January 13, 2025 • 30 mins
"They're increasing their service area because there are even more kids who need you." https://capbigs.org/
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss. This is insight of a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. A person
never stands as tall as when they kneel to help
a child. Several people have given credit to Abraham Lincoln
for this quote, but the important thing is that the
(00:21):
essence of these words, which are very clear, the act
of humbling oneself to assist a child, even if you
have to kneel down, is the most elevated or noble
thing that anybody can do. It demonstrates a man or
a woman's true character and their statue through their willingness
to help those smaller and more vulnerable than they are.
(00:42):
Well guess what, She's not real tall. She does that
bending down to help a child all the time, and
even when she's not working, Christina is always out there
encouraging others to do the same. With this is to
share some really great news and to further explain what
crazy Sylvia is talking about. Is the marketing communications manager
(01:03):
with Big Brothers and Sisters of the Capital Region.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
South Central PA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Now, I know, but okay, Christina, listen, people, everybody knows
I mean, how could they not know about Big Brothers
and Big Sisters. But just in case they don't, refresh us.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So our mission is to create and support one to
one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
We do this by connecting youth littles with caring mentors
bigs who inspire those children and teens to explore and
embrace their dreams and pursue what they want to do
(01:45):
even when it's difficult.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You know what, Christina, I had just done an out
of the interview before you came down, and I was
telling the lady who was here about big brothers. Oh,
she knows this one does it? There are people out there.
You're doing. Good job, kiddo, because you're always looking for
a manager. Talk to somebody else that was a mentor. Uh,
you know, it's wonderful. And it's now January and it's
(02:10):
mentoring month. And you started to tell the begin of
the program you are no longer Big Brothers and Sisters
of the Capitol Region. Tell us who you are again
and why why change?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
We are now Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central
pa Okay. At the end of last year, in the fall,
we announced that we acquired our neighboring affiliate, which was
Big both Big Sisters of York and Adams.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So they were on their own.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
They were on their own, Yes, because we're set up
as a federation, so each agency is affiliated with Big
Bos Big Sisters of America. But we are our own
separate entities. So we have our own EI N number,
we have our own programs, We support the youth in
our communities, funds we raise stay in the community.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, how will they benefit and how will you benefit
from this new collaboration.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, like you just said, it's a collaboration. So having
our entire territory combined will increase our resources, our ability
to manage programs across the region and to introduce new
programming to York and Adams counties. Were very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
But what you're saying is you live there now with
these work counties, you're never going home.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Right, they are ours, they are our county. So we
now serve seven counties in total, and that is seven
out of eight of the South Central Pennsylvania region.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Run them off County.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry, and York. Wow that's
pretty good working on it on a national level.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It's in big brothers and big sisters, aren't they celebrating
a big niversary?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Are so one hundred and twenty years and we're actually
we've been serving our region for over forty years locally,
and actually that's true of both our prior region of
five counties as well as the two counties we've added,
because both agencies have been affiliated for forty years. So
combined it's been forty years we've been impacting South Central PA.
(04:08):
And National is celebrating one hundred and twenty years and
that they marked one hundred and twenty years in September.
And so this legacy nationally and our local forty year
plus legacy is proof that we stand together. We always
stand bigger together to support and make a difference in
(04:30):
the kids' lives in our communities.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And oh, my gosh, you do. I'll tell you what.
iHeart picks a national nonprofit and a couple of years
they picked this, and there's a heck of a lot
of them out that they could pick. I think a
lot of it too. Is not only your mission, but
how it shows up, how it changes kids, and it's
documented how changes kids tell us.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, so we are an evidence based program. And just
to give you an idea, we've not only because of
York Atoms, but our programming has seen X and I
growth over the past couple of years. We saw exponential growth,
shifting to over one thousand youth served in twenty twenty
three and last year we served we served one three
(05:12):
hundred and twenty youth.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
In our program. Wait a second, you served. That's when
you have mentors for these thousand kids.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So we have mentors. So the pro that counts any
child that is being benefited from our program. So they
may be mentees in our program. They might be a
mentor in our program as a high school student, as
a high school big so they're learning leadership experience while
mentoring a younger student. They might be you know, a
(05:41):
student who is coming in as an intern in our
program and supporting the creation of these programs. They might
be you know, a little in our program who's sitting
on our Youth advisory board. You know, we have this
multiple opportunities for kids to grow, to gain leadership experience,
(06:01):
to gain professional development experience, all kinds of things. It's
it's wonderful to see I love talking about the time.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I know I can tell you launch Beyond School Walls
and with you Gi and pen Nasher did you have
that this year? That was?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That was twenty twenty four, So just I mean that, Okay,
tell people what.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
That's I'm not on the wrong page. Shot. I know
it's a new year. I know it feels out and
you get me so wound up when you can you know,
it's like osmosis.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Okay, so beyond school Walls. So yeah, So this program
is our workforce development program. We connect high school students
right with mentors in the workplace so they have a
chance to learn professional skills as well as have that
unique experience of being in a professional environment talking to
professionals and getting the opportunity to learn about what it's
(06:50):
actually like to have a career in that setting and
to understand workplace culture is a behind the scenes look
at that company.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
That's a gift to these kids exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
And we're so excited because you know, Ugi and they
are supporting Cocalico School District in Lancaster County, and so
those students are getting the opportunity to see you know,
you might not think about partecularly as a student what
it is that a large company does. You know, you
might only see the direct impact that they have on
(07:21):
your life, which doesn't go into hr marketing, It doesn't
go into any of the behind the scenes administrative or sales,
you know. So having an opportunity to connect directly with
these employees gives them that chance to really understand that
there's more than just one face to a business.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So what comes out of this I do the kids?
Of course, they they create relationships with people from these companies.
They have a chance to decide if this is the
type of work they want to do. Yes, exactly, tell
me some success stuff that's come out of that. Sure.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
So I actually I have a one of my favorite
stories was a little sister who she graduated, but I
got to interview her. She was one of the littles
in our Midpen Bank program. And just a quick note,
we have programs our beyond SCEA Walls program is with KAPITL, Lacrosse, Deloitte,
Midpen Bank, the giant company UGI and Pen National Insurance.
(08:19):
And so this little sister when she joined our program,
the mentor said, you know, she seems really put together.
