The BIG Give!

Our Bigs & Littles celebrated the start of summer at our Annual Welcome Summer Picnic sponsored by Wegmans. Guests enjoyed dinner and a number of fun activities including carnival games run by volunteers from Ingram Micro. As part of our Pathways to STEM Partnership with National Grid, the kids mixed and measured just the right ingredients to create homemade “silly putty”. Littles also created handmade bookmarks and received new books for summer reading thanks toMichaels and had a chance to explore a fire truck from the Snyder Fire Department. The highlight of the evening was taking a moment to congratulate our Littles who are moving up to high school and the nine Little Brothers & Sisters who graduated from high school this year. Congrats to…

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County is honored to celebrate Jody Galvin as this week’s Women Who Move the City Wednesday (WWMTC) Honoree!  Jody’s community efforts focus on providing opportunity to underrepresented people in education and law.  She is on the board of Buffalo Prep which expands access to college preparatory education.  She volunteers with University at Buffalo Law School on its Discover Law program which promotes entry into the legal profession for talented people of color and first generation college students.  She is a Discover Law mentor and has coordinated the mentoring matches between students and practicing attorneys.  Jody also assists unrepresented people with civil legal matters in United States District Court and recruits volunteer attorneys for its Pro Se Assistance Program.  Jody…

We hope you will consider a donation to our The BIG Give Challenge on #GivingTuesday, December 2nd, and help to match 15 local children with new mentors. You can either donate to our agency page or select from one of our Bigs or supporters personal pages that includes photos & stories.  New this year-  donate $25 and you will receive a beautiful BBBSEC Snowflake Ornament!  Be sure to let your friends know that you have donated through The BIG Give Challenge by using #GivingTuesday on Facebook or Twitter!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County and Media Sponsor, Kiss 98.5 are excited to honor Julie Signorille as our first Women Who Move the City Wednesday Honoree! Julie currently serves on Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County’s Board of Directors and is active in making connections for Big Brothers Big Sisters throughout the community. She is always looking to forge partnerships and seeking opportunities that enhance the quality of mentoring the program provides to children facing adversity. Julie is also a member of the WNY Women’s Foundation Board of Directors and Co-Chair of the Family Sustaining Jobs Committee. This committee strives to reduce barriers to single, female heads of households’ seeking education and employment. A current initiative of the committee includes a partnership…

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County was one of nine local organizations recently awarded a Mentoring Matters grant through the First Niagara Foundation. The awards were announced during a ceremony at the First Niagara Center on October 3rd that included First Niagara executives, local officials and Buffalo Sabres Coach, Ted Nolan. First Niagara employee and BBBSEC Big Sister, Patty Szwed, shared her positive experience as a mentor to her 11 year old Little Sister Reina during the event. The two will be matched for one-year at the end of October! Launched in 2007 by First Niagara, Mentoring Matters supports programs that help children improve their grades and school attendance, enhance their self-esteem, avoid the dangers of drugs and alcohol, and have a better opportunity…