After an unexpected funding cut, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio is struggling to fulfill its mission of providing mentoring services to local youths.
The $1 million the association has received annually from the state of Ohio for more than a decade has been discontinued.
“We found out actually in June that it is not going to be renewed,” said Marvin Whitfield, CEO and president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwestern Ohio.
“The million dollars impacted 17 Big Brother/Sisters agencies throughout the state of Ohio,” he said. “So technically, as of June the 30th, we're no longer funded for mentoring.”
Funds from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families were used to support the organization’s mentoring work statewide, fostering 500 new one-to-one mentoring relationship matches each year. The agencies negatively impacted are spread across 47 counties, both rural and urban.
The local agency is now trying to operate with a deficit of around $80,000-$100,000, he said.
Even with active monthly fund-raising efforts to offset the loss, the organization is currently only at 26 percent of its fund-raising goals and is seeking funding sources.
“As far as fund-raising, we're still searching for grants [but] the problem with the grant process is that a lot of the grant cycles don't start back up until around the first of the year,” Mr. Whitfield said. “If we would have known early enough, we could have started applying for grants in different spaces. So it kind of caught us at a bad time.”
Since 1937, the organization has worked to “empower future leaders one match at a time” by connecting children, affectionately referred to as “Littles” with adult leaders known as “Bigs.” Its mission is for all youth to achieve their full potential.
In the last year, 145 matches were serviced, and a total of 929 youth were impacted by the programs.
Sulaymah Awad, 15, has been a “Little” for three years. She credits the Empowering Future Leaders Program for fostering her personal and professional growth.
“The program has helped me a lot with life skills, how to become a leader, and how to problem solve,” said the 10th grader. “And it brought me closer to a lot of people that I've never known. I love it, and now I'm volunteering there.”
With plans to become a neurosurgeon, Sulaymah was connected by program organizers with a summer internship at the Mercy Health Neuroscience Institute through the Mercy St. Vincent Youth Volunteer Summer Program. She was able to assist with wheelchairs, direct patients, and observe surgeries.
“She's been wanting to be some kind of doctor ever since she was a little kid," said Thasia Awad, the honor student's mother. “This was her first opportunity to get some hands-on experience and what it's like in the life of neuroscience.”
Also a participant of Big Brothers Big Sisters when she was a child, Ms. Awad said she knows firsthand the essential support it provides to families in need as well as its long-term positive impact on children.
“I had a Big Sister when I was younger, so when I was in a season in my life a few years ago where I just needed additional support for my kids, I remembered Big Brothers Big Sisters and what they did for my mom,” she said, adding that her mentor was “a godsend” for her mother.
Ms. Awad expressed hope for a raised awareness that will encourage donations to keep the program running.
“Big Brothers Big Sisters has been in our community for over 80 years,” she said. “That mentorship program — for those who don't know about it, or who've never used it — has been a blessing especially for people who lack the support that they need.”
The organization is making an appeal for the local community and businesses to step in.
“As a philanthropist, I train our nonprofits,” Mr. Whitfield said. “And I always tell them you have to get your community and local people involved and invest in our local [endeavors]. It's a local problem we're dealing with.”
As government funding sources can be temporary or be withdrawn based on the economy, Mr. Whitfield said his ultimate goal is to shift funding sources to only 40 percent state and federal with the remainder gleaned from local support, making operations more sustainable.
“I've been here four years, eight months. I donate my salary back, plus my company donates 20 cents on every dollar I make,” he said of the Blue Force Mobile Training Team professional development firm where he serves as CEO.
The recent loss of funding, along with growing costs to deliver service and a recent decrease in donations due to inflation, will have a devastating impact on current matches which will extend the wait time of over 200 youths currently waiting for a mentor, organizers said.
Daniel Iova, Mercy Health regional practitioner administrator, volunteers as a mentor and believes the services are beneficial for both the “Bigs” and the “Littles.”
“For many years I kept saying I wanted to serve the community but I kept making excuses about how busy I was,” he said. But the experience opened his eyes to a new world and eventually even led to a blossoming of a relationship between his wife and his mentee's sister.
“These young folks out there have limited resources or their village, family unit, or the world may be chaotic at times so it's a little bit of a sense of pride to provide a little bit of stability,” he said.
Mr. Iova’s mentee also participated in Mercy’s volunteer youth summer program. And while his presence and guidance may be just a small fraction of the teen’s life, he expressed honor in being able to provide guidance.
“I don't think mentors really know the depth of help and support that they're offering parents when they decide to step into our kids’ life and be that extra hand and role model while we're trying to raise other children and try to deal with life on our own,” Ms. Awad said.
Despite recent financial woes, the agency plans to continue working toward a solution and is reminding the community that every contribution, regardless of size, plays a vital role in moving the organization forward.
“I reached out to the state representatives and to our senator's office. They've been very supportive but the only problem is when you go to those offices, everything's like around the first of the year,” Mr. Whitfield said. “So we do have some hope in place. It’s just now we have to survive between now and then.”
More information can be found at bbbsnwo.org or by calling 419-243-4600.
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