Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area

The Bay Area is abuzz with Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations! We're excited to eat mooncakes and gather with our loved ones to celebrate the vibrancy of our many Asian communities. If you're looking for a fun activity for your Match or family this weekend, there are lots of Mid-Autumn Festival events happening all over the Bay, including San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Fremont, and more! There'll be food, music, arts and crafts vendors, and lion dancing! #BBBSBA #MidAutumnFestival

On Tuesday, several of our Matches got the exclusive chance to shop in the brand new San Mateo Nordstrom Rack with $400 gift cards, courtesy of Nordstrom! We are so grateful for our continued partnership in giving our Littles these memorable experiences. Big Jeff says, "Jeremy and I had such a fun time at the Nordstrom Shopping event yesterday! What an AWESOME experience for my Little!" Little Jeremy even offered Jeff a chance to participate in the shopping spree, which really warmed Jeff's heart. Opportunities like this give our Matches a chance to enjoy unique activities together, deepening their bond. #BBBSBA #ThankYou #NordstromPartner #NordstromRack

This #WaitingWednesday, meet Drew. He's been on our waitlist for 7 months, hoping to find a great Big Brother near Oakland. Drew has an older brother with an awesome Big, so he's looking forward to having one of his own. If you or someone you know would make a great Big Brother to Drew, learn more about volunteering as a mentor at our regular virtual info session: https://lnkd.in/ea7JWCDT #BBBSBA #WaitingLittle

We're always excited to hear from and feature our many alumni Littles. Today, meet Adanna—sophomore at Cal Poly, 2023 Ezrati Scholar, and very accomplished student! 🌟 Adanna is looking forward to her bright future, and we're so proud of her! If you're an Alumni Little, we'd love to hear from you! Reach out at [email protected] and let us know how you're doing. #BBBSBA #AlumniLittle

60+ boys are on our waitlist waiting for a positive role model. We're sharing some of their stories in hopes that we'll find the right Big Brothers for each one of them. Today, meet Johnny (name changed for child privacy). He's 12 years old and has been waiting for his Big for over a year. A few years ago, Johnny's father passed away, so his stepmom hopes that he can have a positive male role model through the BBBSBA program. Johnny loves fishing, baseball, and video games. If you or someone you know would make a great Big Brother to Johnny, learn more about volunteering as a mentor at our regular virtual info session: https://lnkd.in/ea7JWCDT #BBBSBA #WaitingLittle

We're excited and proud to announce that Mark McGowan has joined the BBBSBA Board of Directors. Mark is a 20-plus year sales, finance and client management professional who brings deep experience in these sectors. He has a passion for serving his community both through his new role on our board and his ongoing board service with an organization that provides scholarships for African American students. Please give Mark a very warm welcome! 👏💚 Mark says, "I’m excited to join the board of Big Brothers Big Sisters Bay Area. It has always been my belief that we are meant to share our talent, knowledge and experience to serve others, and BBBS is a phenomenal organization supporting youth across the Bay Area. I look forward to the great work ahead. Mentorship helps us to see and develop the potential in all of us.” #BBBSBA #NewBoardMember

This year, Big Brothers Big Sisters is celebrating 120 years of life-changing 1-to-1 mentoring relationships. THANK YOU to everyone who has been a part of the #BBBSBA community. Bigs, Littles, supporters, and families—you are all part of the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area story! #BBBSMonth is the perfect time to join us and #BeBig. We're in the middle of a campaign to recruit more Big Brothers in Antioch, Vallejo, Hayward, Richmond, and Oakland—will you make a difference in a local kid's life today? If you or someone you know lives near these cities and would make a great Big, learn more at our regular virtual info sessions: https://lnkd.in/ea7JWCDT This month, we're also launching a recruitment campaign for Little Sisters across the Bay, particularly in Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose. There are so many supportive, caring women volunteers waiting to provide extra support for young girls in our community. If you know a girl aged 8-17 struggling with confidence or mental health, enroll them to get a Big today: https://lnkd.in/gsEX7irn

Last Thursday, our Associate Board and team partnered with Diversified Restaurant Group to hold a fundraiser at Taco Bell Cantina in Danville. It was a wonderful opportunity to connect with our community, talk with Bigs and donors, and enjoy the very fun music DJ'd by our Associate Board vice chair John Badstubner, CNP! Huge thank you to James Aman and the Taco Bell Cantina Danville team for their generosity in putting this event together. #BBBSBA #CommunityEvent

Last week, our team members got to connect with other West Coast agencies at the Big Brothers Big Sisters Regional Conference in Portland, Oregon. We were excited to pick up new ideas for enhancing the volunteer experience, tackling tough conversations, using our resources more effectively, and having a blast with our team. The connections and insights we gained have us all energized and ready to bring these valuable learnings and fresh perspectives to our work! #BBBSBA #BBBSRegionalConference #BiggerTogether #BeBig