I don't really know how I'm going to be able
to help her because she's on top of things, she's
prepared for college. She knows what she's doing, so what
can I do to step into this arena? But what
she didn't you know. A couple of weeks later, the
(08:40):
big sister, the midpen Bank employee, realized that the impact
that she was having was being able to have you know,
the little would go to her when she just wanted
someone to check over a college essay, or she just
needed a second opinion on an application she was working on.
She just needed somebody to talk about going through you know,
(09:01):
honors studies, and she just needed somebody to you know,
be able to understand where she was coming from and
to tell her, you know, she was doing a good job,
because when you're very ambitious sometimes it's hard to kind
of have that viewpoint and have somebody else walk in
and say you're doing a good job. You can take
a breath, and so having that person to go to
(09:22):
having that security in her life and somebody who can
come in and say, you know, these these what you're
doing is you're right on the right track. You're gonna
do well, and you are gonna have an amazing future.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
And you can be surprised out there the children that
don't hear that it it can.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
It can definitely range. And one of the biggest challenges
that you know a number of our littles have as
they may you know, hear that positive reinforcement from family
members or teachers, but sometimes just having that one extra
person or having somebody who's not your parents, because you know,
(10:01):
kids will say, oh, well, it's just my mom, it's
just my dad, it's just my grandmother. They have to
say that because they're so having somebody who is outside
of the family saying and giving that positive reinforcement and
that encouragement, building their confidence, it can make a world
of a difference.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Okay, now we everybody knows what it is. Okay, now
it's it's a recipe. It's the bigs and littles, the littles,
how do you become a little.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So that's easy. We just ask that a parent or
guardian or school counselor somebody who knows this child refers
them to us.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So there's no there's no reckless prerequisites, there's no financial.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
The only thing that we ask and there is no
financial I will say that clearly there's no financial The
only thing that we do ask is that they be
of at least seven years of age if they're going
to be in our community based program, which is where
bigs and littles meet out in the community doing activities together.
They select things that they're interested in exploring news.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
How long is that at last seventh age, so.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
That's age seven. We match through age sixteen, but then
we support that match above past high school graduation, so
they could be matched through age potentially age twenty.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, how do you do past high school graduation?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
So we are able to maintain that match relationship. So
our program staff for any match that's in our program,
whether it's for one year, five years, or ten years,
our program staff are there to provide support, guidance, and resources,
and especially for matches that you know, they might have
been matched at age sixteen for the little or it
might have been age eight, but when they graduate from
(11:40):
high school, that relationship doesn't end and big brothers big sisters.
Traditionally we would step out of that relationship and it
would continue without us. But knowing that a lot of
high school students are in a major transition period moving
from high school to become enrolled, enlisted, or employed in
their community. Having our guidance and support there can make
(12:01):
an additional you know, resource support system that you know,
can really make a difference for them because they're they're
BIG's gonna be there, you know, they've been there to
support that little for a long time. That relationship is
going to continue, you know, talk about there to support.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I've had a couple of different people tell me and
these these aren't kids, that they're still they're still in contact.
They come to my big came to my wedding, he
came to my college graduation. Somebody that works for you, Corey.
Corey depries he's still tight with his and Corey's in
his thirties. You know, it's wonderful. It's wonderful. What the
(12:41):
response from the parents. It's not like you're taking them
over the responsibility. It's just it's somebody who's a touchdoone
for these plays, right.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah, So we ask our mentors to meet with their
littles two to three times a month, just checking in
with them, you know, and it doesn't necessarily have to
be an in person meeting. Maybe it's a phone call,
you know, especially for some of our teens that are
very bogged down in school work. Maybe they just have
time for a fifteen minute phone call and that's okay,
because maybe that's just what they need.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Well, how do you decide okay, somebody wants to be okay,
let's talk about the other side of it first. To
be a big how do you qualify?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
So we ask that our volunteer mentors simply be interested
in mentoring a child.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
That's it's okay. You do background checks.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
We do do background checks, and we do you know,
for each mentor that comes into our program and for
each little that comes into our program, they go through
an interview process and this is our opportunity to learn
about the individual's personality, find out you know, maybe we
have a mentor who lives in Cumberland County, but we
might match them with a little in Dauphin County because
(13:48):
they work in Dauphin County. It works better for their
schedule to meet after work. So it gives us the
opportunity to learn those things, find out, you know, what's
their personality, like, what are their interests Because we want
to make sure that for every child that we match
and with a mentor, that there's a foundation for that friendship.
So we match compatibly to make sure that there's similar interests,
(14:09):
there's similar personalities that they're gonna get a benefit from this,
not just for the little, but for the big too.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, this is one of the best
things going. I'll tell you. Okay, let me ask you
this too, has it? Have you ever made matches You're
gonna hit me for this one but they didn't work out.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, there are matches that don't work out. Sometimes it
isn't the right match and they don't build a connection.
You're not gonna make friends with every single person that
you meet. Now, because we compatibly match, we do our
best to make sure that the little and big have
that foundation that can lead to a strong friendship. But
sometimes it can take a little bit. It might not
(14:46):
be an immediate connection, you know, the little might be
more shy or not willing to open up. It might
take six months, and so we do ask our bigs
to be patient and give it a little bit of time.
But if it gets to the point where the little says,
you know, I don't think that you know this the
right fit for me, or the big tells us that, well,
then we want to make sure that we're supporting everybody
in that relationship because we want it to be a benefit.
