Big Brothers Big Sisters Newspaper article - hilarious!

So last week the newspaper article that I had been trying to have done was actually in the paper. It was the most interesting interview ever! The columnist came to the house of the Little (the child who was matched with a mentor) and the Big (the mentor) and the Little's mom was there with me. He hardly asked any questions and he took only a few words of notes. He took 2 pictures and left. I was able to ask him how long the article would be right before he left and he made it sound as though it would be a paragraph. The whole point of the article was supposed to be that Big Brothers Big Sisters in Clay County is in dire need of male mentors. The columnist emailed me a week later and asked me a question to where I wrote a huge paragraph back so that he could understand more about the programs - that is what is the huge quote in the article. Hilarious. I called him last week to ask him when the article would come out or if I had already missed it (since he said it would be so small). He had no idea who I was! He asked me if I was the lady that had a son that wanted to swim and had no legs. Weird! He then emailed me the next day and told me to check the paper the following day on page 1 for the article. So here is my front page article!

'Big Brothers' make a difference

Leo King | October 24, 2008



By Leo King

Staff Writer

ORANGE PARK – Tyree Thomas is an 8-year-old who bubbles with happiness. He’s a kid who loves to mug for a camera, and does well in school. So well, in fact, He was a recent winner in the Orange Park Fire Department’s ongoing "On Fire for Literacy" program. He’ll soon get a ride on a bright, shiny red fire truck for reading more minutes than any other child in his second grade at Montclair Elementary School.

A big part of his success has been having a "Big Brother."

When he talks about his Big Brother, Love Harris, Tyree describes him as "cool."

"He’s really cool. Saturday we went to Skate Station [on Blanding Boulevard] and he helps me with my homework."

His mom, Kristi Williams, 37, is originally from Jacksonville, lived in Cleveland, Ohio for a while, but came to Orange Park where she said she has family.

"While I was in Cleveland, I waited more than a year to get him a Big Brother. I never did, but I did here almost right away."

They live in King’s Tree Apartments on Kingsley Avenue.

She said Tyree’s father has "not been in the picture since he was an infant."

Big Brother Harris, 28, lives on Half Moon Circle in Middleburg where he, his wife and two children also reside. He’s in the Navy at Jacksonville Naval Air Station where he an electronics technician, "so I can stop off here on my way to or from work."

He is an easy-going man and he and Tyree interact well.

Kate Spilsbury is the caseworker for the Williams family, and she is also the Clay County area manager for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Northeast Florida. She’s a newlywed as of last March, so there aren’t any "little Kates" running around yet.

She explained that "We try to help boys between 5 and 14, but if a parent is incarcerated, we’ll extend it to age 17."

Spilsbury, 25, pointed out Clay County has own Advisory Council and its own fundraising, and is pursuing other grants.

"Thirty boys are waiting to be matched in our community-based program, and that does not include our waiting list of boys to be interviewed." She explained there are 25 active community-based matches.

"We’re not taking any more interviews" until they can find mentors for the kids on the waiting list, she added, and explained it this way:

"They ‘age out’ at 18, meaning that when they graduate high school or turn 18, they are no longer eligible for the program. We will not interview a child that is older than 17 because the program requirement is for a year and it takes time to match them. That is only for children with incarcerated parents ‘Parent’ is loosely defined. In my experience, I find that it is rare to find a child at that older age who is interested in the program, meaning that I have never interviewed a child older than 14. Typically, once a child enters the program, they generally stay matched with their volunteer as long as they possibly can and we have had older children in the program, but they typically start at a younger age."

She added, "I am searching for male volunteers. I currently have 30 boys on the waiting list – that is, not including boys on the waiting list to be interviewed."

There are some requirements for potential Big Brothers, Spilsbury said.

"The commitment is for one year, and they have to meet with the child six hours a month, or at least twice a month. If there are guns in the home, they have to be locked."

They started a site-based program at W.E. Cherry Elementary School this year, and they are growing their "Mentoring Children of Promise" program.

Jill Johnston, press officer for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Florida in Jacksonville, said in an email that "Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest youth mentoring organization in the U.S. and has been serving the Jacksonville area since 1915, and in Clay County since 2001."

The organization currently serves Clay and six other counties. Growth in matches and revenues has doubled in the last two years.

In 2007, Johnston said, the Northeast Florida organization "was recognized as one of the top 30 performing agencies of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which has over 450 affiliate members. Often referred to as "BBBSNEFL," it currently serves more than 1,600 matches through professionally supported one-to-one relationships.

"Regardless of race, creed, economic status or family situation, our mission is to provide a mentor for each child in Northeast Florida who needs and wants an adult friend in their lives," she said.

lking@jcpgroup.com