IN THIS ISSUE
Rededication On March 11th, we rededicated the E. David Woycik Jr. Building. Photo Gallery on page 3
Scholarship Four Littles in our program were awarded the Jeff Grant, Glenn Trovato and Michael J. Weisbrod Scholarship. Find out who on page 2!
Agency Events April 28th is our annual Walk for Kids’ Sake presented by GEICO. Registration info on page 2.
big news spring 2012
A publication of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island
2012 Bigs of the Year
Volunteer Appreciation Dinner, celebrating our Bigs On Tuesday, April 17, we celebrated our Bigs and over 25,000 cumulative hours of time and energy spent annually to positively impact the lives of children on Long Island.
George Carrillo’s Little Brother Manuel wrote in his speech, “George is always interested in my ideas and what I have to say. . . This makes me feel supported and understood.”
“Each of you here tonight continues to make a difference,” remarked Susan Samaroo, COO of BBBSLI. “Together we are starting something big on Long Island.”
Little Sister Joanna said about her Big Sister, Pat, “Whenever Pat comes to pick me up, she always says, ‘Today will be an adventure!’ I want to thank Pat for being a part of my life.”
College Big of the Year Hofstra University Mentoring Program George Carrillo Big Sister of the Year Patricia Casella of Northport, NY Matched since 2005 Big Brother of the Year Robert Young of Locust Valley, NY Matched since 2007
Big Brother of the Year Robert Young’s Little Brother is away at Arizona State University, and his mom, Donna, spoke on their behalf. “There is no denying Bob’s time, energy, kindness and influence on my son has greatly contributed to making him the happy and thriving young adult that he is today.”
From top left to bottom: Big Brother of the Year Bob Young and Donna, mother of Little Brother Christian; Big Sister of the Year Pat Casella and Little Sister Joanna; College Big of the Year, George Carrillo Photo credit First Frames Photography
From the COO Happy Spring! In January, we launched the ‘It’s Your Turn’ recruitment campaign featuring our very own Big Brothers. In hopes of completing 100 interviews with potential male volunteers by September, we challenged the community to become Bigs themselves or share the message with friends and family. However, we have only reached 20% of our goal and we are almost halfway to September. We have a growing waitlist of Little Brothers. Now, it’s your turn- will you share this message? I recently read a note from a Little Brother to his Big. He wrote, “Thank you for all the times we went out and had a great time. You say it’s no big deal- but it is.” Changing lives is a big deal. With your continued support we can start something big here on Long Island and continue to make a difference in the lives of those children and families who need us most. Why not join us this Saturday at our Walk for Kids’ Sake at Jones Beach? Registration info is on page 2. Or, check out our match highlights online to see what mentoring is all about. Perhaps you could be a ‘big deal’ to a child on our waiting list.
spring 2012 bbbsli.org