We need to rally to save the Big Brothers/Big Sisters program, or some version of it, here in the Chilkat Valley.
The Bigs are just the most recent victim of state budget cuts and the Alaska Legislature’s inability to maintain what makes Alaska great, but let’s save that for another day. Due to funding cuts, the Anchorage-based organization is laying off community directors and closing offices in Haines, Homer, Hoonah, Ketchikan and Sitka.
That’s bad news, but it’s only the end of the program if we let it be. There are options for keeping a local program going, including but not limited to:
- Contacting the national Big Brothers/Big Sisters program to see how we can establish a Haines program independent of the statewide organization based in Anchorage.
- Appealing to the state governing board of the organization to at least keep an office open here until all other options have been exhausted, or
- Contacting state legislators about restoring funding to previous levels.
Yet another option may be establishing a similar program locally, though that may be challenging. Big Brothers is largely made possible by an extensive program of background checks and insurance, and those might be difficult to replicate by a local organization.
The statewide Big Brothers program says it will work to maintain the existing 23 or so sets of matches operating the in Chilkat Valley. The issue is the town will be losing a coordinator who puts together new matches.
As eight to 10 local matches close every year, the Bigs could disappear here in two years.
That would be a shame. The Bigs do valuable work, putting together caring adults with youths who need time and attention. The benefits of the program aren’t easy to spot, unless you stop to think that we’ve never had a school shooting or other high-profile atrocity committed by an alienated young person. Perhaps that’s partly because the Bigs have done a pretty good job grabbing kids who might otherwise slip through the cracks and fall into a bad place.
Also, residents have supported the Bigs strongly. Per capita local support for the program puts Haines near the top of the list in Alaska for community support, according to Rosalie Loewen, who now serves as the town’s Bigs coordinator.
Anchorage officials say a Haines office and a coordinator cost $80,000 per year, but Loewen says a program could be provided for $40,000. Also, a grant that previously funded the program now must come through a Native organization. So additional funding might be available through a partnership with a local tribe.
The cost isn’t cheap, but it’s not expensive when you consider that when a kid goes to a counselor, it’s $300 an hour.
We have our share of young people who need mentoring and we have a sizable number of childless adults who are – or would be – good company for a young person. Plus, our community has shown it values this program. Keeping the Bigs going, even if only at a reduced level, should be doable.