Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County is launching the program Sports Buddies funded by COVID-19 relief money to encourage healthy relationships for at-risk youth through sports.

The pandemic impacted the youth of Johnson County in ways that include loss of social contact, reduced social and emotional skills, and an increase in child abuse referrals, according to the request for funding submitted to the supervisors.

The program received $45,000 of American Rescue Plan funding Thursday from the Johnson County Board of Supervisors. Sports Buddies will help young adolescents develop positive relationships through sports and outdoor recreation to prevent juvenile crime and delinquency. The programming is planned to start in October.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has 279 affiliates across the country, including the Johnson County chapter. The organization matches adult volunteers to the community’s youth.

One payment of $45,000 will be made this year with a possible renewal in 2025 for $47,000. The funding was identified in the agreement as American Rescue Plan Act funds.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County Executive Director Daleta Thurness said the program plans to hire a full-time Sports Buddies coordinator with the money.

This position will be responsible for planning and executing events and managing matches between “Bigs” and “Littles,” which requires a background check and thorough knowledge of both volunteers and children.

The new Sports Buddies coordinator would manage a caseload of about 45, one-to-one matches, according to Thurness.

Sports Buddies is a response to the influx of referrals during and after the pandemic, particularly among boys, to recruit more male volunteers, or “Bigs,” to sign up.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County’s Program Director, Chanel Meredith, said the prospect of getting some of the boys off the waiting list was the most exciting aspect of the program.

Thurness said over 50 kids are still waiting to be paired with an adult. Other Big Brothers Big Sisters across the country have successfully used Sports Buddies to help attract male volunteers.

“Lots of programs across the country were finding great success with the Sports Buddies model because it attracted more men to come in to volunteer for the program,” Thurness said.

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Thurness said that working for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County to support youth development and empower the youth was what made her love the position.

“It was like marrying my two loves, youth development, advocacy work and just empowering young people, particularly young people who maybe don’t have the same access and opportunities that all kids do,” Thurness said.

Program Specialist Dina Bishara said that while Sports Buddies targets a male audience, female volunteers involved are still allowed to participate and are encouraged to do so.

“We’re not going to say that if you’re a big sister you don’t get to participate in the same athletic activities,” Bishara said. “It’s really to help make sure we have opportunities that are going to appeal to a broad spectrum of the volunteer population.”