LETTER FROM LEADERSHIP
“It’s important for my Little Brother to know that I’ve been down his road before. I grew up poor, I had a mom who loved me, a father who left us, and I was surrounded by people who didn’t think I could succeed. But I did, and he can too.”
The likelihood of a child successfully transitioning through adolescence and into adulthood is greatly enhanced when that child has a caring mentor who can open doors, inspire confidence and hold them accountable for making it on their own terms. For the past 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been providing young people with that special friend that guides and supports them, consistently advocating for their success.
But times have changed. The community’s priorities have dictated a sharper focus on education, career and all the social skills that are required to succeed in the workforce and in college. In response, we have continued to innovate. The School to Work program transports students from area high schools to businesses where they meet with their mentors to learn how to set goals, overcome obstacles and position themselves for college and career. CONNECT provides an electronic messaging platform for guided conversations with mentors that measurably strengthen the bond and outcome of a one-to-one mentoring relationship.
Our community-based matches have built a tighter bond through family nights, our parent advisory council, and activities that focus on recreation, education, arts & culture and health. One of our biggest goals for the future focuses on reducing the time a child waits for a Big Brother or Big Sister. To do this we will cultivate partnerships that ensure a collaborative approach to serving those children who need us the most: children who are first-generation high school and college graduates; youth whose families and neighborhoods are plagued by violence and substance abuse issues; and older youth who have successfully graduated but need support to succeed in college, the workforce and beyond. Partnerships that are especially meaningful include Bigs in Blue—law enforcement and first responders who build one-to-one friendships with our Littles; Panhellenic Association—African-American fraternity and sorority members who raise dollars and serve as Bigs; and the Allan Houston Mentoring Initiative— using basketball to teach and reinforce faith, integrity, sacrifice, leadership and legacy as the foundation for mentoring relationships.
Equity in our community remains a challenge. To help level the playing field, Big Brothers Big Sisters harnesses the compassion of caring adult mentors to guide our young people toward happy and successful lives.
And how do we know we can do this? Our Big Brothers and Big Sisters have mapped the way forward for themselves. They are working tirelessly to make sure their little brothers and sisters follow suit.
But times have changed. The community’s priorities have dictated a sharper focus on education, career and all the social skills that are required to succeed in the workforce and in college. In response, we have continued to innovate. The School to Work program transports students from area high schools to businesses where they meet with their mentors to learn how to set goals, overcome obstacles and position themselves for college and career. CONNECT provides an electronic messaging platform for guided conversations with mentors that measurably strengthen the bond and outcome of a one-to-one mentoring relationship.
Our community-based matches have built a tighter bond through family nights, our parent advisory council, and activities that focus on recreation, education, arts & culture and health. One of our biggest goals for the future focuses on reducing the time a child waits for a Big Brother or Big Sister. To do this we will cultivate partnerships that ensure a collaborative approach to serving those children who need us the most: children who are first-generation high school and college graduates; youth whose families and neighborhoods are plagued by violence and substance abuse issues; and older youth who have successfully graduated but need support to succeed in college, the workforce and beyond. Partnerships that are especially meaningful include Bigs in Blue—law enforcement and first responders who build one-to-one friendships with our Littles; Panhellenic Association—African-American fraternity and sorority members who raise dollars and serve as Bigs; and the Allan Houston Mentoring Initiative— using basketball to teach and reinforce faith, integrity, sacrifice, leadership and legacy as the foundation for mentoring relationships.
Equity in our community remains a challenge. To help level the playing field, Big Brothers Big Sisters harnesses the compassion of caring adult mentors to guide our young people toward happy and successful lives.
And how do we know we can do this? Our Big Brothers and Big Sisters have mapped the way forward for themselves. They are working tirelessly to make sure their little brothers and sisters follow suit.
