As the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of McDonough and Warren counties prepares to celebrate its 25th anniversary next month, The Community News Brief is working on stories that reflect the significance of this organization and its impact on local youth and the communities it serves. Tim Lipp, now of Peoria, was one of the local chapters first board members. He graciously shared his story about the importance of this organization. A history of the organization will be presented in a later edition.
The local BBBS office was created in October 2000, and was originally known as BBBS Macomb, under the umbrella of the BBBS Mississippi Valley in Macomb.
It was created through a special youth mentorship council that was led by local resident Bill Jacobs, and after the Macomb City Council voted to create a BBBS program in Macomb using state grant funding, a story ran in the local newspaper, the former Macomb Daily Journal. One relatively new resident to the area saw the story and reached out to volunteer because of the impact BBBS had on him as a child in North Dakota.
'I first got involved with BBBS when I became a Little Brother in 1972. My father was a Korean war veteran who suffered greatly with PTSD. He was confined to a disabled American Veterans Home when I was very young, where he lived until he passed away,' Lipp shared. 'The Veterans Home was 200 miles from where my family lived. My mom, who had only an 8th grade education from a one-room country school house, never had a driver's license and never drove a car. We were very poor and couldn't afford bus fare. We couldn't visit my dad, so I grew up without a father. Mom was able to get myself and my two brothers entered into the BBBS program in Bismarck, ND.'
Lipp's younger brother was matched with Joe Satrom as his 'Big,' and Satrom ended up taking all three of the Lipp children as his Littles. Lipp said that Satrom has been involved in their lives ever since that time, which equates to 53 years.
'Although he lives almost 1,000 miles away, I see him a couple times a year,' Lipp said. 'In fact, I just returned from a trip to North Dakota to attend his 80th birthday party. I still consider him my Big Brother. He had such a huge, positive impact on my life. I learned about the importance of community service from my Big Brother. He helped teach me this lesson, and the lesson stuck. I am retired now and spend about 30 hours a week doing volunteer work. It brings meaning to my life and I love doing it.'
When Lipp read that article in the local paper 25 years ago, he knew he wanted to give back even more to an organization that did so much to help him. He contacted Jacobs and from there, began helping get the local chapter off the ground. Lipp assisted with the preparation of the required Community Needs Assessment, and he and Jacobs guided the Macomb Chapter into an affiliation with the Quad Cities Chapter - BBBS of the Mississippi Valley. From there, they hired the organization's first director, Tim Hallinan of Macomb, and Lipp served as the organization's first Board president.
Lipp remained on the local board for six years before moving to Peoria. However, even before moving to Macomb, Lipp gave back to the organization in another way while he was living in the Quad Cities: as a Big for Little Brian.
'After serving as his Big for a few years, Brian's mom remarried and relocated their family. I lost contact with him, but I think of him often and hope he's doing well,' Lipp said. 'I taught Brian how to fish and how to use tools. I bought him his first bike and taught him how to ride. We attended several sporting events and shared a lot of good times.'
According to Lipp, making children feel important during their formative years is vital to all communities. He posed the question: Which child is more likely to succeed in life: one who is ridiculed or one who receives support, understanding and praise? As Lipp said, the place doesn't make a community, the people do.
'The children of any community are the future so it's important to lead them down a good path in life. BBBS helps parents and guardians lead their children down a good path. The last line in the Jaycees Creed states 'Service to humanity is the best work of Life.' That's what BBBS is all about, serving others,' And I state this from my own personal experiences,' he reflected. 'BBBS gives all volunteers a great opportunity to help fill a child's world and at the same time that child will fill your world. While mentoring a child, the child will learn from you and you in turn will learn a great deal from the child. It's a rewarding experience.'
The BBBS of McDonough & Warren counties will host an open house at their office, located at 1401 University Dr., from 4-7 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 8 to celebrate the organization's silver anniversary. To RSVP for the open house, visit tinyurl.com/mr3trbwx or call (309) 837-5437.
