Big Brothers Big Sisters

The enrollment and matching team made 27 (23 Community Based and 4 Site Based) new matches during the month of August. When you consider this group has been understaffed for awhile, and has to deal with an ongoing shortage of ready to be matched (RTBM) volunteers, not a bad month. That brings our total number of children served through August to 2,145.

——————

We have 350 kids (203 CB and 146 SB) on the waiting list. 109 are Amachi children and 167 are boys. There are 221 RTBM volunteers (51 CB and 170 SB), so we still have some work cut out for us to get these kids matched. Out of the 221 RTBM mentors, there are a paltry 43 men (6 CB and 37 SB). Come on fellas! I’m again giving a shout out to my fraters in Alpha Phi Alpha, Kappa Alpha Psi, and Omega Psi Phi in particular, to step up and help mold the future of a young man.

Our school and site based team is hoping to make 350 new matches in the coming months at 24 schools and 6 after-school sites. This is a great way for business folks to engage with the program. An hour a week at lunch time is all it takes to be a hero to a kid – we waste that much time in line for that caramel macchiato and fiddling on our Blackberries and I-Phones. Contact Anne Gallo at anne.gallo@mentorakid.org to sign up.

——————

Had the opportunity to travel to Bolivar to visit with our friend, Representative Johnny Shaw, to present him with a Champion for Kids plaque.  We could use more politicians like Representative Shaw who is a true gentleman and exemplifies the qualities of what a real public servant should be. He was also present at our offices when Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Derrick Schofield came to do the official check presentation of $250,000 from the state to support our statewide Amachi program.  Commissioner Schofield believes in the impact of Amachi and we look forward to working with him over the coming months with this important work.

——————

EVENT HIGHLIGHTS

We kicked off fall in style with several great golfers joining us at Gaylord Springs Golf Links for the Big Brothers Big Sisters Golf Classic on September 15. We raised more than $28,000 for the kids – and everyone enjoyed a beautiful morning on the course networking and making some great connections.

One of the premier events of the Middle Tennessee social calendar is almost upon us. You do not want to miss this event which is an absolute blast and is attracting attendees from as far away as Washington State!

Tickets are on sale now at www.FranklinWineFestival.com – but better yet, maybe your company would like to take advantage of a corporate marketing sponsorship of the event and receive several key marketing benefits putting your name and message in front of hundreds of discriminating consumers. Contact Sarah Beatty at sarah.beatty@mentorakid.org for details.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Breakfast

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, November 29 to join Big Brothers Big Sisters at the Renaissance Hotel for our Annual Breakfast. If you’d like more info on hosting a table, contact Doug Halleen at doug.hallen@mentorakid.org.

We are gearing up for the 2012 Bowl for Kids’ Sake campaign – and looking for folks to join the committee.  If you’d like to help recruit bowlers or secure some corporate sponsorships for this year’s event, contact Ingrid.Ransom@mentorakid.org to get involved.  Remember, it’s not about the bowling – it’s about the kids!

For more information, click here.