BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS EXPANDS MILITARY MENTORING OPPORTUNITIES

U.S. Air Force ‘Big Brother’ and his 16-Year Old ‘Little’ to Help Launch New
Program at Veteran’s Day Ceremony with First Lady Michelle Obama

PHILADELPHIA, PA, November 9, 2009 -- This Veteran’s Day, a U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant and his16-year old “Little” will help launch Big Brothers Big Sisters’ expanded mentoring services for children in military families, military men and women, veterans and reservists.  The program supports children whose parents are often under heavy stress or deployed and military personnel who serve as high quality volunteer mentors to these children.

Staff Sergeant Francisco Hernandez and Raul, his Little Brother of eight years, will join First Lady Michelle Obama, Dr. Jill Biden, Alma Powell and other Washington dignitaries at George Washington University for a Veteran’s Day ServiceNation program.  Sharing their story, they will help inaugurate MISSION SERVE: Forging a Continuum of Service, a network of 36 initiatives partnering civilian and military service organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters, to meet the critical needs of our nation, troops, military families, and veterans.  

“Through our Military Mentoring program, Raul’s mother says she has seen improvement in her son’s school performance and self esteem.  With Big Brothers Big Sisters’ track record of helping vulnerable kids succeed, our military partnerships have  enormous long-term implications for so many kids like Raul and communities across the nation,” said Karen Mathis, president and Chief Executive Officer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, a donor-based network that carefully matches and supports volunteer “Bigs,” “Littles,” and families.  “We are committed to giving children of military families every chance to succeed, while providing meaningful civilian volunteer opportunities for military men and women, reservists and veterans.”

Mathis, who will join Hernandez and Raul in Washington, recently recognized 150 U.S. Air Force Academy Cadets who serve as long-term “Bigs” to 75 Colorado Springs “Littles.”  She is the daughter of a retired Army NCO, herself. In addition to the ServiceNation partnership announcement, Big Brothers Big Sisters this month is expanding its Military Mentoring program with new opportunities for active-duty armed services men and women, veterans, reservists and other Americans, including:  

GIVE AN HOUR:  A number of Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies will partner with Give an Hour, a nationwide network of mental health providers who offer at least an hour a week of their time – unpaid – to our troops, veterans, and their families.  Working with a Give an Hour mental health coordinator, agencies may offer presentations and discussions with staff, matches and/or families as well as mental health consultations and expertise. 

STUDENT VETERANS OF AMERICA: Agencies will partner with Student Veterans of America, a network of more than 200 college-based chapters of student-veterans, which will provide an excellent pipeline of potential mentors. 

Last year, through a $3 million five-year T. Boone Pickens Foundation challenge grant, 22 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies received funding to provide mentoring matching and support services to children of deployed military.