2010 Mentor Appreciation Breakfast
Nearly 100 friends, volunteers and mentors were in attendance at this year's Mentor Appreciation Breakfast, which took place on Saturday June 26th at Applebee's in Hooksett. This breakfast was an opportunity to thank all mentors for contributing to the life of their Little, and to the community at large. All mentors were recognized with an award to honor their time and relationship with their Little.
"The Mentor of the Year" went to Kate Benway. She has been matched with her Little Sister Josiane since June 2002. Thanks to Kate for her 8 years of time and dedication to Josiane's life. Kate's commitment to Josiane has given her the confidence and support to further her education and pursue a college career after high school. Kate's devotion has truly made a difference.
2010 Graduates
- Kate Benway & Josiane
- Heidi Blais & Heidi
- Melissa Chaput & Becky
- William Tynion & Spencer
- Jane Warren & Cheyanna
A BIG Thanks to Applebee's, Blake's Restaurant, Crown Trophies, founding Board Member Emile Beaulieu, board members, staff and volunteers for making this a successful and memorable appreciation breakfast!
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Thanks to Jason Perry
A special thank you to Jason Perry for 4 years of leadership on the Board of Directors.
2nd Annual Bowl For Kids' Sake Wii Bowling Fundraiser
Big Brothers Big Sisters raised $1,562 at the 2nd Annual Bowl For Kids' Sake Wii Bowling Fundraiser. To celebrate we had a VIP wrap up party at Jillian's Billiards on Saturday, June 5th. with raffle prizes, and 50/50 raffles. Many of the guests were playing Wii Bowling on the big screen TV and lots of fun was had by all.
The Wii Bad Team with captain Robbie St. Amand won the Mayor's Challenge by raising over $700. Thank you Robbie St.Amand for all your hard work in making this event successful.
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The 2nd Annual Wii Bowling Fundraiser
We raised $1,562 at the 2nd Annual Wii Bowling Fundraiser. To celebrate we had a VIP wrap up party at Jillian's on June 5th with raffle prizes and 50/50 raffles. Guests played Wii Bowling on the big screen and lots of fun was had by all. The Wii Bad Team with captain Robbie St. Amand won the Mayor's Challenge by raising over $700. Thank you Robbie St. Amand for all your hard work in making this event successful.
Listen Live
Check out Board President Jason Perry and Executive Director Jocelyn Perez highlighting what's going on at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Click Here to listen!
After clicking the link in the top right hand corner place the cursor over the arrow and click Our Community.
27th Annual Bowl For Kids Sake Fundraiser Event
Our 27th annual Bowl for Kids Sake was a HUGE success! We raised over $36,000! Special thanks to our Platinum Sponsor, Stop & Shop for bringing in over $17,000 to this event through sponsorship, store participation, and raffle prizes!
Thanks to all who sponsored and participated in this event. Because of your efforts, 36 more youth in the greater Manchester community will receive a chance at a brighter future through mentoring!
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27th Annual Bowl For Kids Sake Fundraiser Donation
Saturday April 17th, 2010, Spare Time Manchester
Purpose: Raising money to serve the youth in need of a mentor in greater Manchester
Manchester, NH (March 31, 2010): Stop & Shop donates $5,000 and is named Platinum sponsor of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester 27th annual Bowl for Kids' Sake campaign. Stop & Shop has also committed to bringing over 20 teams from the local stores to raise money for this event.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester served hundreds of children in 2009. However, with additional children referred to the program annually, events like Bowl For Kids' Sake are essential in raising the necessary funds to help every at-risk youth in need in the greater Manchester community. For every $1,000 raised, another youth in the Greater Manchester area will receive a chance at a brighter future. S&S has a long standing history of service to the communities we operate in and commitment to families and children. S&S operates six stores in the NH marketplace and is proud to partner with BBBSGM in serving the youth of the Greater Manchester community.
For more information about Bowl for Kids' Sake contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester at 603.669.5365 or visit the event page.
