Philadelphia Gears Up to Host Amachi Celebration in April

The first Amachi match was made nearly five years ago on March 29, 2001 by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania. Just as the relationships among thousands of big and little brothers and sisters have grown in the last five years, so too has the Amachi program. From its humble beginnings in Philadelphia with just 42 congregational partnerships, there are now 108 Amachi-modeled programs nationwide, with more than 1,000 congregational partnerships in 85 cities in 35 states and Washington D.C. These programs have served 12,000 children—2,000 in Philadelphia alone.

In honor of these great achievements, Public/Private Ventures, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southeastern Pennsylvania will host an Amachi Celebration in Philadelphia April 27-28, 2006.

“This event is about telling the story of how God is bringing us a useful tool to attack a seemingly impossible problem: crime, incarceration and its collateral damage,” says Mark Scott, director of mentoring partnerships for Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “He has brought us a long, long way in a short time and there is yet much farther to go. It is working. We have the strategy and infrastructure. We have to develop the resources to grow, to grow quality partnerships with congregations and correctional facilities. To grow the staff providing professional support to volunteers. To grow the number of children served though lasting and meaningful relationships with caring adults.”

During the two-day event, Amachi and Big Brothers Big Sisters programs will gather to celebrate the outstanding work that has been accomplished to date, as well as discuss plans to sustain and expand mentoring children of prisoners programs to break the cycle of crime, violence, and incarceration. Participants will hear from national leaders, have the opportunity to network with peers, and work on improving fund development and partnership opportunities.

For Rev. Dr. W. Wilson Goode, Sr., who started Amachi in Philadelphia in 2001, the celebration is the beginning of the next phase of Amachi. “The goal is to establish about 100 effective agencies with the ability to carry out this work on a sustainable basis,” he says. To help ensure this will happen, Goode plans to strengthen agencies currently involved with mentoring children of prisoners by providing personal coaching to increase organizational capacity. In addition, he plans to engage state legislatures and governors in targeted states, requesting that at least half a percent of corrections budgets is dedicated to mentoring children of offenders. “When enacted, there would be sufficient funds to sustain at least 100 programs,” says Goode.

Spring 2006