COACHES CORNER
V O L U M E 9, I S S U E 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
JANUARY IS NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH!
January is National Mentoring Month, and 2018 marks 30 years of Big sharing experiences, exploring new interests, and as you spend time Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley creating and supporting learning about each other, the mentoring happens. quality mentoring relationships in our community. One in three kids Whether you’ve been matched with your Little for a few weeks, a few in our community lives in a months, or a few years, single parent household. take a moment to reflect Thanks to our Bigs, hundreds on the time you’ve spent of local youth can say that together. When your they have a mentor! Little has had a rough day, and they’re crabby, But, do you ever wonder if but you’re still there and you’re actually making a willing to spend time with difference? As adults, when we them, that is how you are think of being a “mentor” we a trusted friend. When might feel a little overwhelmed your Little works hard, by the formality of the word. does great on a test, and From Big Brothers Big Sisters’ you bring them an extra perspective, Bigs have a few special treat, that is being main roles: be a trusted adult a positive role model. friend, have fun, be a positive When your Little joins the role model, have fun, be a soccer team and you nurturer of possibilities, and… cheer for them at their have fun. Looking back to your game, that is being a childhood, it’s likely that you nurturer of possibilities. can think of someone who When you’ve had the played each of these roles for opportunity to laugh and you. Someone who spent oneshare experiences, new on-one time with you doing activities you were interested in, talked or routine, that is successful mentoring. to you about goals, friendships, and the challenges of being a kid, exposed you to new things, encouraged you to build on your From the BBBSMV team, THANK YOU for choosing to spend time with strengths, and, together, you HAD FUN. A mentor through Big your Little, and fulfilling the role of “mentor” through fun, shared Brothers Big Sisters does that exact same thing. Being a Big means experiences! Please share your story to inspire others to join in the hanging out with a child who wants and needs someone to talk to fun!
Be a friend to a child! Find out more today!
www.bbbsmv.org
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
JANUARY IS NATIONAL MENTORING MONTH CAREER NAVIGATORS—GERMAN HERITAGE MUSEUM BIG/LITTLE TRAINING RAVE ABOUT YOUR LITTLE: LEXI BIGS’ NIGHT OUT—JANUARY 18 DEAR MATCH COACH—MY LITTLE IS SHY HOLIDAY GIFT PROGRAM—A BIG THANKS CRAFT ACTIVITIES FOR JANUARY
PUTT-A-ROUND AND MATCH NIGHT SNOWBIRD SOFTBALL CLASSIC TOURNAMENT BIG IDEA WORKSHOP—REGISTER NOW! AMERICORPS POSITIONS OPEN CELEBRATE JANUARY MATCH ANNIVERSARIES SOUTHERN MENTORING CENTER—JANUARY WHITESIDE COUNTY UPDATE—JANUARY COMMUNITY CALENDAR—JANUARY
COACHES CORNER VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
BIG LITTLE TRAINING FOR NEW MATCHES Monday, January 15, 5:30—7:00 p.m. BBBS Office, 130 W. 5th St. Davenport
If you have been matched for less than 6 months, this training is for you!
We would like to invite you and your Little to our Big and Little Training. We will learn more about the mentoring process, the resources that are available through BBBS, and have some fun activities. We hope to see you there! Please RSVP to Katie: kzick@bbbs-mv.org or Lindsay: lmercer@bbbs-mv.org
There are close to 250 children waiting to be matched! Please ask your friends and co-workers if they would like to find out more about becoming a Big!
www.bbbsmv.org/volunteer
VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
RAVE ABOUT YOUR LITTLE: LEXI
Little Sister, Lexi, wowed the crowd, and her Big Sister, Georgene Zust, at her recent Festival of Trees dance performance. Great job, Lexi!
COACHES CORNER J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
BUILDING COURAGE FOR 2018 Thursday, Jan. 18, 5:30-7:30 pm Club Davenport, 11th floor Come and meet other Bigs and discover new ways you can build courage and confidence in yourself and your Little. Bigs are encouraged to bring a guest who wants to learn more about BBBS and maybe get the courage to sign up to Become A Big. We will reveal information about a new BBBS fundraiser coming in August of 2018—and you won’t want to miss it! No cost to attend. Light appetizers served. Cash bar available.
Sponsored by: Davenport Noon Optimists Club
SIGN UP: news@bbbs-mv.org
DEAR MATCH COACH: MY LITTLE DOESN’T TALK VERY MUCH How can I get her to talk more? Shyness is especially common at the beginning of a relationship, but even prolonged silence is not necessarily an indication that you’re not connecting. Some young people will simply enjoy your company without saying much about it. Silence is okay, and you might learn to feel more comfortable with it if you discover that your Little is just a quiet person. When you begin talking with your Little, try to avoid bombarding him/her with a lot of questions that require a yes or no response. Instead, use open-ended questions and share anecdotes about your own feelings and experiences. By stopping to ask, “Can you think of anything that made you feel the same way?” or “Do you have any advice for me?” you can build trust and identify similarities between the two of you.
build
COACHES CORNER VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
HOLIDAY GIFT PROGRAM. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP.
Thanks to wonderful community support, the holidays were made a whole lot brighter for many different BBBS families! Big Brothers Big Sisters offers its sincere gratitude to the following companies and families for their generous gifts this season: Deloitte Modern Woodman Bettendorf Police Department DMW Design Petersen Plumbing & Heating Co. Main at Locust Pharmacy Ruhl Commercial Hagen Family Susan McVay Joyce Willers
JANUARY CRAFT ACTIVITIES Butterflies: Supplies: Cupcake liners Clothespin Glue Glitter
Directions: Open 2 cupcake liners and fold in half. Then fold them again and glue them together so it looks like a bow tie. Clip clothespin over cupcake liners and add strip of glue on top. Sprinkle on some pretty glitter and add some string for antennas if you want to.
Note holders: Supplies: Smooth Rocks Copper Wire Needle Nose Pliers Acrylic Paint Mod Podge
Directions: Paint the rocks a solid color. You may need a few coats With a small brush, add in some patterns Once the paint is dry, add a layer of Mod Podge. Wrap the wire around a pen or marker a few times to make some loops. Wrap the rest of the wire around the stone. Stick a photo in between the loops to hold it upright.
VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
COACHES CORNER J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
13TH ANNUAL PUTT-A-ROUND: REGISTER TODAY! d! o o t f rizes! a e Gr e p ts! Rafflontes open C bar ft! h shi r on s a C ach h ba ht) e o cas h Nig (n
tc
Ma
Putt-A-Round 2018
Presented
Match Night: Tuesday, January 30 5:30—7:30 pm (FREE for current Bigs and Littles only. Bigs, if you have a friend who might want to become a Big, let us know. We can match them for the night to a waiting-list child. Email Sarah at swalker@bbbs-mv.org if you have a friend in mind!) REGISTER FOR MATCH NIGHT using SignUp Genius or email news@bbbs-mv.org.
Public Play: Wed.—Fri., Jan. 31