“Arby's is grounded in the belief that every individual has the power to make a difference. As a corporate citizen we feel it is our responsibility to be an active participant in improving the quality of life of the people and communities we serve.”
- Tom Garrett, CEO
Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc.
As a part of Arby's commitment to making a difference, Arby's established the Arby's Foundation, Inc. in 1986. From its inception, the Foundation has focused on supporting leadership, education and youth-mentoring initiatives. Because of Big Brothers Big Sisters' vision “to provide a mentor for every child who needs or wants one," Arby's has selected Big Brothers Big Sisters of America as its national corporate charity.
Combining Arby's support with donations from franchisees, suppliers, employees, customers and sponsors, the Arby's Foundation has given more than $25 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and its local agencies in 25 cities across the US.
Click here to visit Arby's website.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and Comcast Corporation, both based in Philadelphia, began an unprecedented three-year partnership in June 2008.
Under the partnership, Comcast will support and encourage its employees to become Big Brothers Big Sisters mentors. The company has also begun providing airtime for public service announcements. In addition, Comcast will offer program sponsorships, national board member support, and Comcast University Leadership Development and Training scholarships for Big Brothers Big Sisters staff leaders.
“Comcast has been partnering with individual Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies for a number of years now,” said Charisse Lillie, Vice President of Community Investment and Executive Vice President of the Comcast Foundation. “Our new national partnership allows us to demonstrate our steadfast commitment to BBBS and invites our employees to really get involved.”
In addition, Comcast will also launch a unique site-based mentoring program in 2008 called the John Alchin Beyond School Walls program. Beginning with a pilot launch at its headquarters in Philadelphia, the program will expand to nine other markets throughout the country over the next two years of the new partnership.
Rent-A-Center’s association with Big Brothers Big Sisters is a good fit. Rent-A-Center looked for and found an organization whose mission could potentially affect the lives of our customers and their children. With extended family often living apart, having a support system via a “BIG” can positively impact a child for life.
 In 2003, Rent-A-Center began a three-week spring fund-raising campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters in its stores in the United States and Puerto Rico. Customers, co-workers and the public contribute a minimum $1 donation and sign their name on a colorful paper egg which hangs near the counter for the duration of the campaign. Now in its 6th year, we have expanded to four-weeks of fund-raising. Our president rewards the top fund-raising store by flying to the store location to take the staff and their guests to dinner. The top 100 stores are also listed in the company newspaper.
"The relationship between Big Brothers Big Sisters and Rent-A-Center has been mutually beneficial," said Mark Speese, Rent-A-Center Chairman and CEO.
RAC is the largest rent-to-own company in the United States with more than 2,700 stores stateside, in Canada and Puerto Rico. RAC offers rent-to-own or short-term rental options on name-brand electronics, furniture, computers and appliances from such names as Sony, Phillips, Ashley, Berkline, Compaq, Dell and Whirlpool, and more
Click here to visit Rent-A-Center's website.
My Stone Company was established with the aim of spreading the message of friendship and cultivating stronger connections in people, including personal, spiritual and emotional ties.
“The bond of friendship is one of the most valuable gifts of life,” said Cathy Raff, founder and president of My Stone Company.
My Stone Company was launched in 2007 after a visit to South Africa when Cathy Raff brought back with her amazing Tiger’s Eye’s, semi-precious gemstones. The remarkable beauty of the stone and its ability to change with the rays of light became an inspiration and metaphor for how one can change perspectives and choose to look at life’s challenges with optimism. What started with giving a few stones to a couple of her friends soon grew into The Friendship Stone.
“We believe every person, both young and old needs and deserves to know they have someone to look up to, someone who supports them and appreciates them,” said Cathy. Big Brothers, Big Sisters’ commitment to changing how our youth grow up in America remains in harmony with My Stone Company’s aspiration to inspire lives. The company continues to give-back to Big Brothers, Big Sisters through The Friendship Stone’s Power of Two gift packs sold from their joint website: http://www.BigBrothersBigSisters-TheFriendshipStone.com
As a company built by families, for families, Great Wolf Lodge feels it’s important to invest in long-term charitable giving to partners who share the values of our company. We feel it’s our responsibility to extend our mission of, “Creating Family Traditions, One Family at a Time,” by serving the communities we call home, and where our guests and employees live and work.
