It's a Friday morning in November and the North Little Rock offices of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas are pretty deserted. Most of the staff is away at a two-day retreat, but Chief Executive Officer Raymond Long is back early to catch up on some work and talk about the first few months of his tenure as the first Black man at the helm of the nonprofit.
The 32-year-old Long grew up in Little Rock, graduated from McClellan High School, received a degree in business administration from Philander Smith College and was an Army Reservist.
He arrived at Big Brothers Big Sisters from the Little Rock Regional Chamber of Commerce, where he was director of business retention and expansion.
Debbie Knight, a longtime Big Brothers Big Sisters board member and chairwoman, reached out to Long through a mutual friend.
"I really wanted to build a more diverse board," Knight says. "And I wanted someone who was passionate about our mission, which is finding one-to-one mentors for anyone wanting one."
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, which is part of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, has been around for more than 50 years. Its mission is to provide mentors to children and give young people a chance to reach their fullest potential, according to a statement on its website.
Long joined the board in 2020, and was named CEO in June.
"I knew I wanted to run this organization at some point," he says. "In my mind, the goal was to do that by the time I was 36 or 37, but when the opportunity presented itself, I knew I could do the job and I knew I could sell the other board members on my vision for the organization."
That vision includes "creating something that's bolder, better and bigger for the young people of Central Arkansas."
The bolder part means "bolder promises," he says, and "being bolder from the aspect of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, doing the things to make a measurable impact."
Better includes maintaining the group's infrastructure, managing fundraising efforts and working with its board and five-member staff.
"That leads to the bigger portion, which is about making a bigger impact and serving 1,000 children over the next three to five years," Long says.
The organization, which has a $450,000 annual operating budget, took a hit during the pandemic, with the number of children with mentors dropping from around 200 to 50. Long says he hopes to add 150 more mentors in 2022 and begin the climb to his goal of 1,000 and increase the annual budget to $700,000.
Another goal is to attract mentors "from all walks of life," and Long hopes that having a CEO of color will help to that end.
"I have the ability to reach both sides of [Interstate] 630, and that makes it a more diverse organization that truly resembles the metro Little Rock area."
BIGS AND LITTLES
Mentors, or "bigs" in the group's parlance, are screened through an interview process and undergo background and reference checks. They are then matched with a child and spend time with the child regularly.
A big, Long says, "is someone who feels like they have something to say. Think about what you would tell your 10-year-old self, your 15-year-old self and then sharing those lessons. It's someone who cares, who knows that these children have the potential and it's their job to bring it out."
A common misconception, he says, is that some mentors think they are "saving" at-risk children.
"We're not in the business of saving children. We are in the business of listening, of holding children accountable to the visions they have for their life, exposing them to new possibilities. The children we serve have aspirations and goals, to become leaders, engineers, participate in the arts and contribute to society."
One more thing to clear up: Big Brothers Big Sisters is often mistaken for the Little Rock Boys and Girls Club. "We are not the same organization," Long says. "Our missions are completely different."
There is a 12-month commitment for mentors, but there are Big Brother Big Sister stories of pairings lasting more than a decade, he says.
Long knows of what he speaks. Growing up he had several mentors, including his cousin, Kenny Newby, an Atlanta lawyer.
"In sixth grade I was suspended for fighting," he says. "It was a rough time in my life, and Kenny came from Atlanta to talk to me about this trend of behavior I was starting to display. He connected with me."
Long credits Newby's influence with keeping him away from trouble.
He also mentions Bobby Burton, a volunteer basketball coach at Emmanuel Baptist Church who diligently picked him up for practice and games and Gerald Williams, one of his commanders in the Army Reserve.
Being around Williams, he says, "was the first time I saw a leader who looked like me, who talked like me and he was running an entire combat hospital. ... He made me want to be a leader."
Long "gets it," Knight says. "He had these different mentors influence his life, mentors that he still calls on today, who made things possible that he wouldn't have thought possible. That really resonated with me."
Long also does his part beyond his job as CEO. He began volunteering as a big almost two months ago.
"I believe in practicing what you preach," he says. "One of the biggest obstacles when recruiting mentors is time. As the CEO of an organization with five staff members who are looking to serve over 1,000 young people over the next 3 years, time certainly could have been one of my biggest excuses not to serve. Instead, I've made mentoring in my off time a priority to lead by example."
There have been recent rises in interest in Big Brothers Big Sisters, Long says. A November fundraiser honoring Odell Nickelberry, chief human resources officer at Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield, was standing room only and the Bowl for Kids' Sake event in October raised $30,000.
"The future is bright for this organization," Long says.