FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa Honored with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Quality Award
The agency is recognized for outstanding team leadership in providing 1-to-1 mentoring programming for local youth.
Des Moines, IA (July 6, 2021) – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa is proud to be recognized as a Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) Quality Award Winner. Every year, the BBBSA Nationwide Leadership Council, made up of local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency leaders and board members, select agencies for excellence in the 1-to-1 mentoring program, which ignites the power and promise of youth. Despite the challenges of the past year, including the pandemic, social unrest, and economic uncertainty, 49 out of the 236 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country received top honors in quality delivery of services.
“I am so proud of our board and staff for making quality programming a priority for our children during the most challenging year of our existence,” said Renee Hardman, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa. “Our hard work equates to more mentorship in Des Moines and a brighter future for area youth.”
Big Brothers Big Sisters was founded more than 100 years ago as an organization focused on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It grew out of a need to offer an alternative path for youth facing the juvenile justice system. The program is based on in-person connections, but social distancing due to the pandemic prompted agencies to find innovative ways for volunteer mentors (‘Bigs’) to stay connected with their mentees (called ‘Littles’). Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa served close to 570 youth with Bigs last year. Staff provided support and coaching using a virtual model; they also found ways to connect Bigs, Littles and their families with additional resources, like the Little Big Virtual Learning Academy. This virtual learning platform keeps Littles learning and connected to their Bigs, helping address learning gaps.
“Over the past several months, I’ve heard from agency leaders in rural towns and metropolitan communities, those in the suburbs and every place in between,” said Artis Stevens, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “And there’s one theme I’ve noticed everywhere, and that’s the power of resilience. We congratulate these agencies for earning these top honors. The level of commitment and dedication is outstanding, to see staff doing all they can to make sure our youth will not only survive these challenging times but thrive.”
The Quality Award Winners were formally recognized at the 2021 Virtual ‘Bigger Together’ National Conference in June.
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About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa
For more than 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa has been dedicated to serving youth (Littles), ages 5-18, through professionally supported mentoring relationships with adults (Bigs) in Central Iowa. As the premier mentoring organization in Central Iowa, BBBSCI’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Please visit www.bbbsia.org or call 515-288-9025 for further information.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Founded in 1904, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is the largest and most experienced youth mentoring organization in the United States. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Big Brothers Big Sisters’ evidence-based approach is designed to create positive youth outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and improved relationships. Big Brothers Big Sisters has more than 230 local agencies serving more than 5,000 communities across all 50 states. For more information, visit: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.
Media Contact:
Sara Bishop, Communications Specialist
[email protected] | 515-288-9025 x238