New Photos from Disney on Ice
Our Bigs enjoy Disney on Ice on 1/2010, thanks to generously donated tickets from Jason Perry, Verizon Wireless Arena. View Gallery
January Is National Mentoring Month 2010
January is national mentoring month. The goals of National Mentoring Month are to raise awareness of mentoring and a continued drive to recruit principled men and women to serve as mentors to youth in need. While we are overjoyed at the influx of volunteers who have become mentors in the past year, we have also seen a surge in young men who need mature male role models to demonstrate strong ethical beliefs and responsible work and family conduct.
Research has shown that our programs can play a powerful role in reducing youth violence and drug abuse while greatly enhancing a young person's prospects for leading a productive life filled with hope and opportunity.
"January is National Mentoring Month," notes the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's Acting Administrator Jeff Slowikowski in his message on the Department of Justice's Justice Blog, adding that it provides "the perfect opportunity to consider what we could do to change a child's life."
As President Obama observed in proclaiming January 2010 National Mentoring
Month, when mentors spend time with children, "these moments can have an
enormous, lasting effect on a child's life."
So this New Year, why not consider dedicating some of your time to mentoring and
making a real difference in a child's life?
Growing up has never been easy
For some children, it's harder than most. Single parent homes, neighborhoods riddled with gangs and crime, sub-standard schools, poor role models, and poverty can lead a child to despair, lack of self-worth, and ultimately poor choices.
For more than 40 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester has been helping our communities most vulnerable children through the power of a relationship with a Big Brother or Big Sister, giving kids the support and care they need to make good choices. When we match a carefully-screened adult volunteer with a child at risk, the path to the future is re-paved with hope.
And not just hope, but real change. An independent research group found that Big Brothers and Big Sisters are truly changing their Little Brothers' and Little Sisters' lives. Littles are half as likely to use drugs or skip school. They avoid violence, and develop stronger relationships with their families.
But Big Brothers Big Sisters and our volunteers can't do it alone. Your gift of $24 a month will help us recruit and screen volunteers, make matches, and provide ongoing support to children and families. Please become a monthly partner today! Together we can change how our youth are growing up in greater Manchester!
Sure Winner Foods and their Employees - Helping Communities
 Tim Paul, Sales Merchandiser in New Hampshire, has volunteered to be a Big Brother for 24 years now! Tim is on his fourth match that just started a couple months ago. Tim's first Big Brother experience started back in 1982, ten years before Tim became an employee of Sure Winner Foods. Tim was a Big Brother from the time the child was 8 years old until he was 14. His second little brother was from the time he was 8 years old until he was 18. Tim's third little brother, James, was nine years old when Tim first started being his Big Brother until he was 18 years old. Victor is now Tim's fourth little brother and he is 6 years old!
Just think about what a difference Tim has made in the lives of four chil dren! Tim was named New Hampshire Big Brother of the Year in 2002. Victor James
- Excerpt from Company Newsletter, December 2009
Happy Holidays!
In the picture: Kat with her little sister Elexis
A very WARM donation!
A BIG and warm thank you to Jan Burns of E. Wareham, MA and her knitting/crochet friends for donating 150 hats for boys and girls in our programs.
Read our Fall Newsletter
Our Fall Newsletter is out! Please go to our Newsletters page to read. Congratulations go to Big Sister Theresa Sansone, who won free ice cream to enjoy at Blakes with her little Angel Matthew for answering the trivia in the newsletter correctly.
NH Fisher Cats vs. Harrisburg Senators game, August 25, 2009
A great BIG thank you to St. Mary's Bank for inviting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester to attend the NH Fisher Cats vs. Harrisburg Senators game on Tuesday, August 25, 2009. View the full gallery.
BBBSGM Staff and Friends Meetup in Jillians, August 6, 2009
Board members, staff, and friends got together on Thursday 8/6/09 at Jillians in Manchester. Everyone had a blast! Everyone enjoyed free beverages (provided by Amoskeag Beverages) and appetizers. Everyone gathered to watch a heartwarming video on the difference a mentor can make in a child's life. Six people came forward by the end of the night and said sign me up wanting to become a much needed 'Big'. Please keep in mind we still have an urgent and immediate need for mentors. View the full gallery.