(15:08):
We want it to help the child and not be
something that's a burden. On top of that, our program
is completely at will, so we won't match a child
that is not entrusted. Every child who comes into our
program is there because they want to be and we
do have, you know, youth who as a head into
middle school or transition into high school. You know, maybe
they feel that they're not able to have the time
(15:31):
to meet with their little We have bigs and littles
that move out of states and that you know, sometimes
we do have situations where you know, they just aren't
staying connected and so we'll reach out and say, hey,
do you still want to continue this relationship. It's just
like any other relationship. Sometimes it does come to an end,
but we do our best to make sure that's facilitated
(15:52):
in a mature and positive manner.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Do the parents get any kind of a report about
how their child's doing.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
So we always check again with our little's parents and volunteers,
especially at the beginning. Our match support specialists will check
in regularly throughout the year to make sure that everything's
going well to answer any questions, you know, the mentor
might learn something about the little maybe the little is
experiencing bullying or you know, dealing with concerns around peer
(16:22):
to peer relations, and we have that opportunity to step
in with resources. So for our parents, we always let
them know, you know, here's what's happening, this is you know,
And on top of that, we significantly encourage, particularly for
community based matches, we always want to make sure that
the mentor is in communication with the parent about you know,
if they are going to take their little to a festival,
that the parent knows where they're going, when they're going
(16:44):
to be back. All of the mentors who transport littles
must have specific stands for driving, they have their license,
et cetera. So we always do checks to make sure
that it's going to be the right fit and that
it's going to be a safe fit for the little
and we stay in communication with the parent, the little
(17:04):
and the mentor through the entire length of that match.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Are you still doing the blue Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
We are still doing bigs and Blue. Okay, so bigs
and Blue we are actually, just like everything else, working
on growing that program. So We're very excited our Bigs
and Blue. We have a new partnership with Columbia Police Department,
which just launched at the end of last year. So
we our Big and Blue program is an opportunity for
(17:30):
police officers to mentor littles in the school districts of
the communities that they protect and serve, giving our littles
the opportunity to connect with an officer in a personal way,
you know, to see the person behind the badge, build
a positive relationship, right and you know, really have that somebody.
You know, we have a couple of littles that walk
in and you know, my big brother is a police officer,
(17:51):
and we have had littles who have told fire chiefs
that they would rather be a police officer than a person.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Oh boy.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So we currently you have a level eleven local police
departments and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Oh, I didn't know the State Police. That's all to
State Police.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Yeah, yeah, they've been uh I believe it's been since
I wanna say, twenty sixteen or twenty seventeen that the
Pennsylvania State Police has been supporting the program. And it's
really nice because because it covers all of Pennsylvania. They
can step in dementor a little in any county, even
if we don't necessarily have a relationship with the local
police department yet. For example, our very first Bigs in
(18:31):
Blue match just was created, i think in the past
month in York County with the Pennsylvania State Police. Oh good,
good god, that's our first start that county, Big and Blue.
So the Bigs and Blue program actually started.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
In Cumberland coundlincoun Okay, okay, you know something I've always
curious about. The organization's been around one hundred and twenty years,
these different programs. Are they do they how much? Because
I've always said even with the radio, they have a
consultant some they use if they still do anymore. But
I used to think to myself, how can they tell
us about what music should be playing when they don't
(19:07):
live around here and they don't know the culture of
the area. And it's not just radio, it's it's all
kinds of stuff out there. Because they're a national organization,
do you have to do your own programs and they
approve them, or do they have things in place?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
We don't need to have any approval, So what is
in place? And that's the beauty of being an affiliated agency.
Is our base model. The one to one mentoring is
applied across the board. They say one to one relationship,
Now we do. We are working on building a one
to one plus mentorship program that's focused on leadership where
(19:43):
multiple youth will connect with a few volunteers. But that's
going to be a unique program in response to specific needs,
and we haven't completely flushed that out yet.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Predominantly the one to one program, you know, that is
a service delivery model that is determined by national We
track metro that is determined by the national agency. But
in terms of the programming, we get to decide what
programs or initiatives are best for our communities. And there
might be a county where the program is not the
(20:12):
best fit.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
What do you have to know about your community?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Well, luckily we have staff that live in these communities
and work in these communities. So our York staff live
in New York Region. Yes, are at our York office.
Our Lebanon staff live and live in a county. Our
Lancaster staff live in Lancaster County. Now that's not a
hard line. We do have staff that live in different
communities and support you know, different counties, but predominantly we
(20:37):
turn to our staff who live in those counties to
find out what the needs are. They're the ones that
have those relationships with those school districts. They're the ones
that visit the school districts in person. They connect with
the parents and the littles in person. They learn what
the kids are asking for, what the needs the parents
are looking for. What how can we fulfill those needs
that we're able to be very flexible in the programs
(20:59):
that we provide and make sure that they're tailored to
suit not just the community, but the specific school district
or the specific child.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Wow, that's I think that's fantastic. Okay, you need some cash, kiddo.
It's that time again? Right?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Is that time again?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
That The event that kind of boosted you guys was
the Bowling for Kids Sake that's coming up pretty much.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That's been at over forty year plus events. It is
our signature events and it is so much fun. So
bull for Kids Sake is held multiple dates throughout March
and April. Is an opportunity for our individuals or community members,
our companies, organizations, clubs to get together raise some funds,
(21:42):
come out and have a big bowling party.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
How else can we help you out?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Well, first of all, both for kids sake, registration is open.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Okay, So like when's it gonna happen. You can find
all this out on the website. Now, did you change
your our websites?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Not changed yet? Okay, so it will be, but that's
a couple of months out.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Okay, So still go to cap big stat org correct ce,
ap b I g S dot org and you can
find the schedule there. You can find uh in what
towns it's going on at different places. You can start,
can't You used to have it online where you could.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Fundraising, So you can register online start your fundraising. There
is no registration fees, so you just go on get
your team registered. That's always the best thing because our
lanes can fill out very quickly. So the sooner you
get your your you know, your lane registered, or you
contact us with a company that wants to do you know,
five lanes reserved and have like a team building day,
(22:40):
sooner the better.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Well, you know, it's cool because the way you're so
involved with the businesses and community and they've been oh
my god, they're.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
So supporting incredibly.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
And I was on the site a couple of weeks ago,
and I know Deloitte is one of your big They've
been helping you guys there in so many ways.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
They have mentors who are beyond school Walls program.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And I'm looking down the list of the people that
raise the most money and I say, Kelly new Way.
I know Kelly. She's my girlfriend's daughter in law, and
she's an angel. Kelly's the best. And I thought, there's Kelly.
She's real involved at work. She's raising two gorgeous daughters
and her husband Michael, And Kelly's raising all this money
(23:23):
for you when you're getting it done.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I don't know, but she is fantastic, just like so
many of our volunteers to come out and support. You know,
they know the difference that this makes to the kids.
Oh they know that the positive impact that this can have.
So we always love having the come out and support us.
You know, we probably have some seven hundred people who
come out each year to support. I mean we have,
(23:47):
you know, eight events scheduled. It's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Are you gonna do it York in Adams County?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
We were actually gonna definitely do it in York, Okay,
but I don't have the location for that yet. I
do know we are again at ab See West and Mechanicsburg,
at Midway Bowl in Carlisle, Palmyra Bowling and Palmyra Palmyra
and two to two Dutch Lanes in Lancaster County.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
In effort, I believe, and I'll tell you what, people
that get companies that get their employees involved in that.
