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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick

Read About our Bigs Shortage and How You Can Help

Volunteer shortage leaves kids waiting for mentors in Bath and Brunswick

Two dozen local children are waiting to be matched with adult mentors, partly because of a pandemic-driven shortage of volunteers, according to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brunswick/Bath.

Volunteer Shortage Leaves Kids Waiting for Mentors in Bath and Brunswick– The Forecaster

Addysen Malkoch, 9, and her friend Dena Bachman, 43, can’t keep from giggling as they recount their adventures. Since they met nearly four years ago, the pair have tie-dyed shirts, examined school cafeteria food under microscopes and built a marshmallow castle. Addysen is quick to pull out her stash of photos as proof. “I have all the pictures of me and you doing things,” she tells Bachman.

For 40 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brunswick/Bath has fostered deep one-on-one connections between area kids like Addysen and adult mentors like Bachman. But even as this pair has forged a bond that Addysen’s mother Lindsey Hinkley calls “unbreakable,” a pandemic-driven shortage of volunteers has left 24 other children waiting for a match, according to the organization’s leadership.

Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates around the country have been experiencing similar difficulties in attracting volunteers and are reporting shortages. The organization’s Southern Maine chapter, based in Westbook, currently has 25 unmatched Littles, according to the group’s website.

“Typically, we have volunteers coming in fairly regularly,” said Aurora Hodgkins, program director of the Brunswick/Bath affiliate. “We’ve seen a decrease (during the pandemic) in new volunteers coming in, which we’ve attributed to the reality of interpersonal connection right now.”

Compounding the problem, COVID restrictions have limited Big Brothers Big Sisters’ ability to operate through local schools, Executive Director Lindsay MacDonald said.

“The school system has been handed such an incredible challenge,” MacDonald said.  “As a result, it’s very hard for us to run programs the way we typically would.”

The upshot is a reduced capacity to provide positive adult role models and mentors to the children of Sagadahoc County, even as the pandemic has pushed strained families to register more kids for the program. In 2021, the group served 117 children, or “Littles,” down from 195 in 2019.

Back in Addysen’s Brunswick home, the thought of unmatched Littles managed to momentarily spoil even a visit with Bachman, who lives in Arrowsic. “It’s pretty sad that other kids can’t have a Big like mine,” Addysen said. “Just thinking about that makes me sad.”

The leadership team at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Brunswick/Bath hopes that January, which is national mentoring month, will bring a surge of volunteers that could help every child on the waitlist find a match.

Adults willing to make a least a one-year commitment are invited to request an application through the group’s website, bbbsbathbrunswick.org, Hodgkins said. After a vetting process that includes background and reference checks and an interview, those selected as Bigs will receive training before they begin mentoring their assigned Little.

Those pairings, which can stay active for a decade or more, can be even hugely impactful for everyone involved, according to MacDonald.

“It’s really a support for the family as a whole,” she said, noting that many Littles come from low-income or single-parent homes that could especially use a helping hand. “This is a program that literally changes children’s lives.”

Bachman, herself a mother of two, said she knows firsthand that the program’s time commitment can seem daunting, but it’s an experience that anyone would find rewarding.

“We all have time for the things that matter, right?” she said as Addysen ran back to her room to grab more tokens of their friendship. “No kid deserves to be on a waitlist.”

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters in Midcoast Maine working through volunteer shortage

BBBS in Bath/Brunswick Working Through Volunteer Shortage– WGME (watch video at this link)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick are dealing with a volunteer shortage. The organization pairs kids with adult mentors, but two dozen Maine children are currently waiting to be matched with mentors. The waitlist is caused largely by the pandemic and the organization is seeing fewer volunteers overall. At the end of 2019, they supported 195 big and little matches and their families. By the end of 2021, they supported 117.

Lindsay MacDonald, the executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick, says it’s more important now than ever before to get volunteers with the number of challenges families are facing during the pandemic.

“One thing that we are asking that people ask their friends and family and anyone they know that would be a wonderful big to volunteer with our program and put forth an application. Word of mouth is key. I will also very active on social media,” MacDonald said.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bath/Brunswick are hoping to find more adult volunteers. They’re asking for a year commitment from folks.

If you would like to volunteer, you can submit an application through their website.