Profile: A career dedicated to children takes on new role in Johnson County

Daleta Thurness always had a soft spot for children. And it's reflected in her nearly 30-year career.

In December, Thurness, 54, started her new role as executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County — a not-for-profit organization that pairs adult volunteers with children in need of mentors.

'Every person needs a mentor,' Thurness said, emphasizing the program isn't only for children facing adversity.

'We have a lot of young people facing issues that mentoring could address,' she said. 'There are plenty in our community that could benefit a great deal.'

Constructive one-on-one relationships are shown to have lasting effects on children, including improving their performance in school, raising their aspirations, reducing risky behaviors and strengthening their relationships with parents and peers.

Before Big Brothers Big Sisters, she was a youth program specialist for nine years at the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Most of her career was spent in Miami, however, where the West Liberty native worked as assistant director for 12 years for the Guardian Ad Litem Program — an advocacy program for abused, abandoned and neglected children in Florida. For five years, she was program director for Lawyers for Children America — another child advocacy organization in Miami that helps victims of abuse, abandonment and neglect with free legal representation.

'I feel honored to have a career that helps people achieve,' Thurness said.

Thurness knows firsthand the impact of mentorship. Growing up, she idolized her neighbor, Onie Waite.

'She was the kind of woman who was generous with her time, thoughtful; she never had a bad word to say about anybody, she always looked out for me and asked about my hopes and dreams,' Thurness said. 'I aspired to be like her.'

In 1983, while studying liberal arts and psychology at the University of Iowa, Thurness volunteered with Big Brothers Big Sisters. At the time, it had a program called 'the gap,' which paired volunteers with children on a waiting list.

Thurness said she remembers 'quite distinctly' how excited the kids were when she picked them up, and when it was time to go they asked over and over when they'd meet again, she said.

Since then, the organization has ended the 'gap' program to focus on one-on-one connections, which have shown to be more effective.

Last year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Johnson County served 426 kids.

'We want to serve more, but not until we know what we're doing is the highest quality,' Thurness said.

Going forward, she hopes to focus on ensuring quality matches while also recruiting more volunteers — the organization is always looking, particularly for men, she said.

'A lot of people won't step forward because they think it's a huge responsibility — and it is, but it doesn't have to be scary,' Thurness said.

'It really doesn't take much,' she assured. 'It's just being their friend and sharing your passions and interests.'

Volunteers start with an extensive interview to be paired with a child of similar interests. Once paired, volunteers receive training and support throughout their mentorship.

If it ends up not being a good fit, the staff will find a new match, Thurness said. But with matchmakers who have been at this for years — some more than 30 — a bad match is unlikely.

Two different types of matches are offered: community and site based. With a community match, a 'big' can meet a 'little' anywhere. A site-based match typically meets at school or an after-school program.

'It can be as simple as walking in the park, going to a football game or to their school to help them with their homework,' Thurness said. 'You just get to know them and let them get to know you.'

Volunteers are asked to commit to six hours each month for 18 months, but mentorships often last much longer. Last year, the average community match length was 28 months, Thurness said, but they 'certainly have matches that go way longer than that,' she added.

'When you have that experience and see how you can impact somebody, you can't help but be motivated to keep doing it,' she said. 'I've seen real differences people can make from empowering and supporting children.'

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