Breakfast Fundraiser Pictures
"As a Big, I can never replace a parent or a grandparent, but I can be a friend. Being a friend is one who cares about what you are going through. Being a friend answers your questions honestly, even if it is not the answer you want. Being a friend means listening without having to say anything. Just be a friend!"
Steve Ferreira - Big of the year
Fun in the sun for a good cause, raising money for BBBSGM
Fun at the Fishercats
Fun at the Fishercats game on 7/5/09. A big thank you to Reliable Technologies for a great time!!
From left to right -Cathie, Jacob, Amanda, Killian, Mike, Greg, Lucas, Mike, Kerry, Nicole, Steve, Sarah
A great BIG thanks to Bank of America, whom provided a trip to Fenway Park for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester onSunday, June 21st Boston Red Sox vs. Atlanta Braves game.
12 Bigs and Littles traveled to Boston by bus, had an exclusive tour of Fenway Park. Also, each person received a meal voucher and red sox hat.
A few comments overheard on the way back to Manchester:
"WOW! I saw the green monster."
"I never saw a 'real' Red Sox game!"
"This was the coolest day of my entire life!"
 Kristy Erwin Morency with 'little sister' Alex on Kristy's wedding day
Memorial Day Photo
The photo includes Col. Gerald Boyle (Ret.), Josh Preston taken on SAT May 30th at the NH State Veterans Cemetery in Boscowen. Various dignitaries also attended including Gov. Lynch, Sen. Jean Shaheen, Congressman Paul Hodes, & Congresswomen Carol Shea-Porter. Col Boyle is now a District Court Judge in Concord
At the event there was a variety of Military past & present you could meet and hear the true meaning of what Memorial Day is all about. In addition, Josh, for the first time, got to see his Great Grandfather's remains lie at the Creamatorium. His Great Grandfather passed away in 2005 and was World War Veteran. For further details of what all transpired please visit www.theunionleader.com and look up the write-up that appeared in Sunday's paper.
Powerful Match Impact Story
This morning Big Brothers Big Sisters board leader Good Morning America Reporter/Anchor Kate Snow delivered an incredibly powerful match impact story. She interviewed Chester Ross and David Loughran of White Plains NY, matched in 1979 when Chester was 65 and David was seven. It is a story that has been picked up by the Associated Press and is appearing in newspapers across the country. Thanks to our Westchester County, New York agency for discovering this 30 year relationship, and thanks to ABC and Kate for delivering the story so effectively before a nationwide audience. At the end of her Good Morning America piece, Kate makes it clear that Big Brothers Big Sisters relies not only on volunteers, but on donors to make match relationships successful.
The piece serves as an example of how Big Brothers Big Sisters uses funds to impact lives and communities. Please share it with your Bigs, Littles and their families, board members, funders, and partners, as well as your personal network.
Please view this video and remember how your leadership and support helps to make a lasting difference for individuals, their families, and their communities.
Thank you to the entire Big Brothers Big Sisters network for the magic you make happen every day!
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7478144
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7477686&page=1
Gaining New Insights Into Mentoring Programs For Adolescent Girls
ScienceDaily (Apr. 2, 2009) - A study of a Big Brothers Big Sisters of America formal mentoring program, which matched adolescent girls with women mentors, revealed that strong emotional support and improvement in girls psychosocial functioning from these relationships was a dominant theme coupled with the development of new skills and confidence through collaborations.
Unlike previous mentoring studies, this one explicitly examined the relational processes in adolescent girls' relationship with female adult mentors from the perspective of the participants themselves. Each adolescent and mentor pair was extensively interviewed separately and then together. Their recorded comments were analyzed and revealed that girls benefit from both skill development and gain vital emotional support.