All you have to do is look at Linda Johnson,
renol By Anderson. Those employees are so they love it,
they love their jobs. It changes morale in the businesses.
And if you if I can't, I've tried to sell
out this idea of different people. If you don't care
(24:30):
about the cause, it puts you, it exposes you. It's
great in pr.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Yeah, and it's fantastic. I mean last year at bof
Kids Sake, you know, we had our presenting sponsor, Hershey's
Chocolate World came out and was an incredible support at
the Palmyra Bowling event we had we did have Hershey's
chocolate at the event and we had I believe one
of our top prizes was actually a basket of Hershey's chocolate.
(24:56):
Wow for one of our top fundraising teams, and then
we had the giant Company I believe was the There
were five teams that were like the top fundraiser for
the event. I don't have the number in my head,
but I'm quite certain they raised over like ten k
just those five they were they went all out.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Wow, it was.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It was at least several thousand dollars that they raised.
Now we don't ask that of our teams, but we
love it when it happens.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You have a goal and you meet it every year
exactly beyond it.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
And this year we have a big goal because we
now have added your adems, we are adding the number
of youth that we're serving. So our goal is to
raise two hundred and fifty thousand dollars this year. So
that's that's a significant increase from last year, and I
believe we will. I know, you know, we ask each
of our teams to raise a minimum five hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
That's not a lot of money.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
That's not a lot of money. That's all. We ask
five people one hundred dollars each. It's manageable. And you know,
we have some teams go way above and beyond that point.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's wonderful. Well, you know what, there's something I think
it's important. I tell people about this all the time.
E IT text credits for businesses.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yeah, explain. So that is eitc it's Educational Improvement tax credits.
So this is an opportunity for companies to make a
donation and receive a tax credit. So they make a
donation to a qualifying nonprofit and we qualify under I
believe it's EIO isioh.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Yeah, it feels like.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
That, which is an educational improvement organization exactly. And so
those dollars go directly to support our High School BIGS
programming and are beyond School Walls program and our High
School BIGS Leadership program which IT significantly supports. So we've
facilitated that program for over thirty years throughout school districts
(26:43):
in the region, and for our twenty twenty four to
twenty five school year, we have twenty high School BIGS
programs supporting over seven hundred youth.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
How long you been working there? I think.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I have not been working there years.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And you know what you're ss no, but you love it.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
It's like these children, Oh, I love hearing all the stories.
Let me I do actually have a story. From a
high school big so real, quick so big sister, Aaron,
She said, when I first met Sophia, it's her little
she was very shy and quiet, and talking with her
and getting to know her, she came out of her
shell and began standing up for herself. Oh see that
(27:24):
was high school, big area I have.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
There's so many ways it changes these children's lives, and
it doesn't take all that much if you're not asking
for a whole one.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Just asking you to lend a listening ear and to
be a friend.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
The website again is catbigs dot org, c ap b igs.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Dot org and watch for the change and big Brothers
are big brothers at the Bowling for Kids Sake starts when.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It starts in March. I believe March twenty second is
our first date. I may have that wrong. So just
please visit our website. It's on our homepage, and you know,
sign up, click on the Bull for Kid's Sake image
and get your team registered. A SAP and a quick note.
Last year we were recognized by Harrisburg Magazine simply the
(28:10):
best for our both for Kid's Sake event that right,
it is so if you have a quick moment to
jump onto Harrisburg Magazine and nominated us again.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
We would love that you're so shy. They need you,
They need somebody like you. You're gonna be there forever.
Is there anything that you need at this point that
you were like to ask?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I think mostly just you're always looking for volunteers. We
are always looking for volunteers. Our both for kid's sake,
event is coming up, and if you've got a minute,
jump on social media. It is National Mentoring Month. Do
a shout out to your mentor who in your life
has made a difference or you know, don't jump on
social media, give them a call.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
That's right. I was gonna do that with John bon Jobi.
Do you think he'll answer? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Do you even have his number?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Christina, Christina Schultz, you know what you have? This a
little I don't know if it's your mantra up, but
it says become a mentor. It takes little to be big.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
It does. I love that it takes just a little
bit of time.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Awesome, Christina's thank you for coming in. Christina is the
marketing communications manager with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of
South Central PA. And I'll throw this in. She's the
girl pushes people off the building. I'm in October. There
you go. We'll be back to talk about with safety. Okay,
don't forget that you can catch insight every Sunday on
a nar ten I Heard Stations, or anytime on your
(29:34):
favorite podcast stapp. I'm Sylvia Moss. This has been insight.
Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I'm a beautiful park you'll never see. I'm a crippled
road that'll go untouched. I'm a public school waiting for
funding that isn't coming. Oh, a Dolphin County foster kid,
and I'm costing you a brighter future because you're ignoring mine.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
When we fail them, we all feel it. Change the
narrative for hundreds of Dauphin County foster.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Kids by donating to the court appointed Special Advocates.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Donate to day at Change their Narrative dot org
Hi, I'm Sylvia Moss. This is insight of a presentation
of iHeartMedia where we really do care about our local
communities and all our listeners who live here. A person
never stands as tall as when they kneel to help
a child. Several people have given credit to Abraham Lincoln
for this quote, but the important thing is that the
(00:21):
essence of these words, which are very clear, the act
of humbling oneself to assist a child, even if you
have to kneel down, is the most elevated or noble
thing that anybody can do. It demonstrates a man or
a woman's true character and their statue through their willingness
to help those smaller and more vulnerable than they are.
(00:42):
Well guess what, She's not real tall. She does that
bending down to help a child all the time, and
even when she's not working, Christina is always out there
encouraging others to do the same. With this is to
share some really great news and to further explain what
crazy Sylvia is talking about. Is the marketing communications manager
(01:03):
with Big Brothers and Sisters of the Capital Region.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
South Central PA.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
Now, I know, but okay, Christina, listen, people, everybody knows
I mean, how could they not know about Big Brothers
and Big Sisters. But just in case they don't, refresh us.
Speaker 2 (01:25):
So our mission is to create and support one to
one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.
We do this by connecting youth littles with caring mentors
bigs who inspire those children and teens to explore and
embrace their dreams and pursue what they want to do
(01:45):
even when it's difficult.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
You know what, Christina, I had just done an out
of the interview before you came down, and I was
telling the lady who was here about big brothers. Oh,
she knows this one does it? There are people out there.
