Leading the Nation

Numbers don’t always tell the whole story, but two recent statistics about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee are strong indicators about the progress and direction of the agency since CEO Lowell Perry arrived last year and oversaw a restructuring.  The Middle Tennessee agency has served 1,000 matches so far in 2006.

"One thousand futures are potentially brighter than before," says Perry. "One thousand kids with the possibility of higher grades, one thousand kids that are less likely to be involved in drugs, alcohol, gangs and violence."

The agency’s success at its basic service mission was validated by a report recently released by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which shows the Middle Tennessee agency leading the nation in the number of new matches this year vs. the same period last year.  The agency saw a 363 percent increase in new children served in the Middle Tennessee program. The average increase in new matches for Big Brothers Big Sisters nationally is only 11.4 percent.

"Through extensive restructuring and an evaluation of job functions and processes, we have built a streamlined team that operates like an efficient business," says Perry. "We’ve seen something that happens in successful organizations: leadership emerging from within."

Perry sees so much more work to be done.

"It’s not ‘Mission Accomplished’ around here," he says. "Our agency is setting records in every respect, but there is much more work to do. There are 397 kids on a list waiting for a mentor right now. We are trying to accomplish our mission every day, putting in the hard work that pays off for these kids and for our community."