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Welcome to our presentation!. About Us. For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers
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About Us For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters make meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), ages 6 through 18, in communities across the country. We develop positive relationship that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.
Site-Based 76,702 Community- Based 110,089
18-19 yrs old 3.8% 4-9 yrs old 14-15 yrs old 0.5% 16-18 yrs old 10.5% 18.5% 50+ yrs old 13.7% 15-17 yrs old 15.7% 19-21 yrs old 12.4% 36-50 yrs old 17.7% 13-14 yrs old 21.4% 10-12 yrs old 40.6% 22-35 yrs old 45.2%
Accountability: By partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community we are accountable for each child in our program achieving:
Changing Lives for the Better, Forever Our unique brand of one-to-one Mentoring, in which a child facing Adversity is carefully matched with A caring adult mentor in a relationship Supported by professional Big Brothers Big Sisters staff members, changes lives For the better forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children achieve success in school, helps them avoid risky behaviors such as getting into fights and trying drugs and alcohol, and helps them improve their self- -confidence. We hold ourselves accountable to our supporters by regularly measuring our impact. • What do we achieve? • What do we do?
Volunteering Being a Big Brother or Big Sister is one of the most enjoyable things you’ll ever do. Not to mention, one of the most fulfilling. • You have the opportunity to help shape a child’s future for the better by empowering him or her to achieve. • You and your Little can share the kinds of activities you already like to do. • And the best part is, it’s actually a lot of fun.
Volunteering (continue) There are 21,000 boys ready and waiting to be matched with Big Brothers across the country right now … that’s double the number of girls waiting for a Big Sister. You can also make a donation to help fund the careful one-to-one matching and ongoing professional mentoring support unique to Big Brothers Big Sisters. The gift you make today will lead to successful outcomes for that child and his or her community.
Real Life Stories #1 John Paul and Edgar have been matched since 2005. For the first two years or so, J.P. (as he’s known to his friends and to most of the staff at the Big Brothers Big Sisters offices, where he’s been a Program Specialist and Community Relations Coordinator for many years) wondered if he’d ever break through the communication wall. “Man, for the first couple of years Edgar hardly said ANYTHING!” laughs J.P. “He’d just answer questions, and that was it. But eventually, we built up trust and now we have absolutely NO problem communicating!”Edgar is lucky to come from a supportive, albeit large family where both parents are in the home. However, with four siblings and parents who both work, sometimes finding the time for the one-to-one attention that a young man needs was tough, so Edgar was enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. It’s been a great experience for both Big and Little Brother; J.P. says that over time, he and Edgar have become like real brothers. “We like doing the same things…We’re both really into sports, and we go to a lot of sporting events and activities. We also both really like video games, and we go to most of the Big Brothers Big Sisters sponsored events. There were two events recently – an event where Bigs and Littles could go to learn how to change the oil in their vehicle, and a cooking event where we got to make Fajitas, salsa, and really a whole meal with other Bigs and Littles…We had a blast at both events.”John Paul’s also had the opportunity to speak to Edgar about more serious topics, like making good choices in life, and about steering clear of drugs and alcohol. “He’s a great kid” says J.P. “And he’s really focused on sports and doing great in school.” When asked about the best part of the match, J.P. had a hard time picking anything specific, because “it’s all been really, really great!” But eventually, the answer came to him. “The best part of the match experience is seeing a little boy turn into a young man” says J.P. “and knowing that we’ll always be Brothers.” Kudos, J.P. – Couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Always Brothers
Real Life Stories #2 A couple years earlier, Andrew was not laughing. In fact, as his mother Lisa recalls, he would cry every time his sister’s Big Sister would pick her up for an outing because he wanted a Big Brother of his own. “When I told Andrew it was finally his turn, we were all very excited,” Lisa says.When Lisa was a kid, she remembers her aunt raising two young boys as single mother. “They never had their dad, but they would always come home talking about the great time they had with their Big Brothers,” she remembers. “So when I became a young, single parent, I knew Big Brothers Big Sisters would be a good way to find a positive role model for my son.”Andrew’s and Carlos’ phone conversations are not always fun and games—and that’s what strikes Lisa as the most special element of their relationship.Carlos has not only been a positive sounding board for Andrew, but also an essential resource for Lisa. Because Andrew has emotional issues stemming from the absence of his absent biological father,Carlos talks regularly with Lisa on the phone and often accompanies her when she visits Andrew’s counselor. “It shows that he really cares about my son,” she says. “They have fun together, but they also have heart-to-heart talks—so Carlos has important insight.”Lisa is thankful that Carlos has invested his time in Andrew, encouraging a positive outlook on life. Carlos has a wife and two daughters but consistently schedules one-on-one outings with his Little Brother. “I like getting man-to-man time with him,” Andrew says. “He’s the nicest person I’ve ever met.”The pair always has fun on their outings—sporting events, visits to the park, going out for pizza, watching movies. “We have found a gold mine in Carlos. He has really taken Andrew under his wing.” Knock, knock. Who’s there? Andrew and Carlos share a good laugh, and an important friendship
Enroll a Little As a parent, you recognize the potential of your child better than anyone. By giving them the opportunity to be part of Big Brothers Big Sisters, you’re starting them down a path to an even brighter, more promising future. Could your little one could use a Big? It all starts with the right role models. And Big Brothers Big Sister is the place to start a relationship with one. We’ve been able to recruit, screen, match and support mentoring relationships that have changed the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people across the country - one Little at a time.
You’ll feel the impact as much as your child. A study for Big Brothers Big Sisters found that kids matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister: • are more confident • are more likely to steer clear of drugs and alcohol • do better in school • get along better with their family and friends • feel better about themselves
So why not apply to be a Big today. There are kids out there ready to get started. Are you?