You're doing. Good job, kiddo, because you're always looking for
a manager. Talk to somebody else that was a mentor. Uh,
you know, it's wonderful. And it's now January and it's
(02:10):
mentoring month. And you started to tell the begin of
the program you are no longer Big Brothers and Sisters
of the Capitol Region. Tell us who you are again
and why why change?
Speaker 2 (02:22):
We are now Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central
pa Okay. At the end of last year, in the fall,
we announced that we acquired our neighboring affiliate, which was
Big both Big Sisters of York and Adams.
Speaker 1 (02:35):
So they were on their own.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
They were on their own, Yes, because we're set up
as a federation, so each agency is affiliated with Big
Bos Big Sisters of America. But we are our own
separate entities. So we have our own EI N number,
we have our own programs, We support the youth in
our communities, funds we raise stay in the community.
Speaker 1 (02:53):
Well, how will they benefit and how will you benefit
from this new collaboration.
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Well, like you just said, it's a collaboration. So having
our entire territory combined will increase our resources, our ability
to manage programs across the region and to introduce new
programming to York and Adams counties. Were very excited.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
But what you're saying is you live there now with
these work counties, you're never going home.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
Right, they are ours, they are our county. So we
now serve seven counties in total, and that is seven
out of eight of the South Central Pennsylvania region.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
Run them off County.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
Adams, Cumberland, Dauphin, Lebanon, Lancaster, Perry, and York. Wow that's
pretty good working on it on a national level.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
It's in big brothers and big sisters, aren't they celebrating
a big niversary?
Speaker 2 (03:45):
Are so one hundred and twenty years and we're actually
we've been serving our region for over forty years locally,
and actually that's true of both our prior region of
five counties as well as the two counties we've added,
because both agencies have been affiliated for forty years. So
combined it's been forty years we've been impacting South Central PA.
(04:08):
And National is celebrating one hundred and twenty years and
that they marked one hundred and twenty years in September.
And so this legacy nationally and our local forty year
plus legacy is proof that we stand together. We always
stand bigger together to support and make a difference in
(04:30):
the kids' lives in our communities.
Speaker 1 (04:32):
And oh, my gosh, you do. I'll tell you what.
iHeart picks a national nonprofit and a couple of years
they picked this, and there's a heck of a lot
of them out that they could pick. I think a
lot of it too. Is not only your mission, but
how it shows up, how it changes kids, and it's
documented how changes kids tell us.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
Yeah, so we are an evidence based program. And just
to give you an idea, we've not only because of
York Atoms, but our programming has seen X and I
growth over the past couple of years. We saw exponential growth,
shifting to over one thousand youth served in twenty twenty
three and last year we served we served one three
(05:12):
hundred and twenty youth.
Speaker 1 (05:13):
In our program. Wait a second, you served. That's when
you have mentors for these thousand kids.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So we have mentors. So the pro that counts any
child that is being benefited from our program. So they
may be mentees in our program. They might be a
mentor in our program as a high school student, as
a high school big so they're learning leadership experience while
mentoring a younger student. They might be you know, a
(05:41):
student who is coming in as an intern in our
program and supporting the creation of these programs. They might
be you know, a little in our program who's sitting
on our Youth advisory board. You know, we have this
multiple opportunities for kids to grow, to gain leadership experience,
(06:01):
to gain professional development experience, all kinds of things. It's
it's wonderful to see I love talking about the time.
Speaker 1 (06:09):
I know I can tell you launch Beyond School Walls
and with you Gi and pen Nasher did you have
that this year? That was?
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That was twenty twenty four, So just I mean that, Okay,
tell people what.
Speaker 1 (06:21):
That's I'm not on the wrong page. Shot. I know
it's a new year. I know it feels out and
you get me so wound up when you can you know,
it's like osmosis.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
Okay, so beyond school Walls. So yeah, So this program
is our workforce development program. We connect high school students
right with mentors in the workplace so they have a
chance to learn professional skills as well as have that
unique experience of being in a professional environment talking to
professionals and getting the opportunity to learn about what it's
(06:50):
actually like to have a career in that setting and
to understand workplace culture is a behind the scenes look
at that company.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
That's a gift to these kids exactly.
Speaker 2 (06:59):
And we're so excited because you know, Ugi and they
are supporting Cocalico School District in Lancaster County, and so
those students are getting the opportunity to see you know,
you might not think about partecularly as a student what
it is that a large company does. You know, you
might only see the direct impact that they have on
(07:21):
your life, which doesn't go into hr marketing, It doesn't
go into any of the behind the scenes administrative or sales,
you know. So having an opportunity to connect directly with
these employees gives them that chance to really understand that
there's more than just one face to a business.
Speaker 1 (07:37):
So what comes out of this I do the kids?
Of course, they they create relationships with people from these companies.
They have a chance to decide if this is the
type of work they want to do. Yes, exactly, tell
me some success stuff that's come out of that. Sure.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
So I actually I have a one of my favorite
stories was a little sister who she graduated, but I
got to interview her. She was one of the littles
in our Midpen Bank program. And just a quick note,
we have programs our beyond SCEA Walls program is with KAPITL, Lacrosse, Deloitte,
Midpen Bank, the giant company UGI and Pen National Insurance.
(08:19):
And so this little sister when she joined our program,
the mentor said, you know, she seems really put together.
I don't really know how I'm going to be able
to help her because she's on top of things, she's
prepared for college. She knows what she's doing, so what
can I do to step into this arena? But what
she didn't you know. A couple of weeks later, the
(08:40):
big sister, the midpen Bank employee, realized that the impact
that she was having was being able to have you know,
the little would go to her when she just wanted
someone to check over a college essay, or she just
needed a second opinion on an application she was working on.
She just needed somebody to talk about going through you know,
(09:01):
honors studies, and she just needed somebody to you know,
be able to understand where she was coming from and
to tell her, you know, she was doing a good job,
because when you're very ambitious sometimes it's hard to kind
of have that viewpoint and have somebody else walk in
and say you're doing a good job. You can take
a breath, and so having that person to go to
(09:22):
having that security in her life and somebody who can
come in and say, you know, these these what you're
doing is you're right on the right track. You're gonna
do well, and you are gonna have an amazing future.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
And you can be surprised out there the children that
don't hear that it it can.
