Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State All About the Small Things

Patti Price, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State, is all about the children.

"It does not take a lot of money or time, because it is the small things that can make an impact," Price said. "It is a wonderful thing to make an impact on a child's life."

Price has worked at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State for 31 years and received her education at Marshall University. She graduated with a BA in Rehabilitation Education and also received her MA from Marshall in Counseling.

Big Brothers Big Sisters was established nationally in 1910 in Cincinnati by Irvin Westheimer. According to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State's website, the local branch of the organization was established in 1974 by a small group of citizens who were concerned about the well-being of children growing up in single parent homes.

The mission of the organization is to provide guidance and companionship to youth through a one-to-one relationship with a caring volunteer to assist them in achieving their highest potential.

Big Brothers Big Sisters has two main programs that it uses to achieve its mission: community based mentoring and school based mentoring.

Community based mentoring is a program in which the "Big" or volunteer is screened and matched with a child who is in need of support and guidance. The Big can then pick up their little brother or sister and take them to different places around the community such as the park, movies or out to lunch, as long as their is parental permission. The main goal of this program is friendship.

School based mentoring is a program in which the volunteers spend 1 hour a week with their little brother or sister for the entire school year. It is a way to reach more children and also open up availability to more volunteers who might not have enough time to participate in the community based program. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State reaches out to many schools in the area, including schools in Cabell, Wayne, Boyd, and Greenup Counties.

"One hour a week such as a lunch hour spent reading and helping a child with some homework can go a long way," Price said.

With programs such as these that require the work of volunteers, it is always a priority to recruit new people to volunteer their time and effort. A recruiting campaign that Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State is participating in is called the Tell-a-Guy Campaign.

It is a campaign specifically targeting male volunteers to help with the programs. Their is a significant lack of male volunteers, and they are hoping this campaign will help fill some of the holes that a lack of male workers has left.

Like any non-profit organization, fundraising is a huge part of what goes on at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

"We receive money and grants from the United Way, but fundraising is a big part of what we do here," Price said.

One of the biggest fundraisers they run each year is the annual christmas tree sale. It begins November 28th and is very important to the budget of the organization. According to the Big Brothers Big Sisters website, the local christmas tree sale raised $32,000 last year.

There will be three locations where the trees will be sold: the BB&T bank located on 1st St. and Adams Ave., Eastern Heights Shopping Center, and the Ashland Tennis Center. They are also looking for recruits to volunteer their time and help with shifts of selling the trees.

Price also stressed the need for volunteer mentors. "We always need mentors. If someone is interested, they can call or e-mail us to begin the screening process and training."

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State's website had some startling statistics. Researchers found that after going through a mentoring program, little brothers and little sisters were, "46 percent less likely to use illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to start using alcohol, 53 percent less likely to skip school, and 37 percent less likely to skip a class."

After seeing statistics like those, it shows the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Tri-State is part of a "big thing", doing the little things that make an impact in a child's life.

Local United Way Executives Visit Marshall Journalism Class

Two leaders from the United Way of the River Cities visited the JMC 201 class at Marshall University on Thursday to outline the organizations goals and projects in the community.

Executive Director Laura P. Gilliam and Director of Resource Development and Marketing Cassey Bowden shared a lot of information with the class about the United Way and what the main focus areas of the organization are in the local community. Gilliam told the class that the United Way is more than just fundraising and handing out money, and that it has many collaborative projects and campaigns that they are currently working on in the greater Huntington area.

The two main collaborative projects that the United Way is working on are improvements in early childhood education, and substance abuse prevention programs. Gilliam said that the United Way is focused on finding "supporting strategies that create solutions to those issues." There are also four main focus areas that the United Way is working on in this area. They are learning & earning, health & wellness, families & children, and basic needs & unforeseen hardships.

Gilliam also introduced the class to the new United Way Worldwide. The United Way went global in the past year, with each separate branch being its own independent affiliate of the organization. Each branch is run by its own separate board of directors, but the United Way Worldwide has outlined some goals for the next ten years that it wants all of the local branches to focus on. Those goals are to cut America's high school dropout rate in half, to help stabilize financially troubled families, and to increase by one-third the number of youth and adults who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior.

Bowden also made a presentation to the class about some of the marketing and fundraising projects that the United Way is currently working on.

