By Sheila G. Kelley, Development Coordinator
Kansas Big Brothers Big Sisters (KSBBBS) serving Harvey County has been matching children facing adversity with caring, adult mentors for 24 years. During all that time, the mission has remained virtually unchanged, and grant funding from Harvey County United Way has helped to make it possible.
Recently, Rachel Bachman of Hesston, was hired to serve as the Harvey County Development Associate. Her goal is to grow the number of volunteer mentors to serve the youth on the waiting list. Enrollments slowed during COVID, but are now on the upswing as the program has already served more youth this year than in all of 2021.
“I’ve been waiting for this forever so I wanted someone who lives here, who knows people, who can really help us…,” said Shelly Chinberg, regional director for southwest Kansas BBBS. “We’re excited to have Rachael here and I think we’re going to make a great team!”
Becoming a Big is relatively easy. People are often surprised by how little time it takes – just a few hours a month goes a long way in making a difference in the lives of Harvey County youth. The average age of Harvey County Bigs right now is 45. The most senior is 74 and the youngest is 19. Really anyone who is willing to listen and have fun is a great candidate to be a Big.
“It is no secret that youth, in general, are facing pretty serious socio-emotional and education deficits as a result of the pandemic. There’s just a lot of good that can come from changing the perspective of one youth,” said Shelly. “We work diligently to make “best-fit” matches based on personality and interests. That is the cornerstone of the program and a main reason it is successful.”
The minimum commitment for a Big is one year, but the average match length in Harvey County is nearly three years. “Once kids are matched [here], they’re matched for a long time and that provides the best outcomes for the youth,” said Shelly.
There are two types of matches – community-based and site-based. Community-based matches are asked to meet with Littles two times a month for about the amount of time it takes to do an activity. Site-based matches meet at the Little’s school, usually over the lunch hour.
Those wishing to learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters serving Harvey County can visit kansasbigs.org.
The United Way 