Delaware County supervisor hears pitch to expand Big Buddy youth-mentoring program

Jamie Smith, Big Buddy coordinator with Delaware Opportunities, told the Delaware County Board of Supervisors on an item called under Communications that the program is recruiting volunteers and trying to rebuild after the COVID-19 downturn. “So I basically just wanna take a few minutes of your time to tell you about our program if you're not familiar with it,” Smith said.

The Big Buddy program pairs adult mentors with at-risk children and runs countywide group activities for children who are not yet matched. Smith said participants must live in Delaware County and be between the ages of 5 and 14; volunteers must be at least 18, have reliable transportation and commit to a one-year match. “Then we do background checks. I meet with you to make sure that I feel good about this person,” Smith said, describing the screening and matching process.

Supervisor Marshfield introduced Smith to the board and several supervisors asked about outreach and participation. Smith said monthly group activities and local matches are central to the program’s model and that she is doing outreach to towns across the county. She said volunteers sometimes provide transportation to group events and occasionally take on an extra child from the same town to increase access.

Smith asked supervisors to suggest local venues and events the program could use for outreach and said she had informational packets and business cards to distribute. She did not request county funding during her presentation.

The presentation lasted several minutes during the Communications portion of the agenda and concluded without a formal vote or directive from the board. The board moved on to standing committee reports and resolutions after Smith’s remarks.