In 1999, Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) started in Island County with one person working from a single room and matching seven big brothers and sisters to seven little brothers and sisters.

In 2004, BBBS has matched approximately 400 children to responsible adults, youth mentors and friends. In just five years, the BBBS program in Oak Harbor has had to move from the one room they started in, to a city building, and now finds the program once again needs larger accommodations to facilitate its growth.

Wednesday, Nov. 24, BBBS and members of the community gathered for a ground-breaking ceremony that initiated the next stage of growth for the organization and its facility.

“We’re in a really tight spot right now,” Peggy Stanford said.

Stanford is the executive director for Island County’s BBBS program. She said the new extension will consist of a 14 foot add-on to the back of the BBBS’s current building. She said the addition has an architectural plan, but she does not yet know the amount the addition will cost. The building expenses will depend on donations of materials, money and labor. She is, however, positive of the community’s support for the expansion.

Stanford said such an expansion would allow the BBBS volunteers to accomplish their business with greater efficiency. For example, they could hold more people at a time for training sessions and workshops. They could conduct more confidential interviews for either a big or little brother or sister applicant. They could set up meetings and matches more quickly, and they could serve more children in the community.

“What it will mean for us is that we will be able to fulfill our mission in a better way,” Stanford said.

The BBBS mission statement says, “Our mission is to develop one-on-one relationships between a caring adult volunteer and boy or girl who is in need of a consistent role model.”

Oak Harbor resident Sid Harbak, who is in his fourth year as a big brother and role model, said this program allows individuals a chance to invest in the life of a child or youth and gives that young person something stable and enjoyable.

“It’s a chance to give something back, and hopefully help a kid find the right way to go,” he said.

Harbak said he doesn’t really consider himself a big brother, but rather a big grandfather. He is the father of two and grandfather of two and says the same rules that he applies to his loved ones go to his young BBBS charges. If they behave, he takes them to ball games, hockey games or the zoo. He also helps them learn practical skills such as business tips, math help and, for his 16-year-old “little brother,” he helps him tackle the stock market by teaching him how to analyze stock market tables and newspapers.

“This is a good service for the community,” Harbak said. “I’ll do this as long as I can.”

John Dyer, a member of the BBBS of Island County board of directors, said as the program grew, the volunteers knew they would need more space.

Dyer said the building the BBBS program is currently operating out of was scheduled for demolition when BBBS volunteers asked the city of Oak Harbor if they could use it. The city lent it to them in exchange for the service the program would provide the community.

Dyer said the only part of the building that was left from the original, after all of the renovations, were the studs. To accomplish this amount of remodeling, 33 local businesses and individuals donated over $50,000 in monetary donations and labor donations. The BBBS also received a grant from Boeing for $30,000.

“What that has enabled us to do is serve more kids, basically,” Dyer said. “And as we grow, we are again facing restrictions on what we are able to do because of the size of the building.”

For the current facility expansion, the BBBS has partnered with Krieg’s Construction, Sunrise Rotary, P&N Contractors, the city of Oak Harbor and many other donating businesses.

A big part of the current building donation and drive is the memory of Oak Harbor resident Kia Krieg Moch who died after a quick and sudden illness with bacterial meningitis last December.

At the ground breaking ceremony, Chuck Krieg, Kia’s father, said Kia loved children and had great plans for kids of her own. He said she was also drawn to the programs BBBS had throughout the community. She was in the process of starting all background checks to become a big sister when she died.

Dyer said Kia is the heart and spirit of this new expansion. Contributions made in her memory and monetary gifts to the family went to BBBS, after her death.

“Kia has had a tremendous impact on us being able to extend our services to serve more kids,” he said. “Her family has been awesome, and it will be a great legacy to her.”

Currently, BBBS still has 168 children on a waiting list for their big brother or sister. One little boy was sure he would get his big brother before his December birthday. Stanford said BBBS not only depends on community donations and contributions to help them meet children’s needs, but the greatest need is volunteers, because without people to fill in as big brothers and big sisters, the organization wouldn’t exist, no matter how much building space they had.