Tag Archives: mentoring; big brothers big sisters

Donate to Windham County’s Big Brothers Big Sisters Appeal

Make a contribution today to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windham County! DONATE HERE!

Anonymous donors will match the first $3000 in contributions received by June 25. 2016!

Sarah and Kendra

VIEW VIDEO! of  Big and Little Sarah and Kendra spending time together over several years.

 

If you ever see glitter falling from the sky or discover it in odd places, chances are Sarah and Kendra are crafting. Kendra was a six-year-old middle child when she was matched with her Big Sister, Sarah. Given her temper and struggles in school it was decided that she could benefit from a mentor.

Many of Sarah and Kendra’s arts and crafts projects included a lot of glitter because of a mutual love for the sparkle and happiness that glitter brings to them both. A year into their match, Kendra’s grades increased dramatically as her self-esteem, class participation and homework completion increased. Throughout their relationship, Sarah has helped Kendra develop coping skills and identify and avoid triggers for conflicts with her parents and twin siblings.

Sarah and Kendra don’t spend all of their time talking about Kendra’s home life or school. They have a lot of fun fishing, hiking and discovering the music of Taylor Swift together. Their story is on-going, with both getting to know each other’s extended family. Kendra recently served as a junior bridesmaid in Sarah’s wedding!

Life is not all glitter! But with your generous donation, more children living in difficult circumstances will  be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister in Windham County.

 

 

BOWL FOR KIDS’ SAKE on April 1 benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program

Families, friends and teams from work are encouraged to save the date of Saturday, April 1 to celebrate the 36th Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake to benefit  Big Brothers Big Sisters, a mentoring program affiliated with Youth Services. The fundraising event will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. with teams signing up now for a one-hour time slot at Brattleboro Bowl on Putney Road.

Bowl for Kids’ Sake is the signature event of Big Brothers Big Sisters programs across the country and is the primary fundraiser for BBBS of Windham County. The success of this event ensures that we are able to continue providing a high quality mentoring program to the wonderful children and youth right here in Windham County!

FIRST, register your team fundraising page by clicking on “set up your fundraiser” then click on “start your own fundraiser” think of a really cool name and set up your page.  Determine your team’s fundraising goal (we require a minimum goal of $50 per person).

NEXT, Register your team for a bowling time by clicking HERE

THEN, start asking friends, family, neighbors, employers, and coworkers to lend a hand by making a donation of their choice.

And Finally…. join us at Brattleboro Bowl on Saturday, April 1 for a fun-filled event with free food, a raffle, giveaways and prizes for individuals and teams that raise the most pledges!

**If you don’t want to start your own team, join someone else’s or donate to the team of your choice!

Learn more about BFKS 2017 here

If you prefer to raise money off-line or in addition to on-line, download:

Team Roster

Bowler Pledge Sheet

Team Captain Packet

bfks no year T-shirt design front BBBS BBBS BBBS IMG_2322 IMG_2613 IMG_2619 BBBS

Mentors Sought by Big Brothers Big Sisters in Spring

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windham County is making a special effort to recruit new volunteers this spring, especially male volunteers.  “Most, though not all of the 60 children on our waiting list are boys,” explained Kimberley Diemond, Youth Services Director of Mentoring.

This fact doesn’t surprise Diemond, who had worked with volunteers in her own nonprofit before joining Youth Services over a year ago. “Less men volunteer their time and close to 75% of all of our mentees or “Littles”, as they are know, come from single parent households,” she explained.  “We have some fantastic male mentors but we need more of them!”

According to Diemond the other parent is often not part of the picture in these children’s lives, some due to incarceration, others from death, separation or irrevocable differences with the custodial parent.  “We have a number of single parents who are home bound due to health issues and having another adult who can attend their children’s sports games or do physically active activities with them has been a lifesaver on many levels,” Diemond stated.

National research demonstrates that “mentoring”—pairing a caring adult volunteer with a young person for a mutually rewarding friendship—is an effective method of addressing all sorts of youth-related issues, from combating drug and alcohol use and violence to getting along better with their families and peers.

The children on the wait list for a mentor are boys or girls between the ages of 5 and 15. Big Brothers Big Sisters offers two flexible options for volunteers who want to mentor a child.  The school-based program offers volunteers the opportunity to visit with a child during lunch or recess at least once a week, in either Marlboro, Bellows Falls or Brattleboro.  This option is for people who prefer the structure of meeting on their lunch hour at the child’s school.  The community-based program, in contrast, allows volunteers to meet with a child during their own time and play sports, take a walk or just hang out for at least 4 hours a month.

For information on volunteering, call Big Brothers Big Sisters at (802) 257-0361 or visit www.youthservicesinc.org/bbbs.