Big Paul Bunyan will give a hand up this year to a financially struggling youth organization that helps local youngsters get a better start in life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mendocino County will run a beef, pork, fish and lamb barbecue on Monday at Todd Point following the Paul Bunyan Days parade in Fort Bragg.
The event is just one of a flurry of new ideas for fund-raising and outreach that the organization is doing in an effort to regain its vital role in helping local youth.
“We are in trouble. If we don”t make more money this year, we are going to have to close the doors,” said BBBS Executive Director Wendy Wall.
The organization lost public funding last year and is seeking to make up a gap of at least $200,000 this year just to keep a downsized organization going. Wall said BBBS is using reserves to keep going.
The post-parade event benefited 4-H and the local Future Farmers of America (FFA) in past years and was held in the Harvest Market parking lot. It is being revived this year and moved to the new logging show site at Todd Point. Wall said the organization took over the barbecue just a few weeks before the event and is happy to hustle to make it happen. She said Harvest has been a huge help in donating items for the barbecue, but she was still looking for a beef donor at press time.
“Starting [a few weeks] before the event is fine. We need to raise money and are glad to work quickly to make this happen,” Wall said.
Tickets to Monday”s event are $10 for adults and $5 for kids 10 years of age and under. The dinner includes beans, salad and bread in addition to all the barbecued meats. Live music will be provided by Steven Bates and Friends. There will be a bounce house for the kids, and students in the Fort Bragg High AVID class will be offering games for kids as well, Wall said. Safe Passage will be providing desserts, and the Paul Bunyan Association is running wine and beer sales. Tickets are available at Harvest Market, Big Brothers Big Sisters office (498 N. McPherson St.) or at the event.
In addition to the barbecue, BBBS of Mendocino County has launched a new travel-related fund-raising Website, is partnering with Fort Bragg Middle School in a new program, and is planning a fund-raising house party.
The travel Website, similar to Travelocity or Orbitz, allows people to book discount hotels, car rentals and airline tickets with varying contributions being made to BBBS. Wall said the new site is a donation effort of commercial travel Websites for select non-profits.
“This one could really make a financial difference for us,” Wall said.
Wall is enthusiastic about a new program at Fort Bragg Middle School called “Got 45 minutes?”
The program seeks community volunteers to come into the school and spend at least one period a week with a youngster. Wall said Fort Bragg Mayor Dave Turner had just completed his fingerprint test as a volunteer for the new program. Father Bill Osborne, new pastor of the Episcopal Church in Fort Bragg, is also a new volunteer.
Marli Shoop, principal of Fort Bragg Middle School, credited Wall and BBBS with getting a vital program off the ground.
“We did it last year, but it didn”t get very far because we didn”t have the community support,” Shoop said. “[Wendy] has been instrumental in setting this up.”
Shoop said the program, set to start in September, seeks people who can work once or twice a week during class time or even before or after school.
“Several of our kids have parents who work two or three jobs, so they”re not home and [the kids] could be headed in the wrong direction. They could benefit greatly from this one-on-one contact,” Shoop said.
Shoop said the students need help in school and in life.
“This is not necessarily tutoring, it may be reading with the kids, having their simple questions answered, reading a science text with them, or just visiting and finding out what they like,” said Shoop.
With the middle school renovations now complete, Shoop says community members can get a double treat by participating in the BBBS program.
“Here is an opportunity to touch lives in an absolutely beautiful setting,” Shoop said.
BBBS now has two employees in Fort Bragg, Wall and Amanda Morgan, case manager on the coast.
“Amanda is a gem of all trades,” said Wall.
There is also a financial person and one employee in the Ukiah office. Wall would like to see once-busy programs in Point Arena, Boonville and Laytonvillle revived. The number of employees is down more than half from nine in past years.
Last year there were 60 matches between adults and youngsters on the coast. Prior to the funding cutbacks, there were similar numbers of matches in other communities like Boonville, Wall said
Big Brothers Big Sisters always need volunteers, especially men. When a potential “big” applies, that person is screened and interviewed and then a match sought. The process starts with the adults, and then one of many needy youngsters is approached through the organization. The program links children aged 4 to 18 with adults of the same gender working one to four hours per week with that child.
The program seeks to make the mentors comfortable with their match.
“If you are interested in writing and bicycling for example, we are not going to match you with a kid who only wants to play video games,” Wall said.
A BBBS house party will be held at the end of September with invitations required but easy to get. Anyone who wants to get involved can get an invitation simply by calling the Fort Bragg office at 964-1228. At that event an important donor will be making a contribution and hoping for matches, with wine, food and fun events planned.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is also getting involved in the revival of the local Friday Night Live program for youth, as well as other youth drug and alcohol prevention programs.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mendocino County is featured on the governor”s Website about exemplary mentoring stories at http://www.mentoring.ca.gov/mentor_testimonies.shtm.
