Friday, September 10, 2010

Big Brothers Big Sisters has big 1st year

Nonprofit organization still in need of volunteers


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

From left, Katherine Schroder, Karli Isaacs, Bronwyn Patterson, Susan Winget, Melinda McKee and Cassi Sturgeon represent Big Brothers Big Sisters at an aid station at the Sun Valley Half Marathon in June. Courtesy photo

Big Brothers Big Sisters in Blaine County is celebrating its first year of pairing adult men and women with boys and girls needing a positive adult role model in their life. An estimated 40 kids were matched with adults for the first year, said Bronwyn Patterson, program coordinator for the Blaine County office of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Idaho.

"The CEO in Boise is very happy with the first year of the program," Patterson said. "There were great accomplishments this year. The program was integrated into the community and made its first matches. But the program is small and needs to be bigger."

The nonprofit organization partnered with the Blaine County School District, which referred children to the program. In addition, Big Brothers Big Sisters created partnerships with several valley businesses. Patterson spoke to employees about volunteer opportunities, and she helped to implement the program with booths at community events and with discounted activities for "bigs" and "littles."

"Valley nonprofits were welcoming to Big Brothers Big Sisters with community referral programs, activities and awareness," Patterson said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters manned an aid station at the Sun Valley Half Marathon in June and featured activities at farmers' markets in Ketchum and Hailey. The group has partnered with the Wood River Community YMCA, the Council Circle Foundation, the Advocates for Survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, and Girls on the Run. Sun Valley Resort has assisted with "big and little play days," she said.

"All of us work together toward a common goal to help kids," Patterson said. "The community made us feel very welcome. We look forward to a bigger year ahead."

Patterson said the organization has received a sizeable donation of $10,000 from the Blaine County Community Drug Coalition, which will help to continue to grow the program.

"There are kids in Blaine County who need positive adults in their life," she said. "Big Brothers Big Sisters is a time commitment, but it's lots of fun. Some kids have run their first 5K, others have been taken out on a boat for the very first time and some kids learned to make cupcakes. Anything is possible."

The mentoring program is for youths ages 6-15 to benefit from a one-on-one friendship with a positive adult. Kids who are part of the program have little to no sports or activities in their lives because parents are working two jobs or there is an increased level of stress shifting family dynamics.

"Some kids don't have consistent adults in their lives," Patterson said. "Some parents are working all the time or parents are absent and not involved. Some kids in the program have uninvolved parents. We are seeing a lot of grandparents raising kids, and they can't participate in many activities."

A recent study conducted by a national research firm examined the impact of the Big Brothers Big Sisters program on youths. It found that when compared to their peers, little brothers and little sisters who met with their big brothers or sisters for at least one year were 46 percent less likely to use drugs. In addition, participating kids were 27 percent less likely to start drinking, 33 percent less likely to act violently and 52 percent less likely to skip a day of school. They also earned higher grades.

The study reported that parents found 88 percent of the kids improved in self-confidence, 75 percent improved in their ability to express themselves and 73 percent improved in their view of the future. In addition, 71 percent improved in making decisions.

The study also reported that 68 percent of the kids said they had improved in wanting to learn new things and 68 percent reported improvement in friendships.

One of the big brothers in the Blaine County program, Juan Martinez, a graduate of Wood River High School, was named "Youth Citizen of the Year" this past year. The community award was given, in part, for his work with the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is seeking more adult men and women to volunteer. The program has plenty of kids waiting for matches. It offers three mentoring programs, which include community-based, school-based and YMCA-based programs.

To kick off the fall, Big Brothers Big Sisters will have a fly-fishing casting session with Silver Creek Outfitters at Sun Valley Resort on Saturday, Sept. 25, at 5:30 p.m.

For details on becoming a big brother or big sister in Blaine County, call 578-5405 or e-mail Bronwyn.Patterson@bbbs.org.

Sabina Dana Plasse: splasse@mtexpress.com




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.