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September 15 – October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month, which celebrates the heritage, culture, and contributions of the Hispanic and Latinx communities across the United States.

This is a great opportunity to learn more about Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrate this time with your Little! Whether you plan on sharing your heritage with your Little, learning more about theirs, or exploring different customs together, we hope these activity suggestions will inspire you to honor the month and get curious together!

MOVIES TO WATCH

Ferdinand

Coco

Pachamama

El Libro de la Vida

EASY RECIPES TO MAKE TOGETHER

Traditional Latin American Recipes to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month: 5 Countries, 5 Dishes, 1 Kitchen

BOOKS TO READ:

Ages 7-8

The Secret Footprints by Julie Alvarez | A reimagining of the Dominican legend of the ciguapas.

Ages 7-10

Max Loves Muñecas –Zette Elliot | A young boy who is embarrassed to love the boutique selling dolls meets a muneca maker who teaches him “There is no shame in making something beautiful with your hands. Sewing is a skill just like hitting a baseball or fixing a car.”

Ages 8-12

Gaby Lost and Found – Angela Cervantes | Gaby Ramirez Howard loves volunteering at the local animal shelter, but has been feeling like a stray herself lately. Her mother has recently been deported to Honduras, and Gaby has to live with her inattentive father. She is waiting for her mother to come home so the family can adopt Gaby’s favorite cat from the shelter. When the cat’s original owners show up at the shelter, Gaby worries that her plans for a perfect family are about to fall apart.

Young Adult

It’s Not about the Accent – Caridad Ferrer | Caroline Darcy decides to explore–and exploit–her distant Cuban ancestry when she goes away to college, claiming to be half-Cuban, calling herself “Carolina,” and dying her blond hair Havana Brown, but soon faces profound consequences.

Through the generosity of the Ron Jon Surf Shop, five children from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay attended a week of full-day camp sessions this July at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The total value for all five campers was $2,500. Many of the selected campers had a previous affinity for the marine world. Watching their excitement throughout the camp was indeed a delight for Clearwater Marine Aquarium staff members. Additionally, as the children had spent the preceding months in quarantine, their experiences out in nature were amplified. 

Each morning, the campers attended the Ocean Warriors camp session, which focuses on habitat loss, plastic pollution, microplastics, overfishing, and bycatch. In the afternoon, the campers attended EcoExplorers, focused on fostering a love of the outdoors in children and instructing campers about the natural world. Unfortunately, due to the coronavirus, the off-campus field trips initially scheduled for the week were canceled. Still, the campers had a wonderful time exploring the Aquarium, Clearwater Bay, and the surrounding waterways. Littles received a “gear pack”, including a Clearwater Marine Aquarium bag and beach towel, mask/snorkel, eco-friendly sunscreen, sunglasses, and of course, a Ron Jon water bottle! The children also received a camp t-shirt and free lunch each day. 

Campers

Little Brother: Nigel 

Little Brother Nigel is 11 years old and will be attending fifth grade this coming school year. Nigel has lived with his grandmother for over three years. He enjoys animals, nature, being outdoors, playing football, and Tai Kwon Do. 

Over the past few months, Nigel’s activities have significantly curtailed due to COVID-19. He has been mainly staying at home and unable to see his Big Couple, which has left him very disappointed. His grandmother was thrilled about this opportunity to attend camp as it would allow him to spend time outdoors learning how to help the environment. Nigel lives in Clearwater, making it convenient for his grandmother to bring him to and from the Clearwater camp. 

At the beginning of the camp, Nigel was slightly overwhelmed by all the information he was learning! Toward the middle of the week, he began to soak everything in and truly began learning. Nigel is a tactile learner who prefers to examine specimens with his hands and collect materials from the natural environment. 

Little Sister: Jillayah

Jillayah is in fourth grade. Her mom thought the summer camp was an incredible opportunity for Jill because, since COVID-19, she had been despondent, missing going to school and spending time with other kids. It was also a fantastic reward since Jill did well academically last semester despite the many challenges with virtual schooling. 

Jill’s Big Sister is an Environmental Scientist, so Jill’s experiences at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium summer camp will help Jill understand her Big Sister’s occupation and increase their connection. We hope this will provide various topics and conversations for the two to share during their monthly video chat session. 

Jill’s transformation over the week was truly remarkable. On the first day of the camp, Jill was slightly apprehensive and incredibly nervous about kayaking. By the third day, she was kayaking at an expert level and displayed real leadership qualities, acting as a support system for her peers when necessary. Kayaking became her favorite activity at the camp. 

Little Brother: Jordan 

Jordan, a fourth-grader, had his recent activities curtailed due to COVID-19 with no plans scheduled for the summer. The camp was a welcome invitation for him as he is an extremely active child and always looking for adventure. 

Throughout the camp, Jordan adored being outside, and snorkeling was his favorite activity. He was a very inclusive group member, always sharing what he found when exploring with the other campers. Jordan would also bring in books from home related to topics they were learning at camp to show the other children. During an exercise to design a sustainable seafood menu, Jordan expressed his desire to serve shark at his fictional restaurant. Camp counselors educated him on the error in that decision, but it took some convincing! 