Speaker 2 (09:41):
It can definitely range. And one of the biggest challenges
that you know a number of our littles have as
they may you know, hear that positive reinforcement from family
members or teachers, but sometimes just having that one extra
person or having somebody who's not your parents, because you know,
(10:01):
kids will say, oh, well, it's just my mom, it's
just my dad, it's just my grandmother. They have to
say that because they're so having somebody who is outside
of the family saying and giving that positive reinforcement and
that encouragement, building their confidence, it can make a world
of a difference.
Speaker 1 (10:17):
Okay, now we everybody knows what it is. Okay, now
it's it's a recipe. It's the bigs and littles, the littles,
how do you become a little.
Speaker 2 (10:26):
So that's easy. We just ask that a parent or
guardian or school counselor somebody who knows this child refers
them to us.
Speaker 1 (10:36):
So there's no there's no reckless prerequisites, there's no financial.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
The only thing that we ask and there is no
financial I will say that clearly there's no financial The
only thing that we do ask is that they be
of at least seven years of age if they're going
to be in our community based program, which is where
bigs and littles meet out in the community doing activities together.
They select things that they're interested in exploring news.
Speaker 1 (10:59):
How long is that at last seventh age, so.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
That's age seven. We match through age sixteen, but then
we support that match above past high school graduation, so
they could be matched through age potentially age twenty.
Speaker 1 (11:14):
Well, how do you do past high school graduation?
Speaker 2 (11:16):
So we are able to maintain that match relationship. So
our program staff for any match that's in our program,
whether it's for one year, five years, or ten years,
our program staff are there to provide support, guidance, and resources,
and especially for matches that you know, they might have
been matched at age sixteen for the little or it
might have been age eight, but when they graduate from
(11:40):
high school, that relationship doesn't end and big brothers big sisters.
Traditionally we would step out of that relationship and it
would continue without us. But knowing that a lot of
high school students are in a major transition period moving
from high school to become enrolled, enlisted, or employed in
their community. Having our guidance and support there can make
(12:01):
an additional you know, resource support system that you know,
can really make a difference for them because they're they're
BIG's gonna be there, you know, they've been there to
support that little for a long time. That relationship is
going to continue, you know, talk about there to support.
Speaker 1 (12:18):
I've had a couple of different people tell me and
these these aren't kids, that they're still they're still in contact.
They come to my big came to my wedding, he
came to my college graduation. Somebody that works for you, Corey.
Corey depries he's still tight with his and Corey's in
his thirties. You know, it's wonderful. It's wonderful. What the
(12:41):
response from the parents. It's not like you're taking them
over the responsibility. It's just it's somebody who's a touchdoone
for these plays, right.
Speaker 2 (12:49):
Yeah, So we ask our mentors to meet with their
littles two to three times a month, just checking in
with them, you know, and it doesn't necessarily have to
be an in person meeting. Maybe it's a phone call,
you know, especially for some of our teens that are
very bogged down in school work. Maybe they just have
time for a fifteen minute phone call and that's okay,
because maybe that's just what they need.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
Well, how do you decide okay, somebody wants to be okay,
let's talk about the other side of it first. To
be a big how do you qualify?
Speaker 2 (13:18):
So we ask that our volunteer mentors simply be interested
in mentoring a child.
Speaker 1 (13:22):
That's it's okay. You do background checks.
Speaker 2 (13:26):
We do do background checks, and we do you know,
for each mentor that comes into our program and for
each little that comes into our program, they go through
an interview process and this is our opportunity to learn
about the individual's personality, find out you know, maybe we
have a mentor who lives in Cumberland County, but we
might match them with a little in Dauphin County because
(13:48):
they work in Dauphin County. It works better for their
schedule to meet after work. So it gives us the
opportunity to learn those things, find out, you know, what's
their personality, like, what are their interests Because we want
to make sure that for every child that we match
and with a mentor, that there's a foundation for that friendship.
So we match compatibly to make sure that there's similar interests,
(14:09):
there's similar personalities that they're gonna get a benefit from this,
not just for the little, but for the big too.
Speaker 1 (14:14):
Oh yeah, oh yeah, this is one of the best
things going. I'll tell you. Okay, let me ask you
this too, has it? Have you ever made matches You're
gonna hit me for this one but they didn't work out.
Speaker 2 (14:25):
Yeah, there are matches that don't work out. Sometimes it
isn't the right match and they don't build a connection.
You're not gonna make friends with every single person that
you meet. Now, because we compatibly match, we do our
best to make sure that the little and big have
that foundation that can lead to a strong friendship. But
sometimes it can take a little bit. It might not
(14:46):
be an immediate connection, you know, the little might be
more shy or not willing to open up. It might
take six months, and so we do ask our bigs
to be patient and give it a little bit of time.
But if it gets to the point where the little says,
you know, I don't think that you know this the
right fit for me, or the big tells us that, well,
then we want to make sure that we're supporting everybody
in that relationship because we want it to be a benefit.
(15:08):
We want it to help the child and not be
something that's a burden. On top of that, our program
is completely at will, so we won't match a child
that is not entrusted. Every child who comes into our
program is there because they want to be and we
do have, you know, youth who as a head into
middle school or transition into high school. You know, maybe
they feel that they're not able to have the time
(15:31):
to meet with their little We have bigs and littles
that move out of states and that you know, sometimes
we do have situations where you know, they just aren't
staying connected and so we'll reach out and say, hey,
do you still want to continue this relationship. It's just
like any other relationship. Sometimes it does come to an end,
but we do our best to make sure that's facilitated
(15:52):
in a mature and positive manner.
Speaker 1 (15:56):
Do the parents get any kind of a report about
how their child's doing.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
So we always check again with our little's parents and volunteers,
especially at the beginning. Our match support specialists will check
in regularly throughout the year to make sure that everything's
going well to answer any questions, you know, the mentor
might learn something about the little maybe the little is
experiencing bullying or you know, dealing with concerns around peer
(16:22):
to peer relations, and we have that opportunity to step
in with resources. So for our parents, we always let
them know, you know, here's what's happening, this is you know,
And on top of that, we significantly encourage, particularly for
community based matches, we always want to make sure that
the mentor is in communication with the parent about you know,
if they are going to take their little to a festival,
that the parent knows where they're going, when they're going
(16:44):
to be back. All of the mentors who transport littles
must have specific stands for driving, they have their license,
et cetera. So we always do checks to make sure
that it's going to be the right fit and that
it's going to be a safe fit for the little
and we stay in communication with the parent, the little
(17:04):
and the mentor through the entire length of that match.
