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BBBS of Greater Twin Cities Expects Second Year of State Funding During her breakfast meeting at his mansion, says Lewis, “he said, ‘well I have a supplemental budget this year, you know what to do. I’m supportive of putting dollars in for Big Brothers Big Sisters.’ “As soon as he said that I knew that our agency, one, had never had a state grant and, two, I know how much it takes to lobby legislators and to be on the Hill and do all that kind of stuff. So I immediately went to my board and said we need to hire a lobbyist, and we did.” The $20,000 investment in the lobbyist has returned nearly $1 million. During fiscal year 2007, BBBS received $250,000 and the agency recently resubmitted a RFP for $750,000 over the next two years. Although the legislature approved the state budget in May and it included funding for a mentoring children of prisoners (MCP) organization under the corrections budget, Minnesota law still requires a RFP process, according to Lewis. Prior to state budget approval, BBBS of the Greater Twin Cities submitted a bipartisan bill. “[Our lobbyist] walked us through getting the support of the legislators to sign off on that bill,” states Lewis. The agency participated in hearings regarding the bill, which included testimonies from Bigs and Littles. “We had several Big Brothers who brought their Littles whose parents were incarcerated,” says Lewis. “Even several mothers came to say what a major difference this made in their lives. It was really moving to hear the Bigs and the Littles talk about what it meant to have someone there and that they were not stigmatized by having a parent incarcerated.” Lewis says the agency’s greatest challenge to securing the funding was educating the legislators. In addition to the hearings, for two consecutive years BBBS has had a day on the Hill. “We took 200 and some Bigs and Littles all dressed in purple t-shirts and took over the capital rotunda, and had speeches,” says Lewis. State legislators came out from their chambers intrigued by the sea of purple. Children from the community and school-based mentoring programs, BBBS staff, and BBBS board members joined the event, which was followed up with individual visits to state legislators by BBBS staff. “Show [legislators] some cost-effectiveness of the work that you’re doing with children whose parents are incarcerated,” says Lewis. “For example, it costs $40,000 in Minnesota a year to keep a child in a correctional facility, juvenile or otherwise. What does it cost us to mentor a child? $1500 a year. They understand that.” “I would say to anybody who’s working with Amachi or MCOP: ‘You need a lobbyist,’” adds Lewis. “Our agency is 87 years old. We never had a lobbyist and we never had a state grant. Get a lobbyist or share one. [BBBS in] Owatona shared some of the cost with us and they’re getting triple their money back.” BBBS of Greater Twin Cities included BBBS of Owatona, located in southern Minnesota, in the RFP for fiscal years 2008–2009. “It gives legislators a view that we are not just the greater Twin Cities, because we are the urban area, but we’re also reaching out to rural areas too,” says Lewis. Although BBBS of Greater Twin Cities began receiving
state funds in fiscal year 2007, they have been operating a mentoring
children of prisoner program since 2003 when they received federal funding
from the Department of Health and Human Services through a grant they
shared with the Search Institute. BBBS was unsuccessful in continuing
the federal grant in 2007. However, because of the state funding that
same year, BBBS was able to maintain their program despite their monthly
deficit. The agency has applied again for federal funding for fiscal year
2008. Fall
2007 |