Big Brothers Big Sisters

With my position in the chamber of commerce, I'm blessed to have the opportunity to be a member of some wonderful service clubs.  Last month at the NB-NK Rotary Club, Abby Balster (Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Van Wert, Mercer and Auglaize Counties) came to speak about the program.  This afternoon she visited our Minster Service Club meeting.  BBBS plays an important role in the lives of many youngsters in our area, and their's is an important story.  Here's my article from her visit to the Rotary Club.

Big Brothers Big Sisters visits NB-NK Rotary



Abby Balster, Executive Director with Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Mercer, Auglaize & Van Wert Counties visited the New Bremen-New Knoxville Rotary Club to discuss BBBS and the various programs they offer. The BBBS mission is “to make a positive difference in the lives of children by promoting their self-esteem, expanding their awareness of life’s opportunities, and providing them with guidance and support through long term one to one mentors with caring adult volunteers.” “We have 152 matches currently in all three counties,” said Balster. “Unfortunately we have 60 kids on our waiting list to be matched in our one on one program. All of the kids (94) in our after school program have been matched. It costs about $600 per year to match an adult with a child.”


Balster explained that BBBS in a non-profit organization that began in 1904 and has become the largest mentoring organization with over 255,000 matches in 2008.BBBS has been serving children in Mercer and Auglaize for over 20 years, and in Van Wert County for over 5 years. Their largest fundraiser each year is the Bowl for Kids event which raised over $20,000.00 last year. “A recent study shows that 52% of our “littles” are less likely to skip school, 46% are less likely to use drugs, 27% are less likely to use alcohol, and 75% of the “littles” said they learned right from wrong from their big,” said Balster. “We have four programs that help accomplish these goals, one on one matches, After School Buddies, the Supper Club, and AmachiOhio program.”


The One on one program matches an adult “big” with a child “little” for 3-4 visits per month. “We ask the bigs to provide some sort of enrichment activities,” said Balster. She explained that the process for becoming a volunteer includes an application, referrals and an extensive interview process. Once the new volunteers complete their BBBS orientation, BBBS runs a local and national background and driving check, prior to performing a home assessment with the volunteer. “We do a matching recommendation sheet once the process is complete,” said Balster. “This enables us to match the volunteer with a child that fits them well, based on interests and needs.”


BBBS interviews and visits potential “littles” and their parents to understand the child’s family situation, the child’s needs, and what the child wants their big to be like. “One of my favorite stories involves an 8 year match between a big sister and little sister,” said Balster. “When the younger brother of the “little” was finally eligible to be a part of the BBBS program, we asked him what he wanted his big to be like. He said “I want my big to be just like my sister’s big because she’s fun and cool.”


The after school program matches elementary students with high school students for one and a half hours after school while mom and dad are at work. The students finish their homework, participate in some physical activity and also do some sort of enrichment activity or crafts. The supper club kids meet with adult volunteer for supper twice per month.


The AmachiOhio program is a more specialized matching program for at-risk children. Amachi is a Nigerian word meaning “Who knows what God has brought us through this child?” Children qualify for this program if they have a parent incarcerated at the federal or state level. Over 80% of incarcerated people are parents, which makes this a very important program. Ohio spent over 1 billion dollars on their prisons in 2010 and has the highest incarceration rates in the country.


Volunteers can provide a positive influence in the lives of local children who find themselves in a difficult situation. Volunteering to mentor a child in need gives that child a clean slate and a fresh start in life. “If you’d prefer not to volunteer, talk about BBBS to your friends and maybe one of them might consider becoming a volunteer,” said Balster. Contact BBBS by calling (866) 670-2227 or send an email to office@bbbsma.com.  Visit them online at www.bbbsma.com."


Abby reported that as of now, there are 55 "littles" on the waiting list for their "bigs."  She also reported that the Federal government has recently decided to cut funding for the AmachiOhio program two years before the grant was to run out.  Please consider volunteering for (or donating to) this amazing organization!