Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters Verde Valley will welcome its new director, Susan Turner, come Monday, Oct. 3.
An experienced fundraiser and community outreach advocate who has worked in the nonprofit sector for over two decades, Turner will arrive in the Verde Valley — where she and her husband own a condo — following a six-year stint as director of Community Education and Development for Hospice of Lenawee in Adrian, Mich. Prior to that, she was the executive director for Communities In Schools of the Tecumseh Area, in Tecumseh, Mich., for 11 years.
“Through my position at CISTA, I became familiar with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization,” Turner stated. “CISTA’s focus was to reposition resources into the schools to address the needs of the students. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lenawee County, which was just getting started, had a program called ‘Lunch Buddy.’
“I immediately became a lunch buddy and over the next few years I was a lunch buddy with several elementary students. And then I met Ariana. She was in third grade when I began having lunch with her each week. Within a few months she asked if she could see me more often. I didn’t have to even think about it. I said absolutely. We then went through the process of becoming a traditional BBBS match.”
According to Turner, she and Ariana became instant friends, spending time together every week. Now 22 years old, Turner described Ariana as “an amazing young woman” with many opportunities to look forward to.
“Some look at the objective of the BBBS match program as a way to make a positive and lasting impact on the Little, and it definitely is,” Turner stated. “However, it also changed me in a profound way. I know that her presence in my life has helped me to view what each of our responsibility is to the young people in our community …. I feel it doesn’t stop at our own front door, and having the opportunity to be a positive role model in someone’s life is truly a privilege.”
Turner stated that she and her husband had been planning on moving to the Verde Valley before retirement. A few months ago, she saw that the position of director of Yavapai BBBS Verde Valley was open. A face-to-face interview followed, but the offer of employment came after a Skype interview.
“Our relocation to Arizona is one that is very exciting,” Turner stated. “I’ve lived in Michigan most of my life and, of course, leaving your home and a job that you love is somewhat bittersweet, but the BBBS organization’s mission is truly one that I feel strongly about and am thrilled to be a part of.”
According to Turner, the Verde Valley is poised for growth.
“We are currently serving 121 matches in the Verde Valley,” Turner stated. “However, there are 50 children that are waiting for a Big Brother or Sister. This is our priority and our goal — to match any child in need of a positive adult mentor in their life …. To fulfill this goal we need the community’s help. We need opportunities to speak to groups.
“We want to tell our stories and present to those who seek to find a place to offer their time and their hearts. In addition, we are in need of financial support. The process of making a match and building our mission in the Sedona-Verde Valley takes resources and we need and would appreciate gifts of any size to help make this organization stronger and more present, as each dollar donated will stay here in this community.”
Turner encouraged anyone interested in offering their time and resources to examine the positive impact it has on young lives. According to the YBBBS 2016 Annual Report, 90 percent of matched Littles expressed improved scholastic competence and 88 percent expressed improved attitudes towards avoiding risky behaviors.
“I believe that the YBBBS organization and their board of directors are committed to the community and its young people,” Turner said. “As we enter the new fiscal year with a balanced budget, they are investing their time and own talents into creating a long term strategic plan to do just that …. We want to see each child in need of a Big have that dream fulfilled.
“It would be wonderful to see a list of Bigs long enough that, as soon as a child is referred and a family signs up, there is a Big available to make that commitment. No waiting list. Of course, in the strategic plan YBBBS will work to address the unique needs in each city in our county, taking into account the number of children deemed at risk and the economic situation in each community.”
For more information, contact YBBBS at 634-9789, stop by the office at 830 S. Main St., Cottonwood or visit azbigs.org.
