've always been someone who actively seeks ways to give back."? And, he adds, this was a great opportunity.

For the Littles who participate, the benefits are immense and documented. According to Making a Difference: An Impact Study of Big Brothers Big Sisters (a study conducted in 1995 by authors J.P. Tierney, J.B. Grossman and N.L. Resch), children who participate in the program see improved schoolwork and social interaction, are 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol and 52 percent less likely to skip school.

Cox has experienced his fair share of fulfillment, too: "I end up at least as fulfilled as Carlos in what I put in and take out of the program. ... It's become one of the most important hours of the week for me. I end up fulfilled when I do it. It's just become a really big part of who I am."

He was motivated to get his company involved with the program, he explains, because he could see that the things his employees would do within the program would translate into better business practices in their work life. "It has become a part of our culture,"? says Cox. Every week employees come back to the office with stories about their time with their Littles. They hang artwork by the kids in their work-stations and cubicles, and you can find pictures of employees with their Littles all around the office.

"It's scary making that first leap - a time commitment and a commitment of your organizational resources. ... [But] it's made me a better person, and it's made us a better company," says Cox.