That’s why Great Wolf Lodge is proud to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters. For more than a century, Big Brothers Big Sisters have helped children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one relationships with proven results.
We’re most passionate about the possibility of helping the amazing work done by Big Brothers Big Sisters with crucial fundraising. Here’s how you can help us reach our annual goal of raising $1 million:
- Book a stay at any U.S. Great Wolf Lodge on www.greatwolf.com.
- Before you complete your reservation, choose to have just $5 added to your reservation, 100% of which will go directly to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
- Smile, knowing that just by booking some family fun for yourself, you’re helping children who might not have the same opportunity.
It’s great fun for a great cause. Find out more about Great Wolf Lodge and book a stay today: www.greatwolf.com.
 Coldwell Banker Commercial gives to Big Brothers Big Sisters in the most adventureous way, with Climb For Kids' Sake. These charity alpine mountian climbing expeditions raise a dollar for every foot climbed, such as the the $23,526 raised in 2008 for climbs up Mount Hood in Oregon and Mount Adams in Washington.
“We are proud to align ourselves with such a worthy cause,” says CBC president Rick Davidson. “The team of climbers is assembled and we’re really looking forward to the climb.”
Click here to read more about Climb For Kids' Sake, or to learn more about Coldwell Banker Commercial, please go to www.cbcworldwide.com.
At Jack in the Box, we believe that mentoring can change a child's life -- and when it comes to creating powerful mentoring relationships, nobody does it better than Big Brothers Big Sisters. That's why The Jack in the Box Foundation proudly partners with Big Brothers Big Sisters to serve youth in Jack in the Box restaurant communities. On national and local levels, we sponsor a myriad of efforts for Big Brothers Big Sisters, including a school-based mentoring program that matches high school student Bigs with elementary school student Littles, and our “First Meal” program, which treats newly-matched Bigs and Littles to a meal at Jack in the Box. One effort we're particularly proud to sponsor in our headquarters city of San Diego is Operation Bigs, which matches mentors from the military, including Marine and Navy personnel, with children whose parents are deployed overseas. In our restaurants, decals raise awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters and encourage our guests to volunteer. We also encourage volunteerism among our employees, many of whom are Bigs or serve on local BBBS boards.
"We believe that our partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters is changing children's lives and creating a brighter future for all of us."
- Carlo Cetti, President
The Jack in the Box Foundation
A national Big Brothers Big Sisters sponsor since 1998, The Jack in the Box Foundation has provided more than $3 million to national and local agencies through corporate, employee and franchisee donations, fund-raising events and services. Based in San Diego, Jack in the Box operates or franchises more than 2,000 quick-serve restaurants in 17 states.
For more information, please visit www.jackinthebox.com.
The American Eagle Outfitters Foundation gives back to communities by supporting student related programs focused on youth development and conserving the environment. When AE decided to partner with a new national charity in 2005, Big Brothers Big Sisters was a natural fit. Since then, thousands of AE Associates have taken part in Bowl For Kids Sake activities throughout the United States and Canada. AE also hosted an AE Better World cause marketing campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters during Holiday 2007 raising much needed funds for hundreds of local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies.
"Our corporate philosophy is Live Your Life and we believe Big Brother Big Sisters helps young people to do just that. It is a powerful partnership that has unlimited potential and we look forward to benefiting the youth of tomorrow through these exciting projects for years to come."
- Joe Kerin
Executive Vice President of Stores and President of the American Eagle Outfitters Foundation
American Eagle Outfitters
American Eagle Outfitters designs, markets and sells its own brand of laidback, current clothing targeting 15 to 25 year-olds, providing high-quality merchandise at affordable prices. The original collection includes standards like jeans and graphic Ts as well as essentials like accessories, outerwear, footwear, basics and swimwear. American Eagle currently operates more than 1,000 stores and also operates ae.com®, which offers additional sizes and styles of favorite AE® merchandise and ships to more than forty countries around the world. The American Eagle® brand also includes a Dormwear® collection, aerie™, which is available in 56 standalone stores, American Eagle stores and at aerie.com. The collection includes bras, undies, camis, hoodies, robes, boxers, sweats and leggings for the AE girl. Designed to be sweetly sexy, comfortable and cozy, the aerie brand offers AE customers a new way to express their personal style everyday, from the dormroom to the coffee shop to the classroom. 77E, a new multi-channel entertainment platform, features original and usergenerated content on ae.com, in AE stores, on television, and on Web sites such as Youtube, MySpace and Facebook. For more information, visit http://ae.com.
