Making a BIG Difference: Loan Fund Borrower Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont
Vermont Business Magazine Ask Kimberley Diemond about the benefits of youth mentoring, and excitement registers in her voice. She answers by recounting some of the many success stories she’s witnessed as Executive Director of nonprofit mentoring organization and Loan Fund borrower Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont (BBBSVT).
There was the young boy, who, from elementary school age, showed a deep interest in flight. “Flight, airplanes, anything that flew fascinated him,” Kimberley recalls. “His mentor linked him to a program in New Hampshire, and he ended up getting high school credit for taking pilot classes,” she adds. “How else would he have had access to something like that, without Big Brothers Big Sisters?”
There was the little girl, who at eight years old came to BBBSVT, hoping to be matched with a mentor. “She had anxiety issues from an early age, but her mentor stood by her through the years” Kimberley recalls. With her mentor’s support, she began participating in extracurricular activities at school, coming out of her shell. “It was incredible to watch her bloom, socially,” Kimberley says.
BBBSVTs youth mentoring programs match youth ages six to eighteen, one-on-one, with non-parental adults to “promote positive development”. Which is to say that for kids looking for additional support, they become role models, advisors, cheerleaders, confidantes and possibly even lifelong connections.
Recent BBBS studies show youth enrolled in mentoring programs are 52% less likely to skip school, 46% less likely to use illegal drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking, among many other dramatic and well-documented statistics.
Mentor candidates are screened and trained extensively. Once vetted, mentors (known as “Bigs”) commit to at least one year of service, typically meeting two to three times per week with their mentee (aka “Littles”) for anything from baseball games to in-school visits to hiking and other quality-time activities.
Big Brothers Big Sisters traces its origins to 1904 New York City. Witnessing a flood of young boys coming through the court system, a concerned clerk envisioned the benefits of matching at-risk youth with caring adults who could provide guidance and companionship. At the same time, young at-risk girls were similarly assisted by the Ladies of Charity organization. The groups evolved separately as Big Brothers, and Big Sisters, merging in 1977. Today, Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters exist in all 50 states and 12 countries beyond the U.S.
Mentoring arrived in Vermont in 1975, when BBBS established a presence in Brattleboro, sponsored by a local youth service agency. “But in 2017, we became an independent affiliate of the national organization, and got our own 501c3 status,” Kimberley says. “We became our own entity and officially became Big Brothers Big Sisters Vermont.”
The new independence would present some new challenges. Now a “renewed nonprofit” as Kimberley describes them, BBSVT’s previous achievements, outcomes and documentations didn’t apply when it came to applying for grants. Even the very same grantors who had awarded them year after year under their earlier, sponsored status would not consider their prior success. “We were starting all over again, from the standpoint of future funding,” says Kimberley.
Further complicating things, BBBSVT had, in fact, been awarded significant federal grant dollars “but they were reimbursement grants” Kimberley explains, meaning that projects must go forward, expenses fronted by the organization, with funds reimbursed afterwards. “We were in the position of needing money up front to make ends meet, pay our staff and programming expenses, before we could access the grant awards to pay for these things,” she says, sounding perplexed.
Kimberley was understandably encouraged to learn about the Loan Fund. “I heard about the Loan Fund at a conference, researched them online, and connected with Paul (Paul Hill, Jr., VCLF’s Director of Affordable Housing and Community Facilities lending programs), who was really easy to work with” she says. “He looked at our strategic plan, current budget and board structure, to learn about how we operate and figure out our needs.”
The solution to BBBSVT’s funding conundrum came via a VCLF line of credit, enabling the organization to cover programming costs, which are then refunded with their grant award dollars.
“You get caught in this cycle of needing to prove yourself before funders will fund you, but then you don’t have the funding to offer the programs that let you prove yourself,” Kimberley says. “Or, some grants will only pay for certain things. Or grant funding comes in small increments, or there are dry spells in between fundraisers” she explains. “Small nonprofits face this, and the Loan Fund understands it.”
