big brother/big sister

[don s]

i don't know if this is in the wrong place. if it is i apologize and ask that it be moved to the correct forum. this happened a while ago and i am hesitant to post it. only because i don't know why it happened. for a long time i have thought of becoming a big brother to some young person who is interested in archery, hunting, fishing and camping. i read about it on their site, i called and asked questions. one thing i was concerned with was, i am not interested in football, baseball, hockey, basketball etc. their site stated that sometimes if your going fishing for the day, you can take a little brother/sister along, it's that simple. so, i talked with my wife and decided to give it a try. i want to say at this point that i am on ssd and don't have a lot of money. what i do have is time and desire to share with a young person. especially traditional archery. i dabble with making my own bows. i went ahead and applied. i filled out the necessary forms, my references filled out the necessary forms and submitted them. i went for the interview and was happy that i finally decided to give it a try. not much time passed and i received a form letter stating that we regret to inform you that we can't/won't place you with a child. to make matters worse, it's their policy to NOT give a reason(s). there is no way you can imagine how i felt. rejected isn't the word. i thought it may be because of the not doing the football, baseball etc. stuff. i brought that up in the interview and was told thats not a problem. i can't imagine why i was rejected. could it be because of wanting to take a child hunting? in the past i have sat through the ny state hunters safety course at least 7 times not only with my kids but also with a few that called me uncle and one kid from the neighborhood(with their parents permission). sorry for the long post. does anyone have any thoughts. don

[L. E. Carroll]

Your offer to Mentor was a wonderful decision  and you deserve a "Standing Ovation"    

[don s]

one of the biggest factors that influenced me to try is the fact that i grew up wanting to hunt,fish and camp. even though i grew up with a father in my life those were not things that interested him. i live in the city and am on the border of the wrong side of the tracks. i see these kids everyday and i know there has to be a few who would love to try archery. if it is because of anti hunting sentiments things need to be changed. i'm not putting down the organization and i want that to be clear. they are great at helping young people. they do a lot of good. the thing that bothers me the most is their policy of not telling you why you are rejected. perhaps it's something that can be fixed. maybe not. i'll never know. don

[GRINCH]

Don sounds like you have a good heart,keep up your interest in helping the kids you can from the neighborhood they will appreciate it and you might even change the course of their lives as well.

[jhg]

I participated in that program. Do not take it personally. They are very thorough and my advice is use the experience to grow.

Joshua

[cbCrow]

Don, I applaud your effort and can sympathize with you also. I was in the same situation when I started BB/BS in 2002. After having a 11 yr. old boy for about 4 months I asked my councelor if it would be alright if I started letting him shoot a bow with me. Now I had not said anything to the child and was basically testing the waters, she told me that they could not allow "Bigs" to do anything with the child that may endanger them. As a big you represent the organization and as such ,that would make them liable if the child was injured. So what it is probably boils down to who is going to accept the liability. Another thing I have learned from our insurance rep, is that if their is another person (child or adult) shooting with you on your place you are liable for anything that could happen. I don,t think it has to do with any agenda or PC but more from the standpoint of liability. So in the end it was probably to protect the child, you, and the organization.

[7 Lakes]

The kids get to fill out a "What do you want in a Big Brother" form.  If don't have the cash or will to take them to a bunch of ball games or other expensive "Stuff".  I doubt if there's a kid that wants you.  

My advice is to join up with a local Boy Scout program.  There are all kinds of merit badges the kids can earn & often there are no archery instructors or real outdoor types to help them.

[BWD]

I'd say it's their loss, sad but true. Now if you were highly skilled in playing computer games...

[don s]

thanks to all for responding. one thing that i did not think of and after reading it, i see it was right in front of me. it's what cbCrow said. i never ever thought of it from a liability standpoint. it makes sense. 7 Lakes, good idea with the boy scouts. jhg, your right about not taking it personally, of course. but i did take it very hard at first. thats why i didn't post about it for so long. i thought i did something wrong and thought people would think that i was someone that should not be around kids. to L.E. Carroll,GRINCH and BWD thank you for your kind words. i'm glad i finally posted.     don

[Doc Nock]

I worked for United Way in 2 different areas of PA. What I learned is that every local chapter of any national organization has a lot of leeway to make up their own rules and interpret those that exist at the national level.

One person's bad experience may not match another person's good experience in a very different area of the state or country...and vice versa. Doesn't mean either one is wrong. Sort of a "it depends..."

As for liability...    Anybody read lately the number of children hurt playing community sports?  Injuries that last into adult hood, head, neck, knee injuries with the varied ball sports?

Regardless, there are outlets in which to focus your energies and volunteer your time, some good ideas above.

Don't give up now...

[skilonbw]

Another organization that focuses on helping terminally ill children that could use the help of yours is b4k.org. Don't know if they have a chapter in your area.

[olddogrib]

If that's what you feel like you're being led to do, I wouldn't let that deter me.  You may find a need in a local church or simply a single mom who would be thrilled to get her son away from the television.  God will place opportunities in front of you if you're patient.  My father died before I was born , but I had a couple of uncles that I'm forever indebted to for getting me hooked on the outdoors.

[C Kerley]

I got into BBBS in 2002 and listed all my hobbies with hunting as my #1 activity.  I told them I'd take him out shooting guns, bows, canoeing, and all that other "dangerous" stuff.  Outside of getting past his Bambi loving mom, we've done it all.  I bought him a Browning Cobra recurve and he's shot arrows like crazy for years now.  He's actually in Army boot camp as I type this and is an awesome kid!

[C Kerley]

I just saw that you live in the city.  Get you a slingshot and start shooting it in your yard into a cardboard box...you'll see very quickly how many of those kids will be stopping by wanting to get involved.

[don s]

Originally posted by C Kerley:
I just saw that you live in the city.  Get you a slingshot and start shooting it in your yard into a cardboard box...you'll see very quickly how many of those kids will be stopping by wanting to get involved.

i shoot my bows in my yard almost every day. so far no kids have stopped and i'm amazed at that. do you know that it's actually illegal for me to shoot my bow in my own yard in buffalo new york? it's considered a firearm. can't shoot a bb gun either. i still shoot every day i can. don

[Doc Nock]

Many municipalities and even "developments" hereabouts have a zoning ordinance (covenants) that it is "illegal to launch a projectile by any means".

I gotta get outa this area!   :(  

If they say anything to me about shooting my bows with a safe backstop, I'm going to volunteer to ride with the cops and help them spot every kid throwing frisby, playing ball with another kid, swinging a bat...they're all "launching projectiles."

This blantant attack on anything remotely tied to hunting, shooting or even fishing today has gone about far enough.  This 4th, maybe we vow to quietly, but firmly, take back our Country!

[don s]

i can shoot to about 25 yards in my backyard. i have hay bales set up, about 5 yards beyond that is a stockade fence, on the other side of that are rail road tracks. i will continue to shoot. don