MARTIN + OSA™, a concept targeting 28 to 40 year-old women and men, offers refined casual clothing and accessories, designed to be valuable, irresistible, inspiring, authentic and adventurous. MARTIN + OSA currently operates 21 stores. For additional information and updates, visit www.martinandosa.com.
The company plans to launch a children’s apparel brand, 77kids by american eagle™, offering on-trend, high-quality clothing and accessories for kids age two to 10. 77kids will debut online at www.77kids.com during Fiscal 2008, with brick-and-mortar stores in the U.S. planned for 2010.
Do it Best Corp. has been a proud supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America for over 30 years. In our 60+ year history, we have had only four presidents, three of whom have served on the Big Brothers Big Sisters National Board. We believe in the program and have witnessed first hand the positive impact it has on “Littles” and “Bigs” alike.
Over the last 20 years, Do it Best Corp. has raised over $1.3 million from our vendor partners, who, like us, see the need and want to participate in helping Big Brothers Big Sisters reach more of America’s youth. In addition, many of our staff members, both here at our Fort Wayne, IN, corporate office and at our eight Retail Service Centers, are actively involved either as “Bigs,” through Lunch Buddies, or with fund raising efforts such as Bowl for Kid’s Sake.
“Having served on the National Board for the past three years,” says Bob Taylor, President & CEO of Do it Best Corp., “I know first hand their team is dedicated, focused and goal oriented. Combined, these assets will help drive the organization to reach their goals and reach America's children. We are proud of our long history of support to Big Brothers Big Sisters, both locally and nationally.”
With annual sales of over $3 Billion, Do it Best Corp. (formerly Hardware Wholesalers Inc. or HWI) is the only full-service, full-line, member-owned hardware and building materials buying cooperative in the industry. Serving more than 4,100 member-retailers throughout the world, Do it Best Corp. is comprised of independent hardware, home center and lumberyard retailers with both single and multiple store locations.
Minor League Baseball is proud to have Big Brothers Big Sisters as a National Charity Partner. The partnership began in 2003 and has been growing ever since. In the 2005 season, over 40 million fans attended Minor League Baseball games across the country, setting the all-time attendance record! Minor League Baseball's goal is to provide fans with fun, affordable entertainment.
Additionally, our ballparks feature kid-friendly environments that include kid's playgrounds, on-field kid's promotions, mascots, birthday party facilities and kids clubs. Our clubs also support local schools by having players read to children in classrooms and by promoting club-sponsored reading programs. The ballpark is a place where adults and children come together to spend time, build strong relationships and (as the Big Brother Big Sister motto states) share in those “little moments that bring magic to the lives of children.”
The Minor League Baseball office encourages all 160 teams to work with their local Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies numerous ways throughout the baseball season. Events vary at each ballpark depending on the club and capabilities of the stadium. Popular events are picnics for Bigs and Littles to attend, fundraising opportunities through jersey auctions, awareness/recruitment nights, and having Bigs and Littles participate in promotions during the game. Stadium personnel and players also volunteer time to the organization.
For more information on Minor League Baseball and their partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters visit http://www.milb.com.
“We are thrilled to be working with this fantastic organization,” said Jane Lauder, Senior Vice President, Global Product Marketing for Clinique. “Since the inception of the brand, we have been committed to mentoring and education….partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters is a natural extension of (this) mission."
On December 14, 2007, BBBS will celebrate Happy Day as part of its ongoing cause marketing partnership with Clinique. Anyone can help support Big Brothers Big Sisters this holiday season by purchasing a personalized photo bottle of Happy at Clinique counters in participating retail locations nationwide. Happy bottles can be personalized with a photo of whatever you like, including a child, pet, best friend, mom or dad. For each Happy Personalized Photo Bottle purchased on this day, Clinique will make a $1 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters - up to $10,000! !
This list does not include the many generous supporters of Big Brothers Big Sisters at the local level, to whom we are grateful.
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