With the Loan Fund’s assistance, BBBSVT’s mentoring programs are up and operating across its Windham/Windsor, Chittenden and Northeast Kingdom chapters. Kimberley, for her part, can focus on her many tasks (“working with our board of directors, managing programs, meeting with volunteers, meeting with families, marketing our programs, hosting events, meeting with partner organizations, writing new grants, seeing that staff needs are met…”) knowing that their well-deserved grant funding is working as intended, making a (big) difference, matching “Bigs” and “Littles”.
“Nonprofits rely on people and our communities who see the value of what we do and believe in us,” Kimberley says. “VCLF believes in us.”
To learn more about BBBSVT programming, becoming a mentor and more, visit bbbsvt.org
Financing was also provided to:
Agricola Meats, Panton
To take sales to the next level, Agricola Meats determined to expand their fresh pork product line to add cured pork products such as prosciutto, salami and more. The plan necessitated moving production from shared space at the Mad River Food Hub to their own processing and aging facility. They used a VCLF loan to renovate a processing site and purchase equipment. The loan preserves one full- and one part-time job, and led to the creation of three new positions. http://www.agricolavermont.com/
Creative Discoveries Early Care & Education, Essex Junction
With high need in the Essex Junction area for infant and toddler care, seasoned early educator Katie McGee approached Essex Junction’s Children’s Preschool and Enrichment Center with a proposal to purchase the program, its equipment and supplies, and re-focus services from preschool age only to include much-needed care for infants six weeks and up. She came to the Loan Fund to help finance the purchase, which she renamed Creative Discoveries Early Care & Education. The loan created new enrollments for 30 children including ten infants, and six new jobs.
Downstreet Housing & Community Development/Franklin Square, Montpelier
Longtime Loan Fund partner Downstreet Housing and Community Development (formerly Central Vermont Community Land Trust) has been creating and sustaining quality, affordable housing in Central Vermont for over 30 years. The Franklin Square project’s six historic buildings encompassing 18 condominiums, is an important site to preserve, especially given Montpelier’s low stock of affordable homes. VCLF financing helped fund urgent repairs to the buildings and bolstered the condo association’s reserves for future renovations. The loan helped preserve eight units of affordable housing and created 10 jobs. downstreet.org/
Helping Hands Childcare & Preschool, Beebe Plain
Orleans County, where Helping Hands is located, is among the many Vermont locations experiencing a severe shortage of early care & learning programs. Helping Hands was determined to help – with an expansion plan allowing for increased enrollments. To do so, they needed to upgrade their wastewater system. VCLF financing assisted in covering costs of excavation, equipment and connection of the new septic system. The loan preserved 11 enrollments and created two new ones, while preserving two jobs.
The Kids’ School, Stowe
The Kids’ School licensed child care center opened in 1987, and has been providing high-quality early care & learning at the pre-kindergarten level ever since. In 2012, the founder’s adult daughter assumed leadership and in 2019 developed an expansion plan to move to a larger space in Stowe, double enrollment from 20 to 40 slots, and introduce much-needed infant and toddler programming. Loan Fund financing helped cover costs of leasehold improvements to walls, plumbing and fencing, and provided start-up capital. In addition to the 20 new enrollments, the loan created four full-time jobs, with four more jobs anticipated. thekidsschool.wordpress.com/
Vermont Trade Winds Farm, Shoreham
Trade Winds Farm produces maple syrup and other maple products, selling wholesale, online, and at retail in a small, open-air, home-based farm stand. To boost retail sales, owners planned the conversion of a large, unused barn on their property into a retail, processing and office space – providing better parking and road access along with increased capacity. VCLF financing preserves three jobs and is expected to create two new ones. vermonttradewinds.com/
Since 1987, the Vermont Community Loan Fund has loaned $110 million to local businesses, affordable housing developers and community-based organizations that has created or preserved 6,500 jobs; built or rehabilitated 4,100 affordable homes; created or preserved quality care for over 4,100 children and their families; and supported community organizations providing vital services to hundreds of thousands of Vermonters. investinvermont.org
Source: VCLF 11.27.2019