Speaker 1 (17:06):
Are you still doing the blue Yes.
Speaker 2 (17:09):
We are still doing bigs and Blue. Okay, so bigs
and Blue we are actually, just like everything else, working
on growing that program. So We're very excited our Bigs
and Blue. We have a new partnership with Columbia Police Department,
which just launched at the end of last year. So
we our Big and Blue program is an opportunity for
(17:30):
police officers to mentor littles in the school districts of
the communities that they protect and serve, giving our littles
the opportunity to connect with an officer in a personal way,
you know, to see the person behind the badge, build
a positive relationship, right and you know, really have that somebody.
You know, we have a couple of littles that walk
in and you know, my big brother is a police officer,
(17:51):
and we have had littles who have told fire chiefs
that they would rather be a police officer than a person.
Speaker 1 (17:57):
Oh boy.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
So we currently you have a level eleven local police
departments and the Pennsylvania State Police.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
Oh, I didn't know the State Police. That's all to
State Police.
Speaker 2 (18:08):
Yeah, yeah, they've been uh I believe it's been since
I wanna say, twenty sixteen or twenty seventeen that the
Pennsylvania State Police has been supporting the program. And it's
really nice because because it covers all of Pennsylvania. They
can step in dementor a little in any county, even
if we don't necessarily have a relationship with the local
police department yet. For example, our very first Bigs in
(18:31):
Blue match just was created, i think in the past
month in York County with the Pennsylvania State Police. Oh good,
good god, that's our first start that county, Big and Blue.
So the Bigs and Blue program actually started.
Speaker 1 (18:44):
In Cumberland coundlincoun Okay, okay, you know something I've always
curious about. The organization's been around one hundred and twenty years,
these different programs. Are they do they how much? Because
I've always said even with the radio, they have a
consultant some they use if they still do anymore. But
I used to think to myself, how can they tell
us about what music should be playing when they don't
(19:07):
live around here and they don't know the culture of
the area. And it's not just radio, it's it's all
kinds of stuff out there. Because they're a national organization,
do you have to do your own programs and they
approve them, or do they have things in place?
Speaker 2 (19:21):
We don't need to have any approval, So what is
in place? And that's the beauty of being an affiliated agency.
Is our base model. The one to one mentoring is
applied across the board. They say one to one relationship,
Now we do. We are working on building a one
to one plus mentorship program that's focused on leadership where
(19:43):
multiple youth will connect with a few volunteers. But that's
going to be a unique program in response to specific needs,
and we haven't completely flushed that out yet.
Speaker 1 (19:51):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (19:52):
Predominantly the one to one program, you know, that is
a service delivery model that is determined by national We
track metro that is determined by the national agency. But
in terms of the programming, we get to decide what
programs or initiatives are best for our communities. And there
might be a county where the program is not the
(20:12):
best fit.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
What do you have to know about your community?
Speaker 2 (20:15):
Well, luckily we have staff that live in these communities
and work in these communities. So our York staff live
in New York Region. Yes, are at our York office.
Our Lebanon staff live and live in a county. Our
Lancaster staff live in Lancaster County. Now that's not a
hard line. We do have staff that live in different
communities and support you know, different counties, but predominantly we
(20:37):
turn to our staff who live in those counties to
find out what the needs are. They're the ones that
have those relationships with those school districts. They're the ones
that visit the school districts in person. They connect with
the parents and the littles in person. They learn what
the kids are asking for, what the needs the parents
are looking for. What how can we fulfill those needs
that we're able to be very flexible in the programs
(20:59):
that we provide and make sure that they're tailored to
suit not just the community, but the specific school district
or the specific child.
Speaker 1 (21:07):
Wow, that's I think that's fantastic. Okay, you need some cash, kiddo.
It's that time again? Right?
Speaker 2 (21:14):
Is that time again?
Speaker 1 (21:15):
That The event that kind of boosted you guys was
the Bowling for Kids Sake that's coming up pretty much.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
That's been at over forty year plus events. It is
our signature events and it is so much fun. So
bull for Kids Sake is held multiple dates throughout March
and April. Is an opportunity for our individuals or community members,
our companies, organizations, clubs to get together raise some funds,
(21:42):
come out and have a big bowling party.
Speaker 1 (21:45):
How else can we help you out?
Speaker 2 (21:47):
Well, first of all, both for kids sake, registration is open.
Speaker 1 (21:50):
Okay, So like when's it gonna happen. You can find
all this out on the website. Now, did you change
your our websites?
Speaker 2 (21:58):
Not changed yet? Okay, so it will be, but that's
a couple of months out.
Speaker 1 (22:02):
Okay, So still go to cap big stat org correct ce,
ap b I g S dot org and you can
find the schedule there. You can find uh in what
towns it's going on at different places. You can start,
can't You used to have it online where you could.
Speaker 2 (22:19):
Fundraising, So you can register online start your fundraising. There
is no registration fees, so you just go on get
your team registered. That's always the best thing because our
lanes can fill out very quickly. So the sooner you
get your your you know, your lane registered, or you
contact us with a company that wants to do you know,
five lanes reserved and have like a team building day,
(22:40):
sooner the better.
Speaker 1 (22:41):
Well, you know, it's cool because the way you're so
involved with the businesses and community and they've been oh
my god, they're.
Speaker 2 (22:47):
So supporting incredibly.
Speaker 1 (22:48):
And I was on the site a couple of weeks ago,
and I know Deloitte is one of your big They've
been helping you guys there in so many ways.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
They have mentors who are beyond school Walls program.
Speaker 1 (23:00):
And I'm looking down the list of the people that
raise the most money and I say, Kelly new Way.
I know Kelly. She's my girlfriend's daughter in law, and
she's an angel. Kelly's the best. And I thought, there's Kelly.
She's real involved at work. She's raising two gorgeous daughters
and her husband Michael, And Kelly's raising all this money
(23:23):
for you when you're getting it done.
Speaker 2 (23:26):
I don't know, but she is fantastic, just like so
many of our volunteers to come out and support. You know,
they know the difference that this makes to the kids.
Oh they know that the positive impact that this can have.
So we always love having the come out and support us.
