A special thank you to the members of Elmwood Kiwanis for sponsoring a special day for 10 of the children involved in BBBSEC at Build A Bear. Each child was able to create a bear of their very own with their Big Brother or Big Sister looking on! As you can see from the smiles in the photos, for each Little their new furry friend is already very special. Again, a special thanks to the Elmwood Kiwanis for making this event possible!
The first mixer hosted by our Big Mirror Initiative Committee at The 2nd Cup Café in downtown Buffalo was a BIG success. Over 50 guests joined us throughout the evening to learn more about our initiative to provide a more diverse pool of mentors to the children in our program. Guests that evening included community members and representatives from several local corporations, political offices and professional organizations. Everyone enjoyed networking with like minded individuals and 9 guests signed up to become Bigs! Currently, 0ver 80% of the children waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister identify themselves as an ethnicity other than Caucasian. The goal of the Big Mirror Initiative is to provide a mentor, if the child wishes, of the same ethnic background.
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!
Bigs, Littles and friends of the program honored BBBSEC Founder the late Robert F. Moss at a recent Buffalo Bisons game. Our President and CEO David T. Hore and Board Member De Moss, wife of the late Robert F. Moss, accepted a $1500.00 check in Bob’s honor from the Buffalo Bisons. Our guests also enjoyed watching a Big & Little throw out the first pitch on the field!
BBBSEC received a donation of a Ford Flex through the Friendship Express program provided by the Ford Dealers of WNY. The vehicle will be used to transport groups of boys in our Partners for Youth program to different activities and events. Additionally, we will use it for small group outings for matches in our Site-Based and Community-Based programs. Thank you to the Ford Dealers of WNY for helping us broaden the horizons of our kids with a new set of wheels!
Over 125 guests that included Bigs & Littles, staff and our Board Members and their families enjoyed our Annual Welcome Summer Picnic this year. A wonderful barbecue meal was prepared by Mr. G’s Catering for our guests. New this year was a visit from the BlueCross BlueShield Healthy Zone Cruiser. The cruiser was stocked with hula-hoops, paddleballs and other fun equipment for our Littles to enjoy that promote exercise and wellness. Our Bigs and Littles also had a great time participating in our annual picnic activity favorites like tug of war, carnival games and crafts. A special thank you to the volunteers from Bank of America who donated their time to run all of these activities!
A group of Little Brothers and Littles Sisters were surprised with new bikes from Invitrogen Life Technologies located on Grand Island. The donation was part of Global Volunteer Week. During this week, Life Technologies companies in all regions select projects in an effort to impact the community. We were delighted to be one of the many projects completed during the week by local Life Technologies employees. In advance, the height of each child was sent to the company so they could purchase bike-building kits and employee teams assembled each bike! Our Littles, along with their Bigs, visited Life Technologies to receive their new set of wheels. For several of the children, this was their first bike! Following the bike presentation, the group received a behind…
Bank of America presented a $16,000 check at the Books & Breakfast event on Saturday, May 14th for our Bigs & Littles. The funds donated by Bank of America will provide more children the opportunity to be matched with a mentor through BBBSEC’s Community Based Mentoring (CBM) program. In addition to the funds donated, a team of twelve Bank of America employees distributed books collected during a drive held in April and early May to our Littles. The group also volunteered to serve breakfast and help with activities. Over 50 Big Brothers Big Sisters matches enjoyed the pancake breakfast, and book donation. Additionally, tips and tidbits of information about healthy breakfast choices were on each table. The children completed a puzzle based on this information…
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Erie County (BBBSEC) teamed up with the five local Kohl’s Department Stores for Kohl’s National Go Green Event (NGG) in celebration of National Volunteer Week and Earth Day. On Sunday, May 1st, more than 40 Kohl’s associates participated in a one-day volunteer project at The Belle Center located on Buffalo’s Lower West Side. The Kohl’s associates spread soil, planted bushes and flowers at the center. Several BBBS staff and a Big Brother & Little Brother match joined the effort. Following their hard work, the group enjoyed lunch and the opportunity to view the changes they made to the outside appearance of the center. A grant will be awarded to BBBSEC’s Site-Based Mentoring Program located at The Belle Center in recognition…
