Stettler, Alberta
The experience in Stettler, Alberta has been similarly positive. Winnie Bissett, Executive Director of the Heartland Youth Centre, sees the collaboration of programs under an umbrella organization as an ideal prescription for meeting community needs with limited resources. In fact, Winnie believes this organizational approach has helped keep the Big Brothers Big Sisters program alive in Stettler. “If the Big Brothers Big Sisters program stood alone in Stettler right now, based on the numbers we’ve had [over the past 14 years], I would guess that it probably would have closed its doors.”
One might expect that, with a combined town and county population of just 10,000, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program would have sustainability difficulties. Yet it hasn’t always been so. When Big Brothers Big Sisters started in Stettler in 1983, the area was thriving, with a healthy agriculture economy and many oil and gas workers stationed there. The Big Brothers Big Sisters program was highly successful, growing to 25 matches and over 40 kids on the wait list by 1988. The Big Brothers Big Sisters board became concerned about serving the children on the wait list, and researched options for meeting this need.
The board decided to establish a Boys and Girls Club, which ran with a society registration, charitable number, program coordinator and budget separate from Big Brothers Big Sisters. Two boards formally existed, but both consisted of the same members. The two agencies were co-located in a small ATCO trailer. While this approach seemed a good solution to meeting the community need, it was not automatically embraced. Several board members resigned over concerns that the Boys and Girls Club would not fit their values and goals. The community also had a hard time identifying with the Boys and Girls Club, fearing it was a place for kids to hang out and get into trouble.
Following efforts to educate the public and address this image problem, the organization became firmly established in the community. But like most resource-based communities, Stettler’s fortunes changed as the economy shifted. In 1991 a major oil company closed its local operations, volunteers and families left the area, Big Brothers Big Sisters matches dropped dramatically, and finances became an issue. Meanwhile, the number of Boys and Girls Club participants had grown significantly. To further streamline operations and eliminate community confusion, the board then decided to bring the two organizations under one budget and one banner name, The Heartland Youth Centre. They also amalgamated the boards, and set up two program committees to advance the unique interests and identities of each program.
While Big Brothers Big Sisters statistics suffered deeply, the greater strength of the Boys and Girls Clubs supported Big Brothers Big Sisters through this rough time. Big Brothers Big Sisters staff hours were reduced, but the program was saved from closure. The organization has rebuilt its Big Brothers Big Sisters programs over time. It has since stabilized financially and added the In School Mentoring program and the Rainbows Program (a group program for kids who have suffered loss).
The Boys and Girls Club has expanded its services to offer a broad spectrum of over a dozen programs. Heartland Youth Centre has also shifted to a single Executive Director and one charitable number, while maintaining two society registrations. And perhaps the greatest sign of revitalization was the 1998 construction of its own facility through the support of local donors, such as the Royal Canadian Legion.
“This isn’t how we started out: this is how we evolved,” observes Winnie. And no doubt the evolution will continue with the Stettler and Miramichi organizations. But for now, they agree that having Big Brothers Big Sisters and Boys and Girls Clubs programs working together under a larger organizational umbrella is the most efficient and effective way for them to operate. They believe the approach has added to their resilience, sustainability and advantage in a highly competitive environment.
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