A group shot of all the participants of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Flag Football Event

On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie, Niagara, and the Southern Tier kicked off an exciting new tradition: our inaugural Flag Football Event! Held at the ADPRO Sports Training Center, this event brought together over 30 children from our program and more than 20 enthusiastic volunteers for a day filled with football drills, teamwork, and fun.

A Day of Football and Fun

The event was a great success, with kids participating in various football skill drills before diving into a lively game of flag football. Our dedicated volunteers, including BBBS Bigs, members of the Rho Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., and additional community supporters, were on hand to guide, teach, and cheer on the young players. It was a fantastic opportunity for the kids to build confidence, learn new skills, and make new friends.

A Big Brothers Big Sisters staffer takes a picture of a Big and Little along with members of the Buffalo Bills.

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Community Support and Partnerships

This event wouldn’t have been possible without the incredible support of our local and national partners. NFL Inspire Change and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. played crucial roles in making the day a success. Since 2019, our partnership with NFL Inspire Change has been vital in expanding our mentoring programs nationwide. Additionally, our renewed partnership with Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity continues to empower young men of color, promoting leadership and academic excellence.

Raising Awareness for Mentorship

Emily Mahoney, our CEO, highlighted the significance of the event:

“This was a great way to give some of the children in our program a chance to have fun and learn about flag football. Many who attended are currently waiting to be matched with a mentor, so this event allowed them to interact with some great volunteers from the community. We hope this event will help increase awareness about the urgent need for mentors and inspire people in our community to get involved.”

Special Thanks to Our Supporters

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our Pathways to Healthy Living Sponsors:

We also appreciate the support from our event partners:

Your contributions made this day memorable for all involved.

Ways YOU Can Give

Video Recap

We put together a video reel of all the fun that was had that afternoon:

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