Those findings appear in the Journal of Primary Prevention in a study led by Renee Spencer, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Social Work and Belle Liang, an associate professor at Boston College that was published last month.
"In the absence of much research on gender in mentoring, many have assumed that boys are mostly interested in doing activities with male mentors, which, by nature, may be more focused on skill building and problem solving whereas girls are more interested in developing emotionally-focused relationships with mentors," said Spencer. "However, in our study, we found that these girls' relationships with their mentors offered both emotional support and opportunities to develop skills and confidence through collaborations with their mentors in shared activities, such as doing homework together or learning to sing."
A key ingredient needed for the healthy psychological development in adolescents is a strong relationship with adults. For these young people living in single-parent homes or coming from disadvantaged backgrounds, community-based mentoring programs try to create such connections by matching them with unrelated adult volunteers in the hope that a caring and supportive relationship will develop.
The study, "She Gives Me a Break from the World": Formal Youth Mentoring Relationships Between Adolescent Girls and Adult Women," involved in-depth interviews of 12 pairs of girls, referred to as protegees, and women who had been in a mentoring relationships for between 2.5 to 11 years. They were in a formal mentoring program established through the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston.
The girls, racially and ethnically diverse, ranged in age from 13 to 17 years, and were referred to the agency by friends and family members or child protective services case workers. The mentors, mostly single women, were White and 28 to 55-years of age. They met their protegees with parental consent, regularly three to four times per month for at least a year and routinely corresponded through emails and phone conversations.
While mentoring is often viewed as the adult offering support to the child, the study found that the collaboration of these 12 pairs was more of a two-way arrangement, in which "the adult partners or joins in the process of working with the child to meet her goals, offers scaffolding to expand the reach of the child and actively contributes to the learning, thereby enhancing the likelihood of success."
A thematic analysis of the three-part interviews (adolescent alone, adult alone and pair together), some initial themes were identified and grouped into five larger categories: shared activities, emotional support, companionship, collaboration and improvement in the girls' psychosexual functioning.
Emotional support was a dominant theme with some girls saying, "I can tell her all my secrets," and "we talk about everything," while the mentors commented about "she knows she can talk to me about anything," and "She knows that I'm always gonna be there… But I think she tells me some things...that she doesn't tell her mom." Still others cited an adolescent girl's anger issues and the need to be a calming influence.
In developing new skills and confidence the girls would praise how they learned new things and gained help with their studies.
The study acknowledges that the mentors ability to listen, respond with genuine thoughts and opinions while not passing judgment was in part because they were freed from the responsibilities of parenting.
"For many of these girls, their mentors had the luxury of being able to spend lengthy amounts of time alone with them, something their stretched parents were often less able to offer," the study noted.
For everyone involved, companionship - the spending time together -- meant "fun," a word repeated by both protegees and mentors. Although for some mentors, "fun" meant spending a lot of money on particular things, the authors noted that "our findings, however, seem to suggest that girls enjoy trying new things in the context of close and supportive relationships."
The findings from this study suggest that programs serving girls should be cautious about prioritizing emotional support over skill-building, or assuming that skill-building may undermine more collaborative or bi-directional relationships between female youth and adult program participants. Instead, attention should be given to integrating various types of support in interventions for girls, as emotional support and collaborative skill-building may play a synergistic role in supporting the positive development of female youth.
How you can help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester
Thank you for supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester! There are many ways you can help the youth of Greater Manchester; please take a moment to look at any programs of interest:
Community Based
The Community Based program allows for Bigs to take their Littles anywhere in the community with permission from the parent. This can include things like visiting a park, museum, sporting event, movie, anyplace that sounds like fun to you and your little! The Community Based Program is run 3-4 hours every other week.
Site-Based Program
The Site Based Program allows for the Big to visit their Little in the child's school, after school program, daycare center, or other youth agency. BBBS is affiliated with 25 schools and childcare program's in Greater Manchester as well as 6 additional youth organizations. This program allows for the match to meet in a more structured environment for 1 hour a week. For some volunteers this is a better fit because of the option to have their lunch break with their Little, at the child's school.