Little Sister: Aniya 

Aniya, a fifth-grader, has a real passion for aquatic life and was selected for the camp because she was interested in learning more about how to conserve the marine world. Like the rest of the campers, she was without any plans for the summer. She was very excited to participate in a camp that resonated so profoundly with her interests. 

Out of all the campers, Aniya was the most focused and had a genuine thirst for knowledge about the marine world. If the group became sidetracked, she was the one to bring us back to the center. She was genuinely fearless, whether that meant being the first to ask questions in the group or dive down and investigate while snorkeling. Kayaking was one of her favorite activities, but she also enjoying filtering water for microplastics.

Little Sister: Emma 

Emma is a very kind, friendly child with a deep affinity for animals. She is also a gifted student who takes a hands-on approach when learning new things. Learning about the interconnectivity of processes, such as ecosystems and the food chain, and how to better care for our environment – are areas that Emma likes to explore. Emma has also recently developed an interest in learning to snorkel. All of these interests made her a perfect candidate for the camp! 

While Emma was on the quiet side, she soaked everything in and asked incredibly insightful questions. When asked a question, Emma would provide the most detail of all the campers, illustrating that our lessons were indeed impacting her. Emma loved the aquaponics lesson and asked perceptive questions during the tour of the aquaponics exhibit. 

The final aspect of overall wellness we will look into this month is your mindset. So far, we have covered nutrition, sleep, and activity, all essential parts of overall wellness. Some will focus on these three, but we should not overlook mental wellness. How you feel mentally can affect your body and overall health in significant ways. HelpGuide describes some of the science behind the benefits of mindfulness. A healthy mind creates various mental and physical health benefits, leading to better overall well-being. 

There are several different activities to do to improve your mindset. On the website Mindful, you will find five ways to improve your mindset that incorporates the other three aspects we have covered in previous weeks. After doing these exercises, you will notice the difference in how you think daily. Improving your mindset will make the other three aspects more natural to incorporate into your everyday life. Try this out with your little this week and see the difference in how your week goes!

This week our focus on a healthy lifestyle is activity. The benefits of an active lifestyle are extensive. Not only can it give you bigger muscles, but it can also improve your mood, give you an energy burst, and help maintain a strong immune system. Strengthening the muscles in your body is crucial to a longer and healthier life. So, whether you’re looking to get started with exercise or you are already a fitness fanatic, check out all the ways to stay fit—no matter what life throws at you.

The heart is the most important muscle in our body, and making sure it is healthy and in shape is key to overall wellness. The more activity you can do each week, the better, even if that means just a short walk outside. The most important part of staying active is finding something you enjoy doing. It can be as simple as taking a stroll in your neighborhood or throwing a football, or it can be a workout or a run. Each person is different, and finding something you love doing is crucial.

There are so many different activities that one can do for this week’s challenge. Try going for a walk outside! Aaptiv has bodyweight workouts you can do for an added challenge and does not require equipment. Try doing these a few times this week and a few times next week to see how much stronger you get. Bigs take a picture doing a workout with you Little and share it in the Big Networking group. Let us know which exercises or activities you tried. 

This week our insight into overall wellness is sleep! Sleep is essential to overall wellness because it the key to mental and physical performance throughout the day. 1 in every 3 Americans does not get enough sleep each night. This creates several negative impacts on our bodies as well as our minds. However, when we do get enough sleep, we can prevent getting sick, think better, and be healthier and happier. Healthline explains the multitude of negative impacts a lack of sleep has on our body and mind. 

Consistent bedtime and wakeup times are so important to help you sleep better. This gives you a regular sleeping time for your body to get used to. Avoiding computers, cell phones, and TV 30 minutes before bedtime also creates better sleep. See if you and your Little can try to set a bedtime and “unplug” from electronics 30 minutes before going to sleep. 

Did you know that making your bed in the morning can help you go to sleep at night? This week’s #WellnessWednesday challenge is for Bigs & Littles to make your bed every morning before leaving your room and see how this small change impacts your sleep each night.

To get your Little ready for the new 2020-2021 school year we are sharing #WellnessWednesday tips and activities to improve overall wellness for both Bigs and Littles. Each Wednesday throughout August, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay will cover one of the four most essential aspects of overall wellness: nutrition, sleep, activity, and mindset. Every week will include a small challenge or activity for Bigs and Littles to do together.

The first aspect of overall wellness is nutrition. Having a balanced diet is key to healthy living. The healthiest foods are those closest to their natural state, like fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, and brown rice. Finding unprocessed food is something that many think is a difficult, almost impossible task. However, there are replacements for almost every ultra-processed food that we buy at the store. Healthline explains the difference between processed and ultra-processed foods as well as replacements for some of the most popular choices.

There are numerous easy recipes on the internet to create food that is not only nutritious but enjoyable. The first #WellnessWednesday challenge is to make a pizza! Your goal is to create the healthiest, most creative pizza for you and your Little to try. Need some inspiration? Check out these recipes from Boboli, a pizza crust company, with several healthy recipes for pizza. This week’s challenge is to create a pizza with your Little via video chat (make sure both of you have the ingredients). Share a photo of your pizza to the “Big” Networking Facebook group with the hashtag #WellnessWednesday! We can’t wait to see all of your healthy pizza creations.

