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Big Brothers Big
Sisters
Big
Buddies Is A BIG Success in Area Schools
Picture features
volunteer mentor HS student, Maria
Pannapara, age 15, a Lehman High School student, daughter of John and
Tery
Pannapara. Next to
her looking at camera
is Ashlyn Moton, 6 daugher of Ashely Clegg of Sidney, Elena Mendoza, 6
daughter
of Katherine Mendoza and Arturo Mendoza of Sidney and High School
Mentor
Jessica Hilyard 17, daughter of Bob Hilyard and Dottie Allen. Jessica is a high school
student at Jackson
Center. The
group of bigs and littles
are enjoying some recreational time during the after school program at
Whittier
recently.
The program,
which began in September of 1998, started with
nine high school volunteers and since has grown to over 100 volunteer
mentors
from Shelby & Darke County.
Through
the program, sophomores, juniors and seniors are matched up with local
youth
and the “matches” meet twice a month throughout the school year. The High School “Buddies”
work together with
their “Littles” on activities that focus on educational and social
enhancement,
as well as fitness, healthy eating, and personal safety. All activities
are planned and supervised by
the Big Brothers Big Sisters staff.
The locations for
the 2012-2013 Big Buddies program included
sites in Sidney at Northwood,
Longfellow, and Whittier elementary
schools, as well as Darke County
sites in Greenville at Woodland Heights elementary school, and
Versailles
elementary schools.
Big Brother Big
Sisters of Shelby and Darke County is a
United Way member service agency and an affiliate organization of Big
Brothers
Big Sisters of America. The Big Buddies program was partially funded
through
several local grants such as Monarch Legacy Fund, Vectren, Harry
Stephens Fund,
Amie McClurkin Grant administered through the Hope Foundation, Cargill,
Ruth
and Emerson Booher Foundation and the DP&L Foundation.
High School
mentoring programs have become widespread
thoughout the BBBS National movement.
Jennifer Bruns stated, “these programs
are not only beneficial to the
elementary students but have a very valuable impact on the high school
volunteers. These
high school students
are learning responsibility and making a commitment to impact the life
of a
child.”
Also coming this
summer will once again be the Daffy Duck
Derby and 5k Duck n Run/Walk scheduled for Thursday, June 20, 2013. You can purchase your duck
tickets by
contacting the agency. Duck
adoptions
sell for $5.00 per duck, or 6 for $25.00.
The Grand prize for this years’ event
will be a $1,000 shopping
spree. There are
many other great
prizes. There are
many options for area
businesses to get involved as well.
You
can also log onto our website at www.bigbrobigsis-shelbydarke.org
for more information on the Duck Rack and the 5k Run. Credit card
purchase may
be done on line or over the phone. This years’ goal is $25,000
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