BBBS MCP Reaches Across NY State

When Cynthia Graham first contacted the New York State Department of Correctional Services a couple of years ago about meeting with women inmates to obtain referrals of children for her agency’s mentoring program, she had no idea these actions would lead to the development of a statewide Big Brothers Big Sisters Mentoring Children of Prisoners (BBBS MCP) program.

At the time of her request, the New York State Department of Correctional Services was looking to streamline its process since it was encumbered with appeals from about 11 other agencies in the state that were operating MCP programs. “That’s where our statewide initiative idea came from,” says Graham. “I started becoming the liaison on behalf of MCP anyway.”

For the past two and a half years, Graham served as program coordinator for a Tri-County MCP program; her agency, BBBS of Ulster County, served as the lead in partnership with BBBS of Dutchess County and BBBS of Orange County. Over the three-year grant period the agencies served 267 children, exceeding their goal. As the grant period came to an end, Graham spearheaded the successful proposal for the statewide MCP initiative and on October 1, 2007, became the director of the program, in which BBBS of Ulster remains the lead agency. The initiative includes 12 other BBBS agencies, which serve 33 or about half of all the counties in New York. In addition, the statewide program is working closely with the three independent BBBS agencies that are operating separate MCP programs, insuring that all major areas in the state are covered.

Graham now coordinates visits to three of the five women’s facilities in the state. The BBBS agencies alternate weekly visits to orientation groups in the prisons, ensuring contact with all new inmates. All referrals of children are sent to the Ulster office for processing and tracking, and then forwarded to the appropriate agency for follow-up. BBBS of Ulster has also implemented an 800 number so all calls regarding the statewide program are funneled through their office.

The goal for the statewide initiative is 2,300 matches over the next three years, with 550 matches in Year One. With three years of experience successfully operating a MCP program, Graham knows what it takes to achieve these match goals. She oversees monthly teleconference calls with the agencies, as well as quarterly NY BBBS State Association meetings.

“I don’t want the agencies to develop a program based on hit or miss because I feel like we’ve already done that,” says Graham. “It’s very important to me to share best practices so that we can go right to the need without dancing around it.”

For agencies that need volunteers, Graham knows where to direct them. More than 85 percent of volunteers in the Tri-County MCP program came from the faith-based community. The program had 26 faith-based partners during the grant, and about half of the pastors became mentors.

“It was definitely an untapped population and resource,” adds Graham. “And the partnering faith leaders have really started to champion the cause to their colleagues and open the doors to more faith-based partnerships. Some of my partnering faith leaders from the first grant can identify other potential partners in other counties. So we’re going to move forward with that.”

A list of names from Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree will serve as another source of volunteers for the program. “We found that to be a very helpful partnership in the past because it also identified churches or congregations that already expressed an interest in serving families of prisoners, so we might also develop partnerships with those faith-based groups,” she says.

True partnerships with the community are the most important elements to having a successful program. “Everyone is a resource so everyone needs to feel valuable and a part,” says Graham. “If they know that it’s a joint effort then they realize that it’s an ongoing relationship that they in part own and are responsible for.”

Winter 2007