January 2009 Newsletter
We encourage all "Bigs" to consider printing this newsletter
to share with their “Littles” if they do not receive it electronically.
New CEO
Holiday Party Recap
Donor Thank You
Poker Tournament
Shop for BBBSBA
Calendar of Events
Match Anniversaries
BBBSBA is delighted to announce the appointment of Marcia Hodges as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective January 5, 2009.
Marcia brings with her a wealth of nonprofit knowledge, leadership, experience with youth development…and a unique history: from 1983 – 1998, Marcia served as Executive Director for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the East Bay (prior to the consolidation of the three Bay Area BBBS chapters to form BBBSBA). In her fifteen years at BBBS East Bay, Marcia earned a stellar reputation as an exceptionally capable and committed leader who brought tremendous passion and energy to the agency. She left BBBS 10 years ago to pursue expanded leadership roles with other environmental and youth-focused non-profits, including her most recent position as Chief Operating Officer for the YMCA of the East Bay.
Throughout her non-profit career, the staff, Board members and volunteers at the organizations she has served have praised her dedication to serving at-risk youth in the Bay Area – which was a key consideration for her role as director of an expanded BBBS agency:
"I'm very honored and excited to be back with Big Brothers Big Sisters!” It feels familiar, and yet, this is not the same organization as when I left over 10 years ago. Learning that BBBSBA today has more than 500 volunteers waiting to be matched is highly unusual and is a sign of how far the agency has come. Years ago, our greatest challenge had been finding volunteers to serve as mentors. Now our challenge is to expand our financial resources so that we can match these volunteers who have generously offered their time and services to mentor a child. With nearly 1,000 Littles waiting for a Big Brother or Sister, the case for support is very compelling! The cost for us to make and support a match in the first year is less than $2,000; a minor investment to be able to make a deep, positive impact on a child that can transform their life – and transform our community in the process. I am highly motivated to help raise BBBSBA’s visibility in the community and raise the additional funding needed to begin clearing our waiting lists. This is a challenge that can and will be met when we all work together to make a difference for Bay Area kids!”
Marcia’s direct and comprehensive experience with Big Brothers Big Sister, her passion for the work, and her demonstrated qualities of leadership will serve the organization well in the coming years. The staff and board of BBBSBA are thrilled to welcome her to the team – and we hope you will feel free to join us in welcoming Marcia to the agency! She can be e-mailed directly at mhodges@bbbsba.org and is looking forward to hearing from you.
On December 14th, The San Francisco Elks Club of San Francisco very generously hosted their 15th Annual Holiday Party for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area. 300 Bigs and Littles from all five counties joined us for this wonderful agency tradition. The day was full of good food, games, entertainment, and friendship – and even a visit from Santa!
Throughout the day, Bigs and Littles enjoyed playing carnival games, such as ring-toss, basketball, or competing against other each other in Connect Four. Younger kids participated in a thrilling game of Bingo hosted by volunteer “Bingo Master” Jonathan Stein, a regular at the BBBSBA holiday party. Teenage Littles were treated to two amazing hip hop dance performances by “Inspired to Move” and “Silhouette” dance troupes from Santa Clara County.
Of course, this year’s Holiday Party could not have happened without the ongoing and generous support of the Elks Lodge, Toys for Tots, and all our wonderful volunteers. A special thanks also goes to Picaboo, who provided a gift cards for all of our Bigs in attendance. For those matches who were unable to attend the Holiday Party, we look forward to seeing you at our next match event this spring!
Many people had to make tough choices when considering their annual charitable giving this season. BBBSBA recognizes that there are many worthwhile causes to support, and that the economic downturn made it harder than ever for many to make donations this year. Therefore, our agency is very grateful to the many generous donors who were able to make made an end-of-year gift to BBBSBA this holiday season! Without a doubt, your support has made a huge impact on our ability to meet the ever-growing need for mentoring in the Bay Area.
