Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska will make no new matches between children and volunteers in Homer beginning in June. Heather Harris is the CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Alaska, and she said the decision to drop new matches is a financial one.
"This is a time of reduced federal and state grants and given those reductions, we are no longer able to sustain new matches across the state," Harris said.
The organization is also discontinuing the match service in Haines, Hoonah and Sitka. However, Harris said they would continue to support the matches already in place, including the 26 in Homer. Matches will receive support either from a new statewide staff member or from current chapter leaders if they decide to stay on with the organization.
“That continued support is incredibly important to the health of the match and for child safety and so we want to continue to provide really strong support for the youth that are already matched in the program," Harris said.
She said there is a possibility that future funding may allow the organization to start matching children with mentors again. Children age out of the mentorship at 18, and Harris is unsure if that will mean Homer’s program is phased out in the meantime.
“We won't go into a community and provide matches in future unless we have a clear message that the community is interested in having us back,” she said.
But for now, she said the inability to make more matches is a huge loss.
“We know from a lot of research and history that shows that a healthy adult relationship is what can change a kid's life,” she said.
Harris said the organization will continue to look for funding in order to make more matches in the future. The local chapter is hosting a fundraiser to support the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Homer at Kachemak Bowl on Saturday. Harris will be in Homer on Monday to answer questions about the future of the program.
