We are here to start something
(February, 2012) The turning of the calendar has brought some amazing opportunities for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Harrisonburg-Rockingham County. Two months into the new year, 2012 finds us hard at work recruiting volunteers, preparing for Bowl for Kids’ Sake, implementing new grants, and doing all the behind the scenes work that makes our mission possible: changing the lives of children for the better, forever. Last fall, we were thrilled to learn that our agency was selected to partner with researchers from James Madison University in a $438,229 Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) -funded study. These funds will allow us to enhance our training for volunteers and expand our program to reach 450 additional children within the next calendar year. Through our national office, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, we also received a separate grant for $131,250 as a part of the Juvenile Justice Initiative of the OJJDP. This award was largely related to our local agency’s outstanding performance on outcome statistics generated by a new tool to assess the effectiveness of our programs, the Youth Outcome Survey. We have recently added two new staff members to our team. Becky Bonds joined us as an Enrollment Specialist in December, 2011. In January, 2012, Molly Jackson was welcomed as a Match Support Specialist. We are fortunate to have these two talented ladies among our ranks. On Saturday, March 17, we hope that you will join us at Valley Lanes in Harrisonburg for Bowl for Kids’ Sake, our signature, annual fundraising event. Our goal this year is to raise $85,000 to support over 900 local youth facing adversity in 2012. Start your team or make a donation today! I hope that you will take a few moments to visit our website and explore new ways to get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters in the coming year. We could not do the work that we do without you! As always, we are grateful to our donors and volunteers for investing in the lives of local children through Big Brothers Big Sisters. Every day, your gifts of money and time are being put to good use to generate positive change in our community. Thank you for your support in helping kids become their best! Warm regards, |
