Summer is a bittersweet time for our site-based matches, since many won't be able to get together during the summer months. So our agency hosted a party for Bigs to see their Littles one last time before school starts. Our Littles from Shaw, Mort and Pizzo Elementary schools as well as Mort Rec, Pizzo YMCA and MOSI came out to Copeland Park. The Littles made friendship bracelets with their Bigs, how fun! And they also took home books--and plenty of memories that will last...until school begins this fall.

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BBBS hosted a special group session for our parents who have the tough job of raising a teenager. It's not easy! During the group session, parents had a chance to share their memories of what it was like 'way back when', when they were a teenager, how they felt at that time. Facilitators also led a discussion about the phsyical, emotional, and neurological changes teens go through. Parents were encouraged to stay involved in their teens' lives, no matter how difficult, being there makes a difference!

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Some special Littles received a special treat on the last day of school--they met Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio! They were on-hand when the Del Sol company, known for its unique color-changing apparel and accessories, made a special check presentation at City Hall. The company is launching a new retail partnership with Walgreen's in the Tampa region, and donated funds to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and the Mayor's Youth Corps. "The donations are a fundamental part of the company's values to make a positive difference in the lives of youth and young adults," said Jeff Pedersen, President and CEO of Del Sol. Several Little Sisters were treated to tons of goodies and a manicure lesson  at a Paint your Nails Day celebration with their Big Sisters. The Littles got  'double' the fun; the colors they selected for their manicures 'magically' change colors in the sunlight!

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Special thanks to our supporters:

• The CONN Memorial Foundation which awarded our agency $20,000 for our Comprehensive Mentoring Program. The Foundation seeks to continue the philanthropic endeavors of its founders by providing community leadership, capacity building and funding assistance to nonprofit organizations that serve at-risk children and their families in Hillsborough County.

• The Allegany Franciscan Ministries provided a Capacity Building Scholarship grant to BBBS. The grant is awarded to agencies to help deliver efficient and effective services to those in need.

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Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Inc. Nominated for

Non-profit of the Year!

For a second time, our agency has been nominated for this top honor, awarded by the Tampa Bay Business Journal! We received the award in 2007, and in 2010 we have even more reason to be proud. Despite the economy, our agency continues its mission to serve at-risk children--and our 'matches' are staying together even longer. Thanks to our volunteers and dedicated staff, our agency is focused on making a difference in the lives of Little Brothers and Little Sisters in our community.  We'll find out June 24th who will 'win' the top honor. But regardless of the outcome, we know all involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters are BIG winners in every way!

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Big Brother Neil Armstrong received a special treat at a Tampa Bay Rays game! Neil along with his two Little Brothers Jamaine and Solomon were escorted on the field and Neil was introduced to the crowd as the Big Brother of the Year and a Local Hero for State Farm Insurance. It was a quite a night, their names were announced over the PA system and Neil received a bat with his name engraved on it. And Rays pitchers Grant Balfour and Jeff Nieman gave their autographs! Go Rays!

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Teenagers involved in 'Delta Gems', sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. created educational baskets for our Littles in our site-based program. The colorful baskets included pencils, papers, and personal notes of encouragment to the elementary school students. All of the members of Delta Gems felt it was a worthwhile community service project; 12-year-old Markayla said "It's nice to help others." Najah, who is 14 years old, says it shows "...All teens don't just think about themselves, it shows someone cares." And Ebony who is 13-years-old says, offered these encourgaging words: "Volunteering and lets us get ready for life, and that we shouldn't let anything hold us back."

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Littles Honored in Turn Around Student Award Program

Each year, the Pasco County Juvenile Justice Council takes time out to recongize students who have overcome great odds and literally 'turned themselves around for the better. The students' accomplishments in the classroom and in the community are a great example for all of us: with support, encouragement and tenacity, anyone can take a not-so-good situation and turn it around for the better! Congratulations to Little Brother Chase and Little Sister Kristen for a job well done!

Mentor Manager Krista McIntosh with Little Brother Chase

 Big Sister Ann Sheeky, Mentor Manager Heather Shell and

Little Sister Kristen

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Littles from Just Elementary School are JUST GREAT!

By Mentor Manager Lauren Maxwell

             This month several of our matches from Just Elementary in West Tampa are shining! The school held an awards ceremony in which several of our Littles earned awards. Two of our Littles, Destiny and Frederick, earned “most improved behavior” in their classes; they also made the honor roll and earned a citizenship award. Both Littles credited their Bigs, Casey Foster from the University of Tampa and Alexa Norton from Blake High School, for teaching them to respect their peers and what it means to have good character.

Another Little Brother, Kenderson, also earned a “most improved” award for reading. He recently came on level for reading, after struggling being below level in reading for several years. Kenderson is matched with Big Brother Robert Corley, Sr., who is a City of Tampa employee, and the two have worked on reading for more than a year.

 And Little Brother Jermaine made  the honor roll for the first time! He is matched with BBBS staff member, Mike Trepper. Mike  encourages his Little to work up to his potential and try his best in school. One of the first people Jermaine called when he found out the good news was his Big Brother!

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Michael Baisden's One Million Mentors Tour

 

 

 

  BBBS CEO Stephen Koch (on right) receives $5,000 from the Children's Board of Hillsborough County. Funds will help our agency recruit and train more volunteers.

