Big Brothers Big Sisters - 2021
With the assistance of the YES! Fund Grant, Big Brother Big Sisters accomplished the creation and support of 51 new matches since the beginning of 2022. This achievement kept them on track to reach their target of 100 new matches by the end of the year. Riley County was the leading area within Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters regarding net new matches. To effectively manage the growing number of matches, the organization hired a Match Support Specialist as an additional case manager. This strategic addition allowed them to continue making more matches while prioritizing the safety and well-being of their existing matches.
A central focus of their program was to encourage Match Support Specialists to adopt a more relational approach, moving away from purely transactional interactions with their clients. Including the new team member gave the staff additional time to engage in meaningful conversations and offer support whenever they identified challenges faced by families, Littles, or Bigs. They recognized the positive correlation between the longevity of a match and improved youth outcomes. By strengthening the bond with their caseload, the matches had a higher likelihood of remaining together for an extended period and facilitating re-enrollment if a match needed to be closed. Furthermore, Big Brother Big Sisters initiated more Match Events, providing opportunities for Bigs and Littles to come together and participate in planned activities. They also organized Big Appreciation Events throughout the year to express gratitude and recognize their dedicated volunteers.
Their recruitment efforts for Little Brothers and Little Sisters extended beyond their existing achievements. They orchestrated a highly successful lemonade stand recruitment activity at the Boys and Girls Club 5th Street location, resulting in 20 inquiries from individual kids seeking more information. Encouraged by the event's success, they devised plans to conduct lemonade stand recruitment events at each off-site location throughout the summer. Additionally, they organized a dedicated Little Recruitment Event at the Northview Pool in July. Furthermore, USD 383 approached them to present to all the teachers during an in-service session before the start of the school year to encourage educators to refer students who could benefit from their program.
