‘They have to have a heart for children’

The newly formed Shawano Big Brothers Big Sisters program hopes to recruit 50 volunteers by the start of the 2015-16 school year. The nonprofit organization’s adult volunteers provide one-on-one mentoring for youngsters ages 7 to 18. The first 10 matches are expected to be made in the next couple of weeks. Shawano County will be the newest addition to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin. “Shawano will be one of the counties we serve,” said Todd McPeek, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeastern Wisconsin. “It is just starting out and has never been done before.” Shawano resident Traci Hutchcraft, a former enrollment specialist with Big Brothers Big Sisters, spearheaded a committee formed in January to prepare the groundwork for creating the local program. “I have envisioned Big Brothers Big Sisters being in Shawano for quite some time,” said Hutchcraft, who works for Shawano County as a social worker. “While working for the agency out of Green Bay, I had the opportunity to help at-risk youth by matching them with caring volunteers who would provide consistency, support and friendship,” Hutchcraft said. “I wanted to see the kids in my city have that same opportunity. “I have also experienced first-hand the benefits of having a Big Sister. I was matched with a Big Sister for 10 years and cannot thank her enough for helping me to become the person I am today.” BBBS hired Chris Marcks, of Chris Cares, LLC, to help set up the program and create a growth strategy, develop an advisory board, recruit volunteers and raise community awareness of the program. Marcks and Hillcrest Primary School counselor Amie Beyersdorf are working together to find students who could benefit from the program. Marcks also plans to conduct outreach at Shawano Community High School next week. “Our goal is to match up 50 volunteers going into next school year,” Marcks said. “That is our first threshold.” Although the initial recruitment effort is focused within Shawano, Marcks said the program won’t be limited by city boundaries. “If we have volunteers from Bonduel, then by all means, we would like to pair them with a Bonduel child,” she said. Volunteers, who are carefully screened, are required to commit to the program for a minimum of one year and need to spend at least four hours per month with the child. Marcks said activities can include meeting with the child at school and playing board games, crafts and helping them with homework. “They have to have a heart for children,” Marcks said. The organization has raised more than $28,000 since the beginning of the year from local businesses and civic organizations. Key contributors thus far include Timber Pro, ThedaCare, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College, Eagen Family Foundation, Shawano Rotary Club and Shawano Optimist Club. Marcks said all the money will stay with the Shawano BBBS program. It will be used for program administration, marketing and public relations, and event-related expenses. “It’s heartening to see how this community has come together and, in just a year, made Big Brothers Big Sisters a reality for Shawano,” Hutchcraft said. “I look forward to seeing the program grow and become a staple of our community.”