The Dekko Foundation has granted Big Brothers Big Sisters of NE Indiana (BBBS) $16,000 for a Community Capacity assessment to gain a concrete understanding of additional revenue sources and sustainability efforts for rural programming of BBBS so that the annual operating gap can be decreased. BBBS will use an outside consultant to assist in developing a county by county analysis to understand and evaluate the economic viability of BBBS programs in the county, and develop an array of strategic scenarios that could be pursued by BBBS.

Children served have the greatest need and least opportunity. The majority of the youth served demonstrate several risk factors: live in a single-parent family, live in poverty, have poor social relationships, have strained family relationships, and have academic or behavior problems. Of the 1,580 youth served in the 13-county service area, 60% are from single-parent households; 11% not living with either parent; 19% have a household income less than $10,000 a year; 59% have a household income less than $30,000 a year; 67% are between the ages of 5-12; 33% are ages 13 and older; 46% identify as a minority; and 21% have at least one parent incarcerated. Many children served face multiple risk factors.