Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) is pleased to announce that it will be partnering with Uber during the month of April to tackle one of the agency’s biggest logistical challenges. The goal of this pilot program is to lower the “no-show” rates for interviews, while increasing the number of matches made. Uber will be providing free rides to and from the BBBSMA office for families who otherwise might not make it to their interviews.
To enroll a child in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, both parents and children are required to attend training and interview sessions at the office, in addition to coming in once the child is matched with a mentor for the first meeting. In 2012, BBBSMA relocated to 1382 Peachtree Street, in hopes that the convenience to the nearby MARTA station would make it easier for families to visit the office for these meetings. While interview attendance has increased, there are still families that are unable to utilize public transportation.
“Our goal is to ensure that each and every family with a desire to participate in our program has the means to make that happen, and we are very excited to begin working with Uber to get closer to achieving this goal,” said Janice McKenzie-Crayton, President and CEO of BBBSMA. “A majority of our kids come from low-income, single parent households, and that can make it extremely difficult to take the time to come in. But it makes all the difference in the world for those families who make it into the office and get the process started: of the children who participate in the program, 98% are promoted to the next grade on time and while 99% avoid the juvenile justice system.”
“Transportation should not be a barrier keeping kids in Atlanta from being matched with Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteers,” said Uber Georgia General Manager Luke Marklin. “One connection at a time, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta is making an incredible impact in our community – and we are proud to help facilitate more of those connections with free rides. Participating families can put transportation worries aside and count on Uber partners to safely drive them to their interviews.”
Uber’s new service, Uber Central, allows businesses of all sorts to request, pay for, and track rides for customers to and from the office. The platform is especially useful for nonprofits or other organizations that may want to coordinate rides for members it supports who may not have smartphones or funding to pay for their own rides. For more information on Uber Central or to create an account, visit www.uber-central.com.
For 57 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta (BBBSMA) has transformed the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in our community through a proven youth development strategy: one-to-one mentoring. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. The agency serves approximately 2,500 children from 12 metro Atlanta counties on an annual basis. For more information on BBBSMA, visit our we
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