HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-06-2018 - Item #2 LucianoBoard of Directors
President
Dave Axberg
Farm Credit West
Vice President
Immediate Past President
Christie Clemons
Fidelity National Title
Treasurer Erin Nagle
Glenn Burdette
Secretary
Hal Sweasey
RE/MAX Del Oro
Mike Belezzuoli
Central Coast Lending
Monique Carlton
San Luis Obispo Realty
Karen Colombo
Retired Financial Analyst
Machele DuBois
Community Bank
C.M. FlorenceOasis Associates, Inc.
Holly Holliday
Create Promotions
Kaitlin King
Etna Interactive
Ryan Miller
Etna Interactive
Ziyad Naccasha
Carmel & Naccasha LLP
JED Nicholson
Attorney at Law
Eric Pinckert
Central Coast Realty Group
Phillip Sullivan
Pacific Premier Bank
Claire Vollmer
Century 21 Hometown Realty
Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County
June 6, 2018
P.O. Box 12644, San Luis Obispo, CA 93406 www.slobiqs.org
142 Cross Street, Suite 140, San Luis Obispo (805) 781-3226
change their world -change the world
Human Services Commission
C/0 Xzandrea Fowler and Cara Vereschagin
City of San Luis Obispo
900 Palm Ave.
San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Dear Commissioners:
Making tough funding decisions is never easy. We appreciate the challenge that many of you
face in making recommendations to the City Council on which organizations to fund. Regardless
of the outcome, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County is pleased and grateful to
partner with the City in delivering outstanding youth mentoring and prevention services.
I am reaching out to you today as I cannot personally attend the public comment portion of
today's Human Relations Commission meeting. While Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo
County is recommended for funding in the amount of $2,000 for 2018/19 Grants-in-Aid
program, the recommendation is a reduction of more than half of our award from 2017. While
a $3,000 reduction does not seem like a large impact, to small agencies like ours that raises
100% of our income from community gifts, the reduction in funding does make a difference. I
would encourage you to think about these budgetary impacts in addition to the human impacts
this funding makes.
In addition to budgetary considerations, I would like to make you aware that Big Brothers Big
Sisters of San Luis Obispo County addresses two of the four priority funding areas for this RFP.
Specifically, we address: 1) Supportive physical and mental health services for those in need;
and 2) Supportive and developmental services for children and youth in need.
Most people know Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County as a youth mentoring
organization, but overlook the critical case management elements of our program. We are as
much a mentoring organization, as we are a prevention program for at-risk youth.
Once a BIG and Little are matched, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Luis Obispo County provides
support to the child, family, and volunteer in the form of child-safety monitoring, problem
solving, coaching, parenting, goal-setting, motivating and simply keeping participants engaged
and accountable. This on-going support is the reason why Big Brothers Big Sisters is the most
successful, impactful and effective youth mentoring nationally. It is the reason why 94% of
Littles who are matched with a mentor grow up understanding that risky behaviors such as
truancy, smoking, drug use, and sexual activity at a young age lead to serious life consequences.
In addition, it is why our Littles are often able to break the cycle of poverty and become better
educated and wealthier. In other words, if the 400+ children we currently support did not have
a mentor, the impact to the City and County of San Luis Obispo and our school districts would be
tremendous.
Our services do not end there.
Meeting Date: 06-06-2018
Received: 06-06-2018
Item #: 2