In The News

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay Honored with 2021 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

Tampa, FL June 21, 2022 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has been recognized as a 2022 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) Quality Award Winner. Every year, BBBS agencies are recognized by BBBSA Nationwide Leadership Council, made up of local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency leaders and board members, for excellence in the organization’s signature 1-to-1 youth mentoring program. Out of approximately 230 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country, BBBS of Tampa Bay is one of 53 organizations to receive this top honor.

“Thanks to everyone who contributed to this great achievement, which is all about our focus on quality at our agency at every turn,” said Stephen Koch, president and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. “This is really impressive, and I hope everyone recognizes this accomplishment!”

For over 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been dedicated to advancing equity, impact, and growth across the organization, making a lasting impact on the lives of young people. Today, the organization creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships helping build self-confidence and emotional well-being, and empowering young people on a path to graduate with a plan for their futures and a mentor whose impact can last a lifetime.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country are finding innovative ways to serve young people and strengthen communities,” said BBBSA President and CEO Artis Stevens. “We congratulate these agencies for leading the way in transforming mentorship for our communities, and most importantly, our young people.”

The Quality Award Winners will be formally recognized at the 2022 Big Brothers Big Sisters “Bigger Together” National Conference, held June 19 through June 22 in Indianapolis.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is beyond saddened to share with you that Donna Gans, a former employee of ours for over 16 years, passed away on March 14, 2022.

Donna shared her passion for serving kids in many ways over the years, and in her last role was our Senior Enrollment & Matching Specialist for Pasco County. She was also a Big Sister to Zoie for three school years at Seven Springs Elementary, where they liked to work on puzzles, play games, read, and talk about recipes. At the end of their second year together, Zoie wrote a card to her Big Sister, “Dear Mrs. Donna, Thank you for all you’ve done for me. I always think of you. I think you are a very good big sister. I think that you are loving, caring, kind to me. I think that you are a very nice person.”

Over her many years with BBBSTB, Donna created countless meaningful mentoring relationships and was a pillar of support for her Pasco colleagues. She was always such a strong advocate for the impact of our program and willing to jump in to help her coworkers across the agency. Donna made many friends along the way and will always be a part of our BBBS family.

Donna was also a veteran, and she will receive military service and burial in her hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Our hearts go out to Donna’s family. Her loved ones have invited the community to view her obituary here.

We are sad to announce the recent passing of our Big Sister Rebecca Serbin. Rebecca served faithfully as a Big Sister to her Little Sister Mikalya for more than 8 years. We are told she passed away peacefully on 2/12/2022 among her family members. Rebecca gave monthly as a Big Impact donor for 1 year and regularly participated in our annual Bowl For Kids’ Sake fundraisers. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay extends our deepest sympathies to Rebecca’s family and friends. Her parting leaves us all with great sadness, but we take comfort in all the joy she brought us while here. You will be greatly missed, Rebecca. Her full obituary can be found here.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is teaming up once again with the NFL to inspire change across the nation. Though the NFL season is over, our search for potential Bigs is only just getting started.

The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Our mentoring program helps build bridges and break down barriers by pairing one adult volunteer (Big) with one child (Little) and supporting each Big/Little match at every stage. There are currently over 600 local children waiting for a Big. We are launching The Big Draft to recruit more Bigs. We would be thrilled to have your help in sparking excitement for the Big Draft by encouraging volunteers to sign up as Bigs.

You can help by using your voice to be part of the defenders of potential and ensuring the biggest possible future for our youth. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & LinkedIn for updates on the campaign and tag your friends, family, and colleagues who you think would make great Bigs. Click here to learn more about The Big Draft.

Get started as a Big by attending a Big Orientation & Training session. We have upcoming in-person and virtual options available.

In the news: Pepsi Stronger Together, PepsiCo’s series of grassroots initiatives bringing tailored programming support to communities across the country, announces a $1M commitment to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), the preeminent one-to-one youth mentoring organization in the country, supporting its mission to provide greater equity and access to mentorship experiences. With this shared commitment, Pepsi Stronger Together and BBBSA aim to transform communities by providing critical, supportive relationships young people need to thrive today.

Currently, there are over 30,000 youth across the country waiting for mentors, called ‘Bigs’, with most being young boys of color. Studies show that children who have role models are more likely to do better in school, have better connections with family and friends and are less likely to be involved in delinquent behaviors. To create sustainable, long-term solutions, the partnership will focus on developing BBBS core programming and local activation in key markets, attracting more volunteers, especially men of color, and expanding Big Brothers Big Sisters’ reach in serving more young people.

“As someone who benefitted from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program as a child, I know first-hand how mentorship programs can change lives. I’m honored to be able to continue my commitment to the organization not just personally but professionally as well. Uplifting communities is the core of Pepsi Stronger Together, and I’m proud we’ll be able to make an impact on the incredible work of Big Brothers Big Sisters for young people nationwide,” said Floyd Ferjuste, Vice President of Retail Sales, South Division, PepsiCo Beverages North America, who will also be joining the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America board of directors.

