In The News

Jeff Wagner was an inspiration to all that knew him. He had many roles he will be remembered for: loyal friend, #1 USF fan, a two-time cancer survivor, motivational speaker, and philanthropist But one of the roles he was most proud of was his time spent as a dedicated Big Brother. Jeff was a Big Brother with our Tampa Bay agency for 20 years. Over the years, he was matched with 3 Little Brothers. Jeff kept in regular contact with his two former Little Brothers, Corey and Brandon, who are now adults with their own families. And, for the past 8 years, he has been matched with his current Little Brother, Casey. “He truly was larger than life,” said Casey’s mom Crystal. “His courage, his strength, his passion for life, his kind heart and his love for everyone he knew … was like no other, and he would make sure you knew it.” Jeff was always there for his Littles, no matter what, and did everything he could to help them grow and succeed. Jeff also helped raise funds for BBBSTB and could frequently be found supporting the agency at one of our events or activities. Jeff will be greatly missed, and we know his legacy will live on through the impact he has had on his Little Brothers, and the entire agency.

January is National Mentoring Month, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is celebrating those who are already volunteering as mentors, “Bigs”, and also recruiting volunteers.

Every January, the news is full of the same stories: people are trying to eat more healthfully, hit the gym more often. This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is changing that story and asking: What if this year, you could resolve to something more important, more impactful? What if you could make a resolution worth keeping, one that inspires more resolutions? In 2019, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is asking people in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Polk, Pasco, Citrus, Hernando and Sumter counties to resolve to become a Big Brother or Big Sister.

“Bettering yourself in the new year is a great goal,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay CEO Stephen Koch, “but we know people are also thinking about how to better their community and how to make sure that when they reflect on the year, they know they made a difference.”

More than 500 youth in the Tampa Bay community are waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister, and the only way to ensure they have someone to inspire them to reach their potential is for more adults to step up and volunteer to become Bigs. Being a Big means committing to spending a few hours a month with a young person doing things that you love to do, like playing basketball, visiting the library, or learning how to cook.

Tampa Bay residents can get involved with National Mentoring Month by coming to a local Big Orientation & Training. You can view the full schedule of Big Orientation & Trainings here.

On social media, Tampa Bay residents can get involved by following Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Throughout the month, Big Brothers Big Sisters is encouraging followers to tag a friend who would be a great Big Brother or Big Sister, using the hashtag #TheBigResolution. Visit www.thebigresolution.com to learn more.

Alan has been a Big Brother for over 10 years and set out on his excursion to raise money and awareness for the organization

Big Brother Alan Cohen was matched with his Little Brother Sir about 10 years ago when he retired from a career in information technology. He has been a dedicated Big Brother and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s mentoring programs. After going on a safari in Tanzania five years ago, he decided to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest freestanding mountain and fourth tallest mountain in the world, at 19,341 feet above sea level.

After years of planning and months of strenuous training, he and nine friends flew to Tanzania in July 2018 to embark on the eight-day trek – 6.5 days up and 1.5 days down the mountain – to raise money and awareness for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.

Due to the lack of oxygen at the high altitude and the danger of the climb, it was necessary for Alan’s group to hire 39 local guides who assisted with carrying food, water, and necessary supplies that were needed for the expedition. Throughout the trip, Alan bonded with the guides who began to refer to him as “Babu” or grandfather. As the group approached the summit, the guides reminded them to go slowly, taking it one step at a time (“Pogo Pogo”) as altitude sickness due to lack of oxygen would begin to set it.

When they reached the summit, Alan snapped a photo with a Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay flag to commemorate his journey. Through his hard work and determination to complete this climb, Alan raised $2,200 to benefit our mentoring programs.

New brand look emphasizes the potential inherent in all children

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, along with more than 270 Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates across the country, today unveiled a new, modern look and brand repositioning with a goal of recruiting more diverse volunteers.

“The need in Tampa Bay for young people to have a role model is more urgent than ever,” said Stephen Koch, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay. “To attract more volunteers of all generations, we needed a modernization of our brand to make an impact in the community and meet the need of the essential work of matching youth with mentors.”

