The organization is focused on recruiting more men to serve as volunteer mentors to local boys.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is launching its annual campaign to enroll more male mentors, called 100 Men in 100 Days. The need has never been greater, as there are hundreds of Tampa Bay children on the organization’s waiting list, and the vast majority of them are boys seeking a positive male role model in their lives. These are boys who, with the approval of their parent or legal guardian, have raised their hand and asked for help from Big Brothers Big Sisters.
The campaign kicks off on Friday, August 18 and runs through November 25. Last year, more than 150 men completed their Big Brothers Big Sisters orientation and training during the 100 Men in 100 Days campaign, and the organization is hoping to exceed that number in 2017.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is the oldest and largest youth mentoring organization in the nation and has been operating in the Tampa Bay area for more than 50 years. The agency matches caring adult mentors (called Bigs) to boys and girls (called Littles) who are facing any number of challenges including living in poverty, coming from a single-parent home, or living with a relative or having a parent who is incarcerated. The program boasts an impressive success rate, with 98 percent of the children matched for more than a year in 2016 advancing to the next school grade, and 98 percent having no involvement with the juvenile justice system.
Anyone interested in becoming a Big can get started by attending one of our Big Orientation & Training sessions. For a complete schedule of sessions near you, go to our website at www.bbbstampabay.org and follow the “Volunteer” links. And check the website regularly for a list of 100 Men in 100 Days events and progress toward our goal.
Watch a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzIWtukNQZo or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqffFMB3WwQ