The national partnership kicks off with tailored activations in Miami, FL, Nashville, TN, Tampa, FL, and Los Angeles, CA, supporting various programs in local communities including Bigs in Blue, BBBS first responder engagement program, and Big Futures, a workplace mentoring program reaching young people between 18-25 years old. The donation from Pepsi Stronger Together, which will be made even larger in partnership with Shaq’s Fun House on February 11^th where a portion of ticket sales will be contributed to these programs, will also help in supporting Big Brothers Big Sisters’ largest recruitment engagement, called The Big Draft. The Big Draft is a three-month initiative focused on recruiting men, especially men of color, to sign up and get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters as mentors and volunteers.

For over 100 years BBBSA’s has been dedicated to advancing equity, impact, and growth across the organization, making a lasting impact on the lives of young people. Today the organization creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships helping build self-confidence and emotional well-being, and empowering young people on a path to graduate with a plan for their futures and a mentor whose impact can last a lifetime.

“Now more than ever, Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country are finding innovative ways to serve young people and strengthen communities,” said Artis Stevens, president and CEO, BBBSA. “With the support of partners like Pepsi Stronger Together, who are committed and dedicated to the communities they serve, we can drive more meaningful impact at a time when young people need us most.”

To learn more about this partnership and ways to get involved, visit www.bbbs.org.

About Pepsi Stronger Together

Pepsi Stronger Together is a national initiative to empower and engage communities around the country by providing tailored programming and resources that bring people together. It was conceived with the idea that now, more than ever, we must foster a sense of connection and belonging, starting by investing locally. Launched in May of 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic – engaging its network of partners in the South to shine a spotlight on essential front-line workers in a variety of industries – Pepsi Stronger Together was expanded in October of 2020 by partnering with NBA teams and charitable organizations to foster, among other things, community and police relations.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. Under this vision, Pepsi Stronger Together is continually evolving the program to respond to the cultural moment and meet the needs of communities across the United States. Stay up to date at pepsistrongertogether.com, where visitors can engage in conversation and learn about the latest community initiatives and how to give back. Follow the conversation on social media at @pepsistrongertogether.

Did you know that January is National Mentoring Month? National Mentoring Month focuses national attention on the need for mentors and how each of us can work together to ensure positive outcomes for our young people, such as educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships.

To celebrate the importance of mentoring this January, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is highlighting our Big & Little matches to show how being a friend and role model to a child can transform their life. With more than 900 youth across our nine counties waiting to be matched with a Big, our need for positive adults to step up and volunteer is greater than ever before. BBBS Tampa Bay asks people in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando, Sumter, Maron, and Alachua counties to defend the potential of our youth through one-to-one mentoring relationships and consider being a consistent and trusted friend to a kid.

Here’s how you can get involved this National Mentoring Month:

• Get out there and make a difference by becoming a volunteer mentor. The first step is to attend a Virtual Big Orientation & Training to learn more about our programs and how you can become a volunteer. View the full schedule of Big Orientation & Trainings here.
• Follow Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter and use our social media toolkit to spread the word about our need for mentors!
• Throughout the month, we encourage everyone to tag a friend who would be a great Big using the hashtag #BBBSMentoringMonth and tell them to visit bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big to learn more.

November is National Native American Heritage Month. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is proud to honor this month and share knowledge with you and your Little about indigenous cultures to better understand the unique history and challenges the group faces today.

WHEN WAS NATIVE AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH ESTABLISHED?

One of the first known proponents of establishing an American Indian Day or First Americans Day was Dr. Arthur C. Parker, a Seneca Indian, the director of the Museum of Arts and Science in Rochester, N.Y. He approached the Boy Scouts of America in 1915 and for three years the day was honored. Various iterations of the month have come about from the recommendations of citizens such as “National American Indian Heritage Month”, “Native American Heritage Month”, and “National American Indian and Alaska Native Heritage Month”. Learn more about how the month was established here.

DID YOU KNOW?

There are more than 574 federally recognized Indian Nations (referred to as tribes, nations, bands, pueblos, communities, and Native villages) in the US. There are also there are state-recognized tribes recognized by their respective state governments. Learn more about contemporary tribal governments here.

Have you heard about the Code Talkers? The Code Talkers from World War I and World War II were hundreds of Native American servicemen from over 20 tribes that used Indigenous languages to send secret messages that our enemies were never able to break. These Native Americans helped lead U.S. forces to military victory in some of the largest battles of the twentieth century. Learn more about the Code Talkers here.

EVENTS

Tampa Bay History Center: Native American Exhibits Virtual Tour | Tuesday, November 9 at 10 a.m.

Join the Hillsborough County Library online as we get a glimpse at some of the history center’s special spaces including Florida’s First People, The Seminole and Miccosukee Story, and Coacoochee’s Story Theater. The video tour and brief presentation will be followed by a question-and-answer session with an official Tampa Bay History Center representative.

National Endowment of the Arts featuring the 2021 U.S. Poet Laureate | Friday, December 3 at 6:30 p.m.

Join the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) as they feature this year’s Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo. Harjo eloquently discusses both her personal experiences and the collective Muscogee (Creek) Nation history. Register now to join next month’s live event.