— Federal budget cuts could jeopardize the mentoring of many Limestone County at-risk children unless private fundraising efforts succeed.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of North Alabama — a nonprofit youth mentoring organization in effect since 1982 — lost $147,600 in funding on Sept. 30, after federal lawmakers cut the Mentoring Children of Prisoners program. The loss forced BBBS of North Alabama to close its satellite offices in Limestone and Marshall counties in September, leaving only the Madison County office to serve more than 300 children in all three counties.

“The loss of $147,600 is significant — nearly one third of our $382,000 budget — so we’ve had to make cuts as a result,” said Emmett Moore, chief executive officer of the North Alabama branch.

If the loss is not replaced through fundraising, it could affect the number of children the organization can serve because it costs about $1,600 a year to mentor one child.

The organization receives $60,000 a year from The United Way.

“We can request more money when they do a new allocation next year but they are pressed as well, so we may get it and we may not,” Moore said.

Several corporations also give generously to the organization, including Adtran, Crestwood Medical Center, Avnet and Grainger Industrial Supply.

Moore hopes the organization’s annual bowling event on Nov. 13 will generate at least $30,000. He is also seeking donations from private businesses and corporations in order to close the gap. The North Alabama branch is also planning a Mentors Gala at Lowe Mill on Jan. 26, and it was able to raise $20,000 this summer with The Big 5K run.

“We can’t look to Washington to support children in Huntsville and the surrounding area anymore,” Moore said. “We have to look within people and organizations here. It’s a healthy message — to support ourselves and reach in our own pockets.”

The Huntsville office employs Moore plus four full-time workers and one part-time worker. Two other workers at the Limestone and Marshall county satellite offices were laid off and the Huntsville personnel are now overseeing those mentorships.

As news of the organization’s budget cut has reached the community, some have asked why $382,000 is needed each year to run a volunteer organization.

Moore said child safety is the reason.

“We need people with a bachelor’s degree in early-childhood education or social work, something like that, to complete the screening of the volunteers,” he said. “They must look at every aspect of their lives and identify their strengths, weaknesses and their background, including criminal records, driving records, reference checks, to do office interviews and to go to the home of the volunteer to make sure it is a safe one. On the other side, we go to the child’s home and interview the child and parents. All of the information is taken in and assessed in order to make a good, solid match. Plus, we provide ongoing support once the match is made. We call the child and the volunteer on a monthly basis to make sure the child’s needs are being met. If the child has academic problems we make sure the volunteer is working on those things with the child We make sure the child is wearing a seat belt with their ‘big.’ And ask the child what their conversations are about. We also give the volunteers advice on ways to connect with his or her “little,” if they need it. It’s all about safety and we can’t do that without trained personnel.”

How BBBS works

Big Brothers Big Sisters has been helping children nationwide since 1904 and in North Alabama since 1982. It works by pairing a child between ages 6 and 18 with an adult mentor who becomes the child’s Big Brother or Big Sister. National research has shown that positive relationships between youths and their “bigs” have a direct and measurable impact on children’s lives. For example, these children become more confident in their school performance, able to get along better with their families, 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol and 52 percent less likely to skip school.

Limestone County impact

Currently, BBBS of North Alabama serves 35 to 40 children in Limestone County, but the number will be in the 90 range as the school year progresses, Moore said. Some of the 90 are community-based matches, meaning they meet with their volunteers somewhere in the community — the library, at a local restaurant or at their homes. The others are school-based matches, meaning they meet at the school. When school ends for the year, about 35 to 40 of the matches take a break until school resumes in the fall, and then they are matched with either the same volunteer or a different one. The other matches carry over with the same volunteer throughout the year.

“It depend on how we recruit, what the volunteers want and what the parents want,” Moore said.

For more information or to donate, call 256-880-2123 or go online to http://www.bbbsna.org.