Big Brothers Big Sisters of Fond du Lac County (BBBS) has a new home for mentoring. The nonprofit organization is purchasing a building located at 987 S. Main St. in Fond du Lac to serve the growing number of children in their program. The purchase of the new facility will be finalized in August, helping BBBS create a safer, more inviting, and functional space for local youth.
“We’ve grown significantly in the past 10 years in large part due to the support we receive throughout Fond du Lac County,” says BBBS Executive Director Tammy Young. “Our revenue has increased, the number of children we serve and lives we impact has significantly increased, and our staff has more than doubled in size, ultimately allowing us to serve more youth.”
While creating one-to-one mentoring relationships (matches) between local youth (Littles) and caring adult mentors (Bigs) is their primary service, they’ve implemented numerous group mentoring opportunities to meet the growing needs of the program. There are currently 135 children enrolled in the BBBS program who aren’t matched with a one-to-one mentor.
“The agency has grown in mindset from focusing on the number of matches to focusing on the lives impacted,” says Director of Inpatient Pharmacy Services at SSM Health St. Agnes Hospital and BBBS Board President Katie Reinke, “We acknowledged we needed to do more for the children who were waiting to be matched and increased programming offerings to support those children and families.”
Afterschool group mentoring opportunities such as Teen Group (ages 13-17) and Game Changers (ages 8-12) meet either at the BBBS office or in the community on a biweekly basis to engage in skill-building activities and explore topics with their peers. BBBS also hosts additional group activities such as kickball, bingo, crafts, and other special events for all unmatched Littles at least once a month.
“Our current building’s layout does not allow for larger groups to come together,” says Reinke. “With this new location, we are able to see an expansion of activities and youth groups. What is most exciting is the ability to have green space for onsite outdoor activities!”
The new building offers multiple meeting rooms, an expansive outdoor space, and increased visibility in the community while remaining accessible to the families already being served by the organization.
“The future for BBBS is bright,” says Young. “We are blessed by the support we receive from the Fond du Lac community and this new facility will allow our program to expand even further.”
The current tenants of the building, Blue Door Consulting, will still be servicing the Fond du Lac County area’s branding, marketing, social media, and web needs from their Oshkosh office.
BBBS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit serving Fond du Lac County and northern Dodge County. The agency assists children with social, emotional, and character development through one-to-one mentoring and group mentoring opportunities in community-based and school-based settings. Youth ages 6-13 can enroll in the program through parent or guardian referral and stay in the program until they turn 18 or graduate from high school. Volunteers ages 16 and up who pass a background check and have a valid driver’s license and auto insurance can be mentors. Visit bbbsfdl.org or call (920) 922-8200 for more information.