#GivingTuesday- National Movement to Make a Local Difference!

The latest The Big News– Print Edition is now available for Download.  Readers will enjoy a note from our CEO, information about recent Big & Little match events and updates on agency fundraisers that help to make our work possible.  Additionally, we have a list of all of our Bigs & Littles that celebrated Match Anniversaries between January 2014 – June 2014 including over 20 matches that have been together 5+ years.  Lastly, this edition’s Match Highlight features Big Brothers Sean Myers and Little Brother Conyai.  The two have been matched since July of 2012 and have an incredible friendship. Read all about it by downloading now!  [wpdm_file id=10]  

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County and Media Sponsor, Kiss 98.5 are excited to honor Megan McNally as this week’s Women Who Move the City Wednesday Honoree! Megan McNally is co-founder and Executive Director of The Foundry, an organization on the east side of Buffalo that supports business creation, education and creativity. Located in a historic 25,000 square foot building, The Foundry offers workshop space for start-up businesses, artisans and tradespeople, as well as a multi-function community space to support arts performances, DIY education and public gatherings. It has become a recognized place for the encouragement of new ideas and productive action. In the last year, The Foundry has hosted workshops for over 400 participants and introduced new individuals into the east side community. Additionally, The Foundry…

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a group of Bigs, Littles and staff marched along side of our decorated Ford Friendship Van in the Puerto Rican Day parade. Our marchers handed out lollipops that included our contact information on the stick. It was a terrific parade and we had a wonderful time!

A group of matches enjoyed a beautiful summer day aboard the Grand Lady docked at the Holiday Inn in Grand Island! The 2-hour cruise included points of interest on the Buffalo shoreline and interesting facts about Buffalo’s waterways. For many of the kids this was their first time on a boat. A special thanks to the Holiday Inn-Grand Island for generously donating the delicious lunch served while we were aboard!

We are excited to announce that the video submitted by Big Sister, Emily Felmet, that was a finalist in First Niagara’s 2016 Mentoring Matters Grant Giveaway Contest. won the top prize of  $10,000! Thank you to all who voted and shared the contest with friends, family and colleagues through Facebook and to First Niagara for this wonderful opportunity.  A BIG thank you to Big Sister Emily & Little Sister Quinn who shared their 5+ year friendship with the community to make this all possible. To view the final results click here.  To view the video, created by Odessa Pictures, click here.