[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 110 (Friday, September 8, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S9252]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       RECOGNIZING BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS OF NORTHEAST INDIANA

 Mr. BAYH. Mr. President, today I wish to pay tribute to the 
remarkable achievement of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast 
Indiana, which was named ``National 2006 Agency of the Year'' by Big 
Brothers Big Sisters of America this summer.
  This honor was achieved through the hard work and persistence of the 
entire staff, board of directors, Bigs, Littles, donors and other 
stakeholders. Headquartered in Fort Wayne, IN, the agency was 
established in August 1972 and continues to assist young adolescents 
who lack guidance and support by creating positive and enduring 
relationships between youth and adults and by supporting those 
relationships with appropriate screening, training and supervision. 
Presently, more than 1,100 area youth participate in Big Brothers Big 
Sisters programs in 10 Indiana counties and 2 Michigan counties.
  Several factors contributed to the agency receiving this year's 
award. During the past 5 years, it has grown exponentially in many 
areas, from expanding the region it helps to increasing the length of 
the matches it provides, which grew by almost 120 percent between 2001 
and 2005. The number of participating adult volunteers has increased by 
90 percent since 2003, and the time taken to enroll those volunteers 
has been decreased by 60 days over the course of last 2 years, allowing 
more Bigs to be matched with more Littles, thereby fulfilling the Big 
Brothers Big Sisters mission of helping children to reach their 
potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships 
with measurable impact.
  In addition to being recognized as the National 2006 Agency of the 
Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana was also a finalist 
in the categories of Board of the Year and Chief Executive Officer of 
the Year--the only agency to achieve this distinction. It should also 
be noted that all of these nominations were in the ``Large'' category, 
yet the Fort Wayne agency was considered mid-sized only a few years 
ago. Since that time, the organization's growth in programs and quality 
have bolstered it to the top among BBBS agencies in large metropolitan 
markets.
  I have supported Federal funding for agency programs like the Amachi 
program, which pairs faith-based mentors in one-to-one matches with 
children of incarcerated parents, as well as its Lunch Buddies program, 
which pairs elementary school students with caring adult mentors for 
weekly lunch visits at the children's schools.
  Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana makes a visible impact 
in the lives of Hoosier youths, and it is deserving of the recognition 
that it has received. I offer my sincere congratulations today and look 
forward to continuing to support to this exemplary organization in the 
future.

                          ____________________