Local Leaders Help Create Life-Changing Mentoring Relationships for Children
Tampa, Fla. (June 29, 2017) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of America recognized six outstanding affiliates that have demonstrated remarkable leadership and have grown the number of children served in their community. The top local agencies and agency boards recognized during the 2017 National Conference Gala in San Diego include Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lehigh Valley, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas.
“We are proud of all of our more than 300 affiliates across the country, but these agencies and Boards have truly shown extraordinary leadership, innovation, and commitment,” said Pam Iorio, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “These agencies and Boards are making a difference in the lives of thousands of children.”
Agencies of the Year – The winning agencies have focused on growing the number and maintaining the quality of mentoring relationships (“matches”) between caring adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and youth (“Littles”).
- Small-Mid Agency of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa followed through with its strategic plan and has exceeded its growth goals (serving more children and raising revenue) The agency has an outstanding school-based mentoring program. At the beginning of 2017, their active school-based matches had been together for 5 ½ years on average. They have also launched a successful Read to Succeed program. At the end of three months all enrolled Littles were reading at or above grade level!
- Mid-Large Agency of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Midlands has stepped up its service to foster care youth and reached a 12-month retention rate for Community-Based matches that is 17 percent higher than the network average. They have launched a new Alumni program and are attracting more individual donors to support their programs
- The Large Agency of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Kansas City, set agency records in 2016 for the number of new volunteers recruited, the amount of funds raised, and the number of new matches made.
Boards of the Year – By guiding staff and shaping programming, agency boards also have a profound impact on the success of the agencies in their communities.
- Small-Mid Agency Board of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lehigh Valley, successfully launched a “Wait List Club” for children who have expressed an interest in receiving a Big but who the agency cannot yet match due to volunteer availability. The Wait List Club allows these children to remain engaged with the agency and participate in enriching activities.
- The Mid-Large Agency Board of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana, has embraced a “Board-Led Fundraising initiative, which enlists board members to give personally and raise funds from individuals and corporations. This fiscal year, the board raised over $450,000.
- Large Agency Board of the Year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas completed a $5 million capital campaign and opened a new Mentoring Center to provide new opportunities for interaction among children, mentors, staff, and families.
Agency leaders from Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Nationwide Leadership Council select the winners of the Agency of the Year and Board of the Year awards, based on substantial growth in the number of children served, quality and length of mentoring matches and increased revenues that support the agency financially.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters ensures that the children in its program achieve measurable outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships. – more – This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization’s 113-year history. With over 300 affiliates across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served more than 2 million children (“Littles”) in the past 10 years. Learn more at www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.