In addition to those who made personal gifts this season, some donors found new and creative ways to support BBBSBA. Big Brother Adam Handlos, who works for PriceWaterhouseCoopers, learned that his company was providing an opportunity for employees to nominate nonprofit organizations for a charitable year-end gift. Adam made sure that BBBSBA was one of the organizations nominated and thanks to his advocacy and nominating efforts, BBBSBA received a generous gift from PWC in December!
Other donors identified a special community need and helped us to meet it; Mindy and Jesse Rogers, whose family has generously donated both their time and financial resources to support BBBSBA for many years, have two high school-aged daughters serving as Big Sisters through our program at Sacred Heart Prep (San Mateo County). The Rogers Family knew first-hand what a positive impact the program has made on their community. But Mindy and Jesse recognized that BBBSBA would require additional resources to be able to expand its school-based mentoring programs, and understood that this year’s tough economy meant that financial support would be needed more than ever. So last month, the Rogers family made a very generous donation; they made their 2nd gift in two years to underwrite the cost of a Partnership Coordinator to help the agency to involve more high-school students as mentors - a gift that will enable BBBSBA to match more children in our school-based programs!
We want to thank Adam Handlos, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, The Rogers Family, and each and every one of the many generous donors who made a gift this year – BBBSBA is very grateful for your committed support!
If you would like join the many wonderful donors in support of our mentoring services, you can contribute on-line at www.bbbsba.org, mail a check to BBBSBA, or contact our Chief Development Officer Joanne Gold at jgold@bbbsba.org.
Deal Yourself In for the 3rd Annual LUCKY CHANCES
Texas Hold 'em Poker Tournament!
Lucky Chances Casino in S. San Francisco is hosting its 3rd annual Poker Tournament to benefit BBBSBA on Saturday, January 24th. Seats are still available so if you hurry you can still join in the fun! And 100% of your entry fee will be donated to benefit BBBSBA! Click here to register!
You don’t need to be a card shark to participate; this tournament is geared for both the amateur as well as the expert poker player alike. One of last year’s winners, Richard Chiu, even confessed to us that he doesn’t have much of a poker face!
Rich tells us that he first found out about the annual tournament from a Big Sister. “At the time, I wasn't involved with BBBSBA,” he said, “but I liked poker and thought I'd give it a try, especially since it was for a great cause.” He had such a great time at the event in 2007 that he participated again in 2008 – and won the Tournament! And in the process, Rich even decided to expand his involvement with BBBSBA by becoming a Big Brother. But Rich was sure to keep his poker hobby separate from his mentoring relationship “I didn't want to encourage any interest in poker on my Little Brother’s part (he's 9)... but Gilbert was very happy for me!”
Who will win this year’s tournament? Bay Area kids, will certainly win, as 100% of the event proceeds are donated to BBBSBA. But one lucky adult will get to win a $5,000 cash prize – Will it be YOU? Click here to register for the event TODAY as registration will close by 12 noon on Friday January 23rd…and we’ll hope to see you on the Saturday, January 24th!
An East Bay couple’s company has channeled their pride for President-elect Barack Obama into the launch of a commemorative glassware collection, “The Inspire and Aspire Series”. Adorned with a 22-carat image of Obama, his signature and the Presidential seal, these collectibles capture the significance of Obama’s inspirational road to the White House. And to honor President-elect Obama’s commitment to community-building and service, the company will be donating 10% of the profits from the glassware collection to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area!Please visit www.presidentialglassware.com to order your piece of history today and support Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Bay Area through your purchase of this elegant, commemorative glassware!
January 24th
3rd Annual Lucky Chances Poker Tournament
South San Francisco
January 27th
Mentoring 101 Training – 6-7:30 pm
Milpitas
February 8th
BBBSBA Day at the Warriors vs. Utah Jazz
Oracle Arena, Oakland
And Don’t Forget to Save the Date…
April 2nd
The Big Event Dinner Auction
The Palace Hotel, San Francisco
For more information, call your Match Support Specialist or contact BBBSBA at 415-503-4050.
