FACes & PlaceS
Around Town 2004

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, PA
by Megan Wetzel

As any parent will attest, the rewards that come from mentoring a child will last a lifetime - for both the parent AND the child.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County, PA is a private, non-profit organization serving the youth in Bucks County, PA and is affiliated with the National Organization Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Big Brothers was formed in 1963 by a group of concerned educators from the Centennial School District, and Aid for Girls was established in 1971 by the Doylestown Branch of the American Association of University Women. Aid for Girls became Big Sisters in 1974, and Big Sisters and Big Brothers merged to become one organization known as Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County in 1987.

There are twenty-four employees at the Bucks County agency. Funding is derived from volunteer-organized events such as Cars & Merchandise for Kids' Sake Program, Citrus Fruit Sale, Bowl for Kids' Sake, and a golf tournament. Additional resources are received from individual, community, business donations, grants and the United Way.

Time, commitment, location and activities are just a few factors to consider when choosing the right program to mentor a child. There seems to be a program for every lifestyle and inquiry, such as The Core Matching Program, The Bridge Program and the High School "Bigs" Program.

The most traditional is called Core Matching. The program is offered to boys and girls ages 7-17. Core is a community-based program where the child will meet with his or her mentor participating in events within the community. Some activities include going to a museum, seeing a movie or listening to music. They meet a minimum of once a month for 12 months and a professional Case Manager supervises the relationship between the youth and mentor.

The Bridge Program, which is headed by the Bridge Program Manager, Miles Adams is also located at the Bucks County location. In 2003, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County received a federal grant from the Department of Health and Human Services. The Bridge program is geared towards children ages 4-15, who have a parent or close relative that is incarcerated.

Most program goals include increasing a child's self esteem and potential success. According to a 2001 senate report, 70% of children with an incarcerated parent or relative are more likely to be involved in crime and are 6 times more likely to end up in prison themselves. With the help of programs such as these, he hopes to sponsor a minimum of 100 children within the next year. The Bridge program sponsors about 28 kids, and the grant allows the program to sponsor up to 80 children and teens. Bucks County was one of only three organizations in the state to receive the grant.

The High School "Bigs" Program serves elementary students who can benefit from extra support from a high school volunteer. Each volunteer is carefully screened, trained and chosen to ensure a responsible role model. The Bucks County location is in need of these mentor in the following school districts: Bristol Township, Morrisville, Pennridge and Quakertown. Bucks County serves children in 10 of the 13 school districts.

One of the most misunderstood qualities of these children is that they are "bad", or "always getting into trouble." Miles Adams assures us not to be fearful of these kids, but to embrace their courage, and understand that they come from all kinds of families and backgrounds. He encourages the community to get involved.

There are also some training programs available for the mentors. This program is a joint effort with The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County. The Mentoring Institute provides information on mentor program development, mentor training, a mentoring resource center, team development training and Professional development.

Big Brother Big Sister received a three-year project grant for the Youth leadership training that is available for high school-aged youth. This program is offered on Saturdays starting in September and ending in June. This training is offered to develop leadership and team building skills along with budgeting, understanding ethnicity and examples of dressing for success.

How can you help? While there is a waiting list for Central Bucks, there is growing need of mentors for the Lower Bucks area. If you would like to become a mentor please contact Mary Ann Conway at 215-343-8260 or visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County web-site at www.bbbsbc.org. If you would like to make a donation, please remember that 90% of all donations go directly into the programs.