 

 

 

More than 600 people came out for the One Million Mentors Town Hall Meeting in Tampa March 3rd, featuring popular nationally syndicated urban radio personality Michael Baisden.

 

The Michael Baisden Show is the top-ranked urban afternoon program in the country. Every weekday, Baisden ignites lively discussions while combining the best in music, comedy and social commentary. In 2007, he spearheaded the widely reported Jena 6 civil rights demonstration where tens of thousands of Americans peacefully marched in Louisiana to protest the justice system’s mistreatment of six young African American men. 

 

The panelist for the Town Hall meeting included Tampa Bay Big Brother of the Year, Neil Armstrong. Neil shared with the audience that  more than 70% of the children we serve are minorities, but the number of minority volunteers is considerably lower. Thanks to the Children's Board of Hillsborough County, the $5,000 awarded to our agency will allow us to effectively market the need for male mentors through special initiatives and recruitment opportunities. The audience was moved by the message--more than 60 people signed up to become Bigs! If you would like more information or want to help recruit more minority volunteers, call 813.769.3600.

  

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  Special thanks to our community partners...

• The Corporate Charity Committee through Amscot Financial awarded a special grant to BBBS
• The St. Petersburg Times Foundation donated funds for the Sports Buddies program. This program allows sports entusiasts to spend time with their Little enjoying sporting events.
• The Community Foundation of Greater Lakeland donated funds to our Mentoring Children of Prisoners program. Statistics show Polk County has the third highest number of children with incarcerated parents. Both donations will help our agency pair more children with caring mentors.

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Check out one of our Big Sisters from USF, Katie Blair Mentoring at Sulphur Springs Elementary School

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BBBS of Tampa Bay held its first "Day with the Rays" event in May, complete with a "meet & greet" with Carlos Pena.   After watching batting practice and just 'hanging out' on the field, Carlos came out to take pictures and say hello.   We had learned that his birthday was that weekend, so we presented him with a card signed by some of our Littles.

Several Bigs and their Littles also got to meet Rays' second baseman, Aki, as well as their manager, Joe Madden!   Both Aki and Joe presented the kids with signed baseballs and other memoralbilia, making this a very special day for all who attended.

Young Lawyers Host

Volunteer Recruitment Luncheon

Tampa's Rampello Elementary School was the site of a very successful volunteer recruitment luncheon held on June 2nd.  Eight new volunteers signed as Big Brothers/Big Sisters during this event, which was hosted by the Young Lawyers Division of the Hillsborough County Bar Association.

Tampa Bay Rays Player B.J. Upton Hits a 'Home Run' for BBBS!

The twins joined by Big Brother Andrew Shelton, Brian Auld, Sr. VP, Business Operations for the Rays and BBBS Board member, and Big Brother Chris Krimitsos

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MacDILL  'BIG FOR A DAY'  

It's become a long-standing tradition and much anticipated event: Big For A Day at MacDill Air Force Base. It's a chance for dozens of Littles who are waiting to be matched with a mentor to enjoy being paired with a 'Big for a day'---a member of the military. And at this year's event on May 1, not only was the weather perfect, but everyone who attended enjoyed themselves immensely. 

More than 70 volunteers from MacDill hosted the event, along with numerous BBBS staff members.  Joining in the festivities were 50 children who are waiting to be matched and, we're happy to report we did recruit several new volunteers who may end up being matched with one of these children.

The day started with opening remarks from Major Jeff Swilinksi, who also serves on the BBBS Hillsborough County Leadership Council. His remarks, along with those of Base Commander Colonel Martin, who spoke at lunch about being a former Big, created an influx of military volunteers turning in applications -- and the BBBS staff was prepared, interviewing them on the spot!

Everyone at MacDill really showed the kids a great time, with lots of static displays, a series of flight line demos, a kennel demo and HUMVEE rides. The day ended with an American flag folding ceremony by the Honor Guard.   It was definitely touching to see them in their military uniforms working in perfect unison. Special thanks to those at MacDill who make this happen every year. It's a day the kids will remember forever!

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JUVENILE JUSTICE COUNCIL of PASCO COUNTY

'TURNAROUND STUDENT' AWARD

GOES TO LITTLE BROTHER ERIC!

The Annual Turnaround Student Award, sponsored by the Juvenile Justice Council of Pasco is designed to recognize those students who may have been considered "at risk" but who have now taken steps to turn their lives around.   This year's recognition ceremony was held in April at the Land O' Lakes Community Center.   We are happy to announce that this year's winner of the Turnaround Student Award was Eric who is a Little Brother in our program.

Eric is 13-years-old and enrolled in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in September 2007.   Big Couple Chris and Marcianne Foster have watched Eric make a tremendous turnaround since they were matched.   While their initial goal was to build a good relationship with Eric, they also wanted to focus on improving his attitude toward school.   This past year, he not only improved academically (making the Honor Roll on his last progress report), but he decided to join the band, where he has expressed an interest in playing the tuba and drums. Eric is also looking forward to becoming involved with a yearbook club at school. Eric's self-esteem has skyrocketed and he now has a newfound confidence in himself, with a great attitude about his life.

Please join us in congratulating Eric on this award, and on his accomplishments.  Great job, Eric! Keep up the good work!