You know, we probably have some seven hundred people who
come out each year to support. I mean we have,
(23:47):
you know, eight events scheduled. It's a lot of people.
Speaker 1 (23:50):
Are you gonna do it York in Adams County?
Speaker 2 (23:52):
We were actually gonna definitely do it in York, Okay,
but I don't have the location for that yet. I
do know we are again at ab See West and Mechanicsburg,
at Midway Bowl in Carlisle, Palmyra Bowling and Palmyra Palmyra
and two to two Dutch Lanes in Lancaster County.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
In effort, I believe, and I'll tell you what, people
that get companies that get their employees involved in that.
All you have to do is look at Linda Johnson,
renol By Anderson. Those employees are so they love it,
they love their jobs. It changes morale in the businesses.
And if you if I can't, I've tried to sell
out this idea of different people. If you don't care
(24:30):
about the cause, it puts you, it exposes you. It's
great in pr.
Speaker 2 (24:34):
Yeah, and it's fantastic. I mean last year at bof
Kids Sake, you know, we had our presenting sponsor, Hershey's
Chocolate World came out and was an incredible support at
the Palmyra Bowling event we had we did have Hershey's
chocolate at the event and we had I believe one
of our top prizes was actually a basket of Hershey's chocolate.
(24:56):
Wow for one of our top fundraising teams, and then
we had the giant Company I believe was the There
were five teams that were like the top fundraiser for
the event. I don't have the number in my head,
but I'm quite certain they raised over like ten k
just those five they were they went all out.
Speaker 1 (25:14):
Wow, it was.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
It was at least several thousand dollars that they raised.
Now we don't ask that of our teams, but we
love it when it happens.
Speaker 1 (25:21):
You have a goal and you meet it every year
exactly beyond it.
Speaker 2 (25:25):
And this year we have a big goal because we
now have added your adems, we are adding the number
of youth that we're serving. So our goal is to
raise two hundred and fifty thousand dollars this year. So
that's that's a significant increase from last year, and I
believe we will. I know, you know, we ask each
of our teams to raise a minimum five hundred dollars.
Speaker 1 (25:44):
That's not a lot of money.
Speaker 2 (25:45):
That's not a lot of money. That's all. We ask
five people one hundred dollars each. It's manageable. And you know,
we have some teams go way above and beyond that point.
Speaker 1 (25:53):
That's wonderful. Well, you know what, there's something I think
it's important. I tell people about this all the time.
E IT text credits for businesses.
Speaker 2 (26:00):
Yeah, explain. So that is eitc it's Educational Improvement tax credits.
So this is an opportunity for companies to make a
donation and receive a tax credit. So they make a
donation to a qualifying nonprofit and we qualify under I
believe it's EIO isioh.
Speaker 1 (26:20):
Yeah, it feels like.
Speaker 2 (26:21):
That, which is an educational improvement organization exactly. And so
those dollars go directly to support our High School BIGS
programming and are beyond School Walls program and our High
School BIGS Leadership program which IT significantly supports. So we've
facilitated that program for over thirty years throughout school districts
(26:43):
in the region, and for our twenty twenty four to
twenty five school year, we have twenty high School BIGS
programs supporting over seven hundred youth.
Speaker 1 (26:52):
How long you been working there? I think.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
I have not been working there years.
Speaker 1 (26:58):
And you know what you're ss no, but you love it.
Speaker 2 (27:01):
It's like these children, Oh, I love hearing all the stories.
Let me I do actually have a story. From a
high school big so real, quick so big sister, Aaron,
She said, when I first met Sophia, it's her little
she was very shy and quiet, and talking with her
and getting to know her, she came out of her
shell and began standing up for herself. Oh see that
(27:24):
was high school, big area I have.
Speaker 1 (27:26):
There's so many ways it changes these children's lives, and
it doesn't take all that much if you're not asking
for a whole one.
Speaker 2 (27:33):
Just asking you to lend a listening ear and to
be a friend.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (27:37):
The website again is catbigs dot org, c ap b igs.
Speaker 1 (27:42):
Dot org and watch for the change and big Brothers
are big brothers at the Bowling for Kids Sake starts when.
Speaker 2 (27:49):
It starts in March. I believe March twenty second is
our first date. I may have that wrong. So just
please visit our website. It's on our homepage, and you know,
sign up, click on the Bull for Kid's Sake image
and get your team registered. A SAP and a quick note.
Last year we were recognized by Harrisburg Magazine simply the
(28:10):
best for our both for Kid's Sake event that right,
it is so if you have a quick moment to
jump onto Harrisburg Magazine and nominated us again.
Speaker 1 (28:18):
We would love that you're so shy. They need you,
They need somebody like you. You're gonna be there forever.
Is there anything that you need at this point that
you were like to ask?
Speaker 2 (28:30):
I think mostly just you're always looking for volunteers. We
are always looking for volunteers. Our both for kid's sake,
event is coming up, and if you've got a minute,
jump on social media. It is National Mentoring Month. Do
a shout out to your mentor who in your life
has made a difference or you know, don't jump on
social media, give them a call.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
That's right. I was gonna do that with John bon Jobi.
Do you think he'll answer? I don't know.
Speaker 2 (28:56):
Do you even have his number?
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Christina, Christina Schultz, you know what you have? This a
little I don't know if it's your mantra up, but
it says become a mentor. It takes little to be big.
Speaker 2 (29:09):
It does. I love that it takes just a little
bit of time.
Speaker 1 (29:13):
Awesome, Christina's thank you for coming in. Christina is the
marketing communications manager with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of
South Central PA. And I'll throw this in. She's the
girl pushes people off the building. I'm in October. There
you go. We'll be back to talk about with safety. Okay,
don't forget that you can catch insight every Sunday on
a nar ten I Heard Stations, or anytime on your
(29:34):
favorite podcast stapp. I'm Sylvia Moss. This has been insight.
Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.
Speaker 3 (29:40):
I'm a beautiful park you'll never see. I'm a crippled
road that'll go untouched. I'm a public school waiting for
funding that isn't coming. Oh, a Dolphin County foster kid,
and I'm costing you a brighter future because you're ignoring mine.
Speaker 1 (29:57):
When we fail them, we all feel it. Change the
narrative for hundreds of Dauphin County foster.
Speaker 3 (30:03):
Kids by donating to the court appointed Special Advocates.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
Donate to day at Change their Narrative dot org
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