Big Brothers Big Sisters to host scavenger hunt for program participants downtown
Published 8:15 am Saturday, June 21, 2025
On Tuesday, June 24, volunteers and children participants in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Northwest Georgia Mountains program are set to take part in a scavenger hunt in downtown Dalton to help promote togetherness, community and the importance of literacy, said Lori Abernathy, the organization’s community enrollment and match support specialist.
One of four to five annual events hosted by the local Big Brothers Big Sisters, the scavenger hunt involves volunteers, program participants and parents meeting at 5 p.m. at the Burr Performing Arts Park at 101 S. Hamilton St.
From there, event participants will travel to Buckin’ Burrito for a free meal provided by staff members.
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“We’re going to have a couple of clues for our scavenger hunt that are going to lead us to Buckin’ Burrito and, after the meal, we’ll stay downtown and continue the hunt until about 6:10 (p.m.),” Abernathy said. “The participants will stop in at certain businesses and take a picture of something to get their next clue and at each place they stop, they’re going to get a little prize to take away.”
After the scavenger hunt, Abernathy said participants will head to the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library around 6:15 until 7 p.m.
“There, they’ll hear a little presentation about the library and any kids that don’t have a library card will be able to get one,” she said. “They’ll also get a summer reading list and a calendar of free events that happen at the library this summer. And they’ll be able to check out books that night.”
Abernathy said the event is a great opportunity for program participants, who range between six to 18 years old, to improve their reading skills.
“Some of them struggle in different areas, and one of the areas that a few of them struggle in is reading and literacy,” she said. “So, we want to help reinforce that love of reading and literature.”
She said Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Georgia currently serves around 25 schoolchildren in the area.
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“We only have around 20 Big Brothers Big Sisters (volunteers) currently,” she said. “We just serve (Whitfield) and Murray counties right now. We do have several children on waiting lists that have been on there for a while and we desperately need more volunteers. Our kids on the waiting lists, who we call our Littles in Waiting, are also invited to participate in the event.”
Abernathy said the event is one of many opportunities to get program participants and volunteers involved in activities throughout the community.
“In April, we did a paint and pizza party at our office, and it was a lot of fun,” she said. “We had an artist come in and they got to paint something on a canvas and take it home with them. At the end of the summer, we have a ‘back to school bash’ and have a big pool party. Usually in October we’ll do a pumpkin carving and hayride, and then we always do a Christmas event in December.”
Serving the area since 1969, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Georgia Mountains’ mission is to “be able to serve children in our community that have a need for a mentor in some way,” said Abernathy.
“Sometimes, it’s because another parent is not around or available, so the single parent might be looking for a good role model for their child, either male or female,” she said. “Maybe they’re having trouble at school making friends or they’re in a new environment. When that happens, I work with whatever volunteers we have and I try to match up kids and adults with similar personalities or activities that they enjoy doing. Most of the time it works out really well and it ends up being a very positive influence on the child’s life.”
Abernathy said volunteers develop “one-on-one connections” with children participants in the program.
“They’ll go pick them up from school sometimes and do things with them after school, or sometimes they get involved with their whole family,” she said. “We also do outreach with the local school systems where we have a buddy program so that volunteers can go in and mentor within the school.”
She said signing up for the program comes at “absolutely no cost” to the parent or legal guardian.
“It’s a free program,” she said. “All they need to do is contact Big Brothers Big Sisters by visiting bbbsngm.org or by calling (706) 278-0702.”
Abernathy said the event will hopefully spread awareness on the importance of having Big Brothers and Big Sisters in the community.
“It is so important,” she said. “We’ve got probably 15 kids on a waiting list right now that really want to have a Big Brother or a Big Sister and their parents see a need for that, but we don’t have the volunteers. Maybe people don’t understand that it’s not a huge time commitment. Once you’re matched with a child, we ask for four hours a month that you would spend with that child. And that’s up to your discretion and the parents’ discretion.”
She said to sign up as a volunteer, individuals can visit bbbsngm.org, click the “Volunteer” tab and click “Sign Up.”
“Or, if they’re not comfortable doing that, they can ask for me directly by calling the office and I will walk them through that,” she said. “But it’s pretty easy to sign up online.”
To become a volunteer, individuals must be at least 18 years old and have a valid driver’s license, Abernathy said. According to the Big Brothers Big Sisters website, volunteers must have lived in the area for at least six months, have a high school diploma or GED, attend orientation, submit an application, complete pre-match training, have an in-person interview with staff and be willing to complete several background checks.
“We thoroughly check out and vet our volunteers before they are allowed to be around the children,” Abernathy said.