Andy, with just 5 days left in our fiscal year, we’re feeling optimistic — but we know we still have a long way to go to reach our goal!

This year, we have been able to make a BIG impact; for the young people we help connect to a positive adult mentor; the caretakers who turn to Big Brothers Big Sisters in hopes of finding a supportive village to help empower their communities of young people; and the people who value and support mentorship because they know the power it has to impact society for the better.

Alongside you, Andy, we’ve achieved some huge milestones:

• Like releasing groundbreaking economic impact research that reveals the real, tangible benefits associated with Big Brothers Big Sisters mentorship, like participating youth experiencing a 15% boost in earnings by age 25 and are 20% more likely to attend college.
• We welcomed back Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater New Orleans for the first time since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, allowing us to expand access to mentorship to more young people across the country in need of a supportive adult mentor.
• The Launch of the National Youth Council — For the first time ever, we launched an initiative aimed at providing young people a platform to showcase their leadership and ensure our programs are guided by youth voice. 15 young leaders joined our inaugural council, representing 15 local agencies and communities across the country.

And we’ve been able to partner with some of our favorite brands to launch award winning campaigns that highlight youth voice:

• In partnership with NFL Inspire, we exceeded our goal of recruiting 10,000 new mentors by 4,000 during the NFL Draft.
• We also accepted two Engage for Good HALO awards for our brand partnerships with Ulta Beauty and Macy’s.
• Big Brothers Big Sisters was named one of the most trusted brands in America by Morning Consult.
• Finally, our list of Game Changing supporters keeps growing, this year welcoming inspiring Game Changers Kardea Brown, Jordin Sparks, and Aloe Blacc to the fold.

This work continues only if we do it together!

Connie Siu Guinn
Senior Director, Advancement and Major Giving