Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Great River Area has a new name: Great River Area Youth Mentoring. Executive Director Lee Ann Shaffer-Smith said the old name is the only thing going away when it comes to how her organization works with more than 100 children in Lee, Hancock, and Clark Counties.
"Everything stays the same, except for our name change and we are able to do more things," said Shaffer-Smith. "We are really excited about it. We want people to understand that every change we have made, we have made for the good and we have made for the good of our community and it's what's best for our kids."
Shaffer-Smith said one reason for the departure is because Big Brothers Big Sistersof America (BBBS) focuses on 1-1 mentoring opportunities between "bigs" and "littles." She said while her organization provides that in the schools and in the communities served, it also offers group mentoring to students at Keokuk and Fort Madison Middle Schools and to children who do not yet have an adult mentor. Shaffer-Smith said these group mentoring programs were not promoted or supported by BBBS.
Another reason for the change concerns finances. According to Shaffer-Smith, BBBS charged her organization to be an affiliate and did not provide any funding in return. She said there was also the additional expense of computer equipment specific to the national organization. Shaffer-Smith said the thousands of dollars being spent on the affiliation can instead be spent locally, which she said could generate more local contributions.
"We are very confident," said Shaffer-Smith. "We have talked to our supporters and we have sent out information. We are very confident that we will continue to receive the funding we receive because we receive it right at home."
Great River Area Youth Mentoring is a member of the Iowa Mentoring Partnership. Shaffer-Smith said that affiliation provides a new opportunity: STEM-related mentoring.
"STEM is a big deal right now and a lot of people are talking about it," said Shaffer-Smith. "I think it's amazing the wonderful people we have in our community that I just have in my mind, picking and choosing, and thinking about all these people who would make amazing mentors. I'm excited to go into a STEM mentoring program."
Shaffer-Smith said the first official fundraiser for Great River Area Youth Mentoring will be the 4th Annual Chopped competition, which is based on the Food Network program. Five teams will compete for the title on Saturday, Feb. 27 at 6:00 p.m. at Meyers Courtyard in downtown Keokuk.