The United Way uses mostly outdoor advertising and print media as its main forms of marketing and advertising. In the next few months, there will be some billboards and signs going up in the Huntington area to advertise the United Way's messages and events to the community.

One of those upcoming events is called Putt & Play for United Way. It is a putt-putt golf tournament sponsored by the United Way that will take place in the greater Huntington area. The tournament usually has a great turnout and is a great fundraiser for the organization.

The fundraising goal for the United Way of the River Cities is $1.4 million in 2009. There are many ways for people within the local community to support the United Way, whether it be by financial donation or volunteering their time or services for specific programs. It is important for the United Way to reach its goal so that its programs and the 32 local non-profit organizations that it supports can function at their fullest potential. Its programs are for the improvement of the community, and that is a goal we can all give towards.

For more information on how to help, visit the United Way of the River cities website at unitedwayrivercities.org

Questions for United Way Directors

On Thursday two directors from the United Way of the River Cities will be coming to my JMC 201 class to discuss their organization and specifically speak about the programs and agencies that the United Way funds and promotes.

It is important to ask questions that help give a better understanding of the organization and go deeper than just surface information. Some questions that I plan on asking are:

1. How much money did the United Way of the River Cities bring in last year? Was it the amount needed to fit your budget?
2. What are some fund-raising ideas that the United Way has for the local area in the upcoming year?
3. Can I receive a copy of your tax returns for the previous three years?
4. What are some goals that the United Way has set for success in improving the Huntington community within the next couple years?
5. How could interested people in the community get involved in helping the United Way achieve its goals?

I am also focusing on the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Tri-State as my agency that the United Way funds in the local area. Some questions that I will ask the directors from the United Way in regards to my specific agency are:

1. How much money did you give to the Big Brothers/Big Sisters of the Tri-State last year?
2. What are some of the programs that the Big Brothers/Big Sisters are doing that you are specifically interested in and would like to see improved or expanded?

After the interview with the directors from the United Way, I will be doing research and an interview with a director from my specific agency. It will be important that I ask the same types of questions that get important and relevant information. Some of the questions that I will ask for that interview are:

1. Can I see a copy of your tax return from the three previous years?
2. How did the United Way assist in helping your agency be successful in your programs?
3. What are some ways that you would like to see your agency expand and grow in order to help the local community?
4. What were some of your activities and programs that were especially successful last year?
5. How could local people get involved in helping this agency be more active and successful in helping the community improve?

These types of questions are what people want to know about non-profit organizations. It raises awareness of what is going on in the community and how others can get involved in making these organizations a success.

The United Way of the River Cities (Revised)

The United Way of the River Cities is a non-profit organization dedicated to bettering the condition of the community, as well as focusing on health, education, and family growth in the local area. It is a group supported primarily through fundraisers, grants, and partnerships, which all provide the necessary funds and supplies to achieve the United Way's goals. According to the United Way of the River Cities' website, the United Way works hard to create strategies that are aimed to fix the persistent problems of the community.

The United Way has some initiatives that it focuses on which in turn bring stability and improvement to struggling communities. One example is learning and earning. The United Way emphasizes that communities with high rates of employment are safe and strong, so in turn they attempt to educate individuals and promote learning skills that qualify those people for jobs in the community.

Also, the United Way has a goal of promoting health and wellness in local communities. It believes that healthy individuals result in healthy communities. Also, it has a goal of improving and sustaining the wellness of individuals throughout the community because they believe that enhances the quality of life.

The United Way of the River Cities recently launched the Common Good Forecaster, which is a Web-based tool that estimates the improvements within the community if the educational outcomes and programs were to improve. It was launched in June 2009, and forecasts unemployment level changes, as well as change in yearly wages due to educational improvement.

On Oct. 15, two directors of the United Way of the River Cities will be in my JMC 201 class to discuss the work and direction of the organization. Executive Director Laura P. Gilliam, and Director of Resource and Development & Marketing Funded Partners Cassey Bowden, will bring some information to the class about different projects that the organization is working on, and also some ideas of how we could possibly get involved. Gilliam received her bachelor's degree from the University of North Carolina, while Bowden attended and graduated from Marshall University.

Another project we will be doing in class with the United Way is to follow an organization that is funded by the United Way. I chose to follow the Boys' and Girls' Clubs of Huntington. It will be exciting to get involved and learn more about the work that they do there. I look forward to talking to some of the directors of that organization to find out some ways that we as a community could get involved with the work that they do there.