Local News
Email
Print
Volunteers, grants on top of to-do list
It's Week 1 for new head of Big Brothers Big Sisters program
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: November 6, 2009
When Amy Mack was growing up in the Midwest, she once asked her parents how it was that she was so lucky to have a happy, secure childhood.
Her mother and father didn't have an answer, but they said, "You have to give it back."
So Mack, 42, has spent most of her career working in public service, from the Indianapolis mayor's office to the federal agency that oversees AmeriCorps, the national service program.
This week, she started her job as the new president and chief executive of Big Brothers Big Sisters. She replaces Bert Grisard, who served the agency for more than 30 years.
Her challenge as the head of a nonprofit organization during an economic downturn, Mack said, is to bring volunteers in the door -- and to keep them hanging around.
"Across the country, what we know is, we see people come in and say, ‘I want to volunteer,' then they drop off," she said.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is currently serving more than 600 young people in Forsyth and Davie counties. The organization recruits, develops and trains mentors to serve young people in the community. Big Brothers Big Sisters has a waiting list of 100, with male mentors the most in demand.
More agencies like Big Brothers Big Sisters are looking at developing different models of volunteering, rather than sticking to the traditional one-on-one role that pairs an older mentor with a young person and requires a weekly commitment, Mack said.
Mack has a bachelor's of science degree in biology and a dual master's degree in public affairs and environmental science from Indiana University.
She moved to Winston-Salem in July with her husband, Dr. David Mack, who works for the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine. They have a 4-year-old son.
Mack and her husband were anxious to move to a community where they could raise their son in an environment that was small and close-knit, Mack said.
Early in her career, she worked as a special assistant for Mayor Stephen Goldsmith in her hometown of Indianapolis. Goldsmith said that Mack is a collegial person who should fit well in Winston-Salem.
"She leads by listening and consensus making, not by force," he said.
Her biggest challenges in her new job, Mack said, will be recruiting new volunteers, finding new sources of grants and other money, and designing a new strategic plan that will help the organization chart a path in changing times.
She has spent the last six years working for the Corporation for National and Community Service in Washington.
The agency oversees AmeriCorps, Senior Corps and Learn & Serve America. Her most recent project there involved expanding service opportunities for volunteers.
Robert Grimm, who served as the director of research and policy development at the corporation, said that Mack excels at creating the type of volunteer opportunities that people find difficult to walk away from.
"I see her as the perfect mix," Grimm said, "of the head and heart."
mgiunca@wsjournal.com
727-4089
Email
Print
