HARRISBURG, Pa. — Following a spike in demand for mentors, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region (BBBSCR) is expanding their programming in local school districts.
“Throughout 2022 we’ve received hundreds of youth enrollment inquiries from parents and guardians, and a surge in youth referrals from our school counselors,” said Amanda Dunn, vice president of BBBSCR programs.
Over 500 Littles participated in BBBSCR’s one-to-one mentoring programs in 2022, with nearly 200 being matched with their Big.
The program put out an urgent call soliciting mentor applications to meet demand in their five-county service area: Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry counties.
“As the year continued, the need for mentoring services continued to rise,” said BBBSCR CEO Amy Rote. “We were receiving calls from parents, guardians and school counselors asking how long the wait would be, but our volunteer inquiries were not keeping pace with our youth enrollments. Amanda [Dunn] was tasked with finding innovative ways to engage new volunteers.”
Dunn became vice president in 2022, right before the onslaught of mentor demand began.
“Nationwide, there have been challenges with getting new volunteers through the door,” said Dunn. “One of the concerns expressed most often is the time commitment. We ask all of our volunteers to connect with their Little 2-3 times a month. For individuals that want a consistent volunteer schedule, we recommend our school-based programs.”
BBBSCR’s site-based and school-based programs are facilitated by BBBSCR staff and provide a consistent schedule for Bigs and Littles to meet.
The organization managed to expand their program capacity for the 2022-2023 school year with the following additions:
- Hiring three new staff positions to increase service capacity for school-based programs (SiteBased Coordinator, Specialized Programs Coordinator & Director of Specialized Programs).
- Collaborating with the Harrisburg School District and LivingWell Institute to urgently recruit volunteer mentors. The goal is to recruit 100 mentors by January to meet the requests for BBBSCR programming from parents, guardians and counselors.
- Adding seven new high school & college Bigs programs, connecting experienced students with elementary school Littles. This program focuses on emotional and social skills development for the younger students and volunteer experience for the older students.
- Launching a new “Beyond School Walls” workforce development program in partnership with Central Penn College. East Pennsboro Area High School students meet with volunteer mentors at the college to learn professional soft skills, explore career options and develop a post-graduation plan. This is one of many programs creating a pipeline to the future and helping students prepare to be enrolled, enlisted, and employed.
BBBSCR set a goal to recruit 150 new volunteer inquiries in January, National Mentoring Month.
“We recognize that work/life balance is a concern for many of our volunteers, so having a set session time with materials and discussion topics already available can alleviate time concerns," Dunn said. "Additionally, for companies and organizations that prioritize a culture of philanthropy and community support, it can be an ideal fit for employee engagement.”
Anyone interested in becoming a mentor is invited to fill out the volunteer application at CapBigs.org. For questions and inquiries, email info@capbigs.org. Any companies or organizations who are looking to support the agency or engage employees, contact Mary Murphy at mmurphy@capbigs.org.