Check out week two of #WellnessWednesday on Healthy Sleep.

Littles and their families were able to get new backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming school year.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay and Lavonte Legends hosted a backpack event to give supplies to Littles and their families for the 2019-2020 school year. Lavonte David, starting linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, donated 200 brand-new Nike backpacks through his Lavonte Legends Foundation. School supplies were donated by Stetson Law School Part-Time Student Group, Orion Marine Construction, Inc. and Tampa Postal Federal Credit Union plus $1,000 was donated by a private donor for supplies.

Littles were given a backpack and were able to “shop” for new school supplies. Volunteers from the Stetson Law School Part-Time Student Group helped set up and hand out folders, notebooks, pencils, and other school supplies. After shopping, Littles, Bigs and their families had some down-time in the gym playing basketball and dancing to music. Everyone enjoyed a lunch of pizza from Blackjack Pizza and cookies from Blondies Cookies.

Tia, the representative from Lavonte Legends Foundation, was presented with a poster that was signed by all the Littles thanking him for his donation of backpacks. She spoke to the crowd about the importance of mentoring and why Lavonte believes in the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay.

View photos from the event here.

Each year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay celebrates our Littles who are graduating high school with a graduation ceremony

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay has had an exciting time recently celebrating the high school graduation of Littles in our mentoring programs.

On May 1^st, Leto High School had 17 students graduate from our School-to-Work program with Nielsen. The event featured the recently inducted mayor of Oldsmar, Eric Seidel, as the keynote speaker. Littles reminisced about the past year in the program, spoke about their experiences with School-to-Work that they will carry into the future, and awards were presented to those with perfect attendance. Nielsen also provided scholarships to two students, Jessica and Jonathan. Special thanks to Publix for donating a cake for the occasion.

View photos from the Leto and Nielsen graduation here.

On May 14^th, we hosted our annual Graduation Ceremony for all graduating Littles, their Bigs and family members, at the Tampa Garden Club. Overall, we had 92 graduating seniors this year. Before the ceremony began, guests enjoyed the photo booth donated by Andrejka Photography. The evening started with a welcome from Jennifer Libby, VP of Programs, and Stephen Koch, President and CEO, followed by a delicious dinner catered by Lynn’s Catering. Bob Conigliaro from Caspers Company was the keynote speaker and shared some sage words of wisdom for the graduates. Gerry Goldhammer represented the BBBS Tampa Bay Scholarship Fund and presented scholarships to four deserving Littles, Delaney, Damion, Nate and Bennie. The Live for 24 Foundation, who raises funds in remembrance of former Big Melissa Vanderhall, presented their scholarship to Little ZaDerricka. Each graduate was honored and recognized with a certificate and special BBBS Tampa Bay branded pen. The evening closed with a presentation from Dallas Ruffin, who announced our newest program, Big Futures, which will help support Littles beyond graduation to help ensure they succeed and meet their future goals. Everyone enjoyed the cake donated by Winn-Dixie.

View photos from the graduation ceremony here.

On May 15^th, Middleton High School had 20 students graduate from our School-to-Work program with Moffit Cancer Center. Moffit provided graduation caps and gowns for the Littles to help make the ceremony feel authentic. The program coordinator at Moffit, LaWanda Courtney, spoke about her heartfelt match story with her Little. We had three graduating Littles speak about their experience in the program and how their relationships with the Bigs and all they have learned will carry with them into their futures. Scholarships provided by Valley National Bank were presented to two Littles, Lydia and Francesca.

View photos from the Middleton and Moffit graduation here.

We are so proud of all our graduating Littles and know that they will all go on to do great things in the future. Congratulations to the graduating class of 2019!

Each spring, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay hosts a Match Spring Picnic for Bigs & Littles to spend time together in the great outdoors.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay hosted their annual Match Spring Picnic at Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. With almost 300 Bigs, Littles and staff in attendance, this was one of our biggest picnics yet!

Matches enjoyed arts and crafts, sports and games, music, dancing and a delicious lunch of hamburgers and hotdogs grilled by our own President & CEO, Stephen Koch, and his Little Jon.

Special thanks to Starbucks for donating coffee and iced tea for our matches to enjoy at the picnic and the Hobbs Foundation for making the annual Match Spring Picnic possible

View all of the photos from the Match Spring Picnic here and here.

Matches at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay enjoyed a day of fishing and fun in the sun.

Bigs and Littles from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay recently enjoyed a fishing clinic hosted by the Old Salt Fishing Foundation and the Rotary Club of the Gulf Beaches. Matches had the opportunity to learn more about casting a line and baiting a hook. Then they were able to fish on their own. A few were lucky enough to catch some small fish, but most matches just enjoyed spending the day together at ROC Park at Madeira Beach. Afterward, matches were invited to the Spring Break Festival & Carnival hosted annually by the Rotary Club of the Gulf Beaches. The organization donated free wrist bands for Littles who had attended the fishing clinic. Special thanks to Big Mitchell Shenkman for helping make this match event possible!

View photos from the event.