DOE Program
This Program is an educationally based program where volunteers meet with a youth in the 4th-8th grade and focus on the educational needs of the child. The child and volunteer also enjoy selecting fun goals to attain like learning a new hobby. This program shows immediate results as the child's grades and school attendance records are closely monitored for improvement.
Mentoring Children of Prisoners
This program is specifically tailored to match children whose parent(s) are incarnated. The mentor meets with the child in the community or site-base venue.
Read to Succeed
The Read to Succeed Program was developed in response to the high drop out rate in Manchester. This program is for children from Pre K- 3rd grade and aims at helping the child to reach his/her reading level. This program runs similarly to the site based program, with an emphasis on reading in a fun environment, and takes place during the child's lunch hour once a week .
Child Waitlist Activities Program
This program is great for volunteers who want to do more, or those who are concerned about time commitment. There are usually about 100 children or more on our waitlist. BBBS of Manchester knows how important it is to help these children feel included in our program. This program is a way of giving the children and volunteers who are not matched, the same opportunity to take part in BBBS events.
Internship Program
Be part of the BBBS of Greater Manchester Team ~ Help the staff to maintain successful matches, market to new volunteers, and to add to your resume an important element of community leadership!
Sponsor A Child
This program allows you or your organization to Sponsor a Child in our program. With your sponsorship you/your organization would receive a photograph of the child, along with a quarterly report regarding the child's development since the match with their Big. This report and photo is a great opportunity to support our programs and have detailed information regarding the impact BBBS has on our youth!
Please call 669-5365 or email for more information.
When One Person Mentors, Two Lives Are Changed
Mentoring Programs Change Lives
More than 3 million adult Americans are involved in formal one-on-one mentoring relationships. Mentoring programs are faith-based, school-based, community-based, or agency-based. They can take place at work or even online. Mentoring recently came into the spotlight in January, when President Obama, appearing in an ad with the words "Be the Change: Mentor a Child," said: "I am going to ask you to play your part...to put your foot firmly into the current of history."
Read Full Article
Bring a Little Magic into Someone's Life - Become a BIG!
We are looking for MENtors........
What would the world be like if every boy who needed a mentor had one?
Someone to have fun with and ask questions of - someone to help them
grow up to be a man? Right now we need more male mentors to help achieve
this goal, and you can help! You don't have to change your life ... to
impact a young man's. Just a few hours a month can have a powerful
impact. Volunteer now to become a Big Brother, or forward this email to
a man you know and tell him how much he's needed. You can also donate to
Big Brothers Big Sisters. www.bbbsmanchester.org
Give me a call if you are willing to take a few hours a month to become
a Big Brother or Big Sister!!
2009 Bowl For Kids' Sake
It is that time of year again...as we get the "ball" in motion for our 26th annual fundraiser, "Bowl For Kids' Sake".
Last year was a great success and we are thankful for all that participated and donated.
Exciting NEWS! This year we are doing a couple of new things and we hope you will take part in these options
- Participate by playing "Wii" at your home, work site, school or place of your choice - anytime between March 1 and May 31, 2009. All the same rules apply to this option.
- Create Your Own "Team T-Shirt Theme" On April 17 and 18th at Lakeside Lanes and Stadium Ten Pin at each session, the team with the most creative theme will take home a prize.
To register a team and find out more information about BFKS 2009 go to http://BBBSGM.kintera.org/2009
Attached you will find the team registration, pledge sheet and Wii forms.
If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an e-mail at jocelyn@bbbsmanchester.org
We look forward to seeing you at the lanes!
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester in the News
Big Brothers Big Sisters threw a fundraising event on 2/17 to raise
needed funds to help the youth in need of a mentor in the Concord
community. Over 100 local businessmen and city officials were present at
the kick off event.