Months of research, including focus groups with potential Bigs — as well as current Bigs, Littles, donors, staff, and leadership – showed the former brand was not effectively connecting with younger, prospective mentors or conveying the urgent mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters. The organization is now intentionally pivoting from messages of the importance of mentoring, to messages of the urgent need for the adults in the community to step up to defend the potential of every child. The mission will remain the same, as will the core model of building bridges in communities by connecting one adult with one child and supporting that match at every stage. But the organization will focus on a child’s potential, and our role as adults in helping children achieve their best possible futures.

“In our community, we know that youth are facing numerous challenges. Our organization’s new brand is designed to help us ensure we can serve more children in Tampa Bay by recruiting more volunteers,” said Koch.

The brand repositioning and new look are just the beginning. In the coming year, Big Brothers Big Sisters will also transition to a new, modern, nationwide technology system, participate in new training, and use the new positioning to refocus efforts on recruiting local volunteers.

Learn more about the new brand positioning, the logo or messaging, or how to get involved at bbbs.org/bigpotential. Share the new look and follow updates on the Big Brothers Big Sister of Tampa Bay Facebook page, as well as onTwitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Join the conversation using the hashtags #DefendingPotential and #BBBSTB.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, along with HPC Associates and 22Squared, earned awards this year for PSAs and ads created to bring awareness to the nonprofit agency.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay collaborated with HPC Associates and 22Squared to create public service announcements and ads that would bring awareness, funds and volunteers to the organization. Thanks to their collaborative efforts, the agency won awards for these fun and unique videos.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and HPC Associates were named the winners of the Award of Distinction at the 22^nd Annual Videographer Awards for producing a public service announcement (PSA) regarding the new Big Brothers Big Sisters’ statewide vanity license plate. The Award of Distinction is awarded for projects that exceed industry standard with approximately 16 percent of entries receiving the award.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay’s Director of Marketing and Communications, Claire Selius said, “The PSA takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to being a mentor for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay (BBBS) and was created in collaboration with HCP Associates to bring awareness to our statewide specialty license plate program.” For each license plate that is sold, Big Brothers Big Sisters receives $25 to help kids across Florida.

You can view the PSA here.

Earlier this year, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and the ad agency 22Squared won the Positive Change Bronze Effie for their work on the Florida Man Project. The ads aimed at recruiting much needed male mentors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay by using click-bait style headlines featuring the wacky “Florida Man” that has become synonymous with weird news from the state.

The ads took the Florida Man concept and made it into a positive, featuring videos of Florida men who are making an impact in the community by being a mentor. The videos encourage other Florida men to make Florida proud by becoming a Big Brother. The ads successfully increased the number of applications for male volunteers.

You can learn more about this advertising method with a short video here.

View all the ads from the Florida Man project here.

Jessica & Angie threw the first pitch and accepted a grant on behalf of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay at the Tampa Bay Rays game on Friday, June 29^th, 2018.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay was once again invited to attend the Tampa Bay Rays’ “Rays Up Night”. The annual “Rays Up Night” is an evening where the Tampa Bays Rays highlight the amazing work they are doing in our community as part of the Rays Community Foundation.

Prior to the start of the game, Tampa Bay Rays’ President, Brian Auld, presented Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay with a $50,000 grant to support our mission, which is to provide children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships that will change their lives for the better, forever. As part of the Tampa Bay Rays partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Rays employees volunteer at the nearby Campbell Park Elementary School as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, bringing their Littles to Rays games throughout the season.

After the grant presentation, Big Sister & Little Sister of the Year, Jessica and Angie, went out to the field to throw the first pitch prior to the start of the game. Jessica and Angie then had the opportunity to head up to the media booth for an interview with Steve Carney of the WDAE 620 AM radio station, the flagship station for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team.

Jessica and Angie later joined a few of our Matches and Board Members in a special suite to enjoy the game with refreshment catered by the Tampa Bay Rays. During the 7^th inning, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay suite was featured on the jumbotron and everyone sang “Take Me Out to the Ball Game”!

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay is proud to be a partner of the Tampa Bay Rays and the Rays Community Foundation! Thanks to their support, we will be able to pair more children in our community with caring mentors that will positively impact their lives.

View the photo album from “Rays Up Night” here.