Florida Senate Acknowledges Big Brothers Big Sisters
Leaders from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County recently participated in a delegation that visited the Florida Congress in Tallahassee, Fla. The State Senate and House of Representatives both recognized the organization in honor National Mentoring Month in January and the hundreds of positive mentoring partnerships they foster annually.
“We are immensely honored to have received acknowledgment from the distinguished members of the Florida Senate and House of Representatives,” said Tracy Weintraub, Board Chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County. “We are especially proud to see them recognize our model, which has helped to improve lives and generate lasting bonds in Broward County for nearly 40 years.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County establishes successful one-to-one relationships by pairing local youth in need of a role model with a qualified and compatible “Big” to foster their education and social development.
This January, as part of National Mentoring Month, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America co-hosted the second annual National Mentoring Summit January 24-25 in Washington, D.C. honoring people in local communities who make one-to-one mentoring successful. At the center of the Summit was the unveiling of the 2011 Youth Outcomes Report that highlighted the positive news about how youth enrolled in Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring showed statistically significant improvement in all three outcome areas of youth development — educational-related success, avoidance of risky behavior and socio-emotional competency.
The latest development in support of these initiatives is a proposal (Florida Senate Bill 1300) advocating the establishment of a new Florida specialty license plate design, the proceeds from which would be distributed to Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies throughout Florida. State Senator Nancy Detert (R- district 23) introduced the bill, which would support the collective efforts of 13 agencies representing 57 counties in Florida with a current network of over 15,000 volunteers.
“Many children in the Big Brothers Big Sisters programs come from a single-parent homes and we are determined to help them beat the odds they are up against,” said Ana Cedeño, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County. “Significant support for the license plate initiative would give our communities a clear project to rally behind in consideration of the respective futures of our precious local youth and on behalf of our network of advocates, we are thrilled to see our great State’s assembled leaders dedicate focus to this mission at such an important time.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation’s largest donor supported mentoring network, provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better. The organization uses donations to carefully match children with volunteer mentors and provide ongoing assistance for mentors, mentees and families to help sustain long, successful relationships.
Partnering with volunteers, families and others in the community, the organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measureable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County, visit http://www.bbbsbroward.org.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters’ mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.
Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children (“Littles”) with screened volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) and monitors and supports them in one-to-one mentoring matches throughout their course. The organization holds itself accountable for children in the program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as higher aspirations; greater confidence and better relationships; educational success; and avoidance of delinquency and other risky behaviors. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters are in single-parent and low-income families or households where a parent is incarcerated. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of about 360 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves nearly 630,000 children, volunteer mentors and families. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life, donate or volunteer at BigBrothersBigSisters.org.
Media Contact:
Amanda Lachs
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County
954-584-9990 x 227
amandal@bbbsbroward.org