"Moving into the Concord area with a strong Partnership with Holiday Inn
and a newfound relationship with the Friend's Program will truly allow
us to help reach more children at risk in the area. This is a new
venture for us but one that we will not shy away from for we truly
believe in helping the children in the community. After all, investing
in our youth is investing in our future. - Jason Perry Board President
Jerry Madden, Executive Director of Concord based Friends Program,
stated "The Friends Program looks forward to developing a collaborative
relationship with the Big Brothers and Big Sisters in order to offer the
at-risk youth of our community the most effective outcomes obtainable
through a well managed mentoring relationship."
Jeff Pelletier GM for Holiday Inn: The Holiday Inn Concord is really proud to be part of helping the
children in need in the Concord area. We are pleased with the turnout
of the event and see this not as a one-off event, but the first of
several events supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters."
We are thrilled to be offering our mentoring services along side the
Friends Program to the Concord community. With so many kids in need in
NH collaboration is key to addressing them.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester 5th Annual Breakfast Fundraiser
The 5th Annual Little Moments Big Magic Breakfast raised over $30,000 for the agency! Thanks to all who attended!
BBBSGM the Recipient of 3 Grants
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester (BBBSGM) has been awarded 3 new grants:
- The first is a $5000 grant from the Citizen's Bank Foundation for the Read to Succeed Program
- The organization hasalso been awarded a $5000 grant from the Women's Fund of NH:
This grant will support the "Girl Empowerment One to One Mentoring" in order to increase the number of girls who receive mentoring from 25 girls to 40 girls within the year and continue to grow the mentoring program.
- They were also awarded a $3000 grant from Target, which also supports the Read to Succeed Program
This grant is part of ongoing efforts by Target to strengthen families
and communities throughout the country. Since opening its doors, Target
has given 5 percent of its income to organizations that support
education, the arts, social services and volunteerism. Today that
translates to more than $3 million every week.
BBBSGM in the NH Sunday News
June 25, 2008 - Click here to read an article that was in The New Hampshire Sunday News, about the 42nd Anuual Appreciation Breakfast.
16th Annual Golf Tournament at Sky Meadow Country Club a great success!
June 11, 2008 - The 16th Annual Golf Tournament at Sky Meadow Country Club was a great success! Thanks to all who came and played. A special thanks goes out to our sponsors. Click here to read the thanks to our sponsors.
MENtors needed!
 Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester needs male mentors for Community Based and Site Based matches. One out of 10 new volunteers at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester are men, which means that plenty of young boys are match ready and waiting for some good men to step forward. Being a “Big Brother” requires no special skills – just a desire to be a friend to a child.
Community-Based Mentoring - In the Community Based program Bigs and Littles typically meet 2-3 times a month, for a minimum of one calendar year. We recommend that you keep a consistent schedule and that you see each other on a regular basis. Share an activity that gives you something in common to talk about. You want to select activities that give each of you a chance to learn more about one another. Buy a comic book to read to each other, play a board game, or take a ride in the car with the radio on and discuss the music! For children, playing can be learning. Most important - have FUN!
Site Based Mentoring - Our Site Based program allows Bigs and Littles meet once a week in schools, childcare centers and community after school sites, to talk and have fun. Bigs and Littles typically meet 45 minutes to one hour a week, throughout the school year, to read together, play sports or computer games, or simply talk about life and personal issues – just as friends do!
Please tell a friend, brother, co-worker to give us a call at 669-5365, x201.
Remember, it is all about those Little Moments that create Big Magic!
3rd Annual Little Moments Big Magic Breakfast Fundraiser - A Great BIG Thanks!
On behalf of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors, Staff, Bigs and Littles we would like to thank you for attending our 3rd Annual Little Moments Big Magic Breakfast Fundraiser. The event was a success for our agency and we truly appreciate you coming to learn at little more about Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Manchester.
Our mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships contributing to stronger schools, better communities and brighter futures for all.
BBBS National in the News
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A special thanks to Coca Cola NH bottling company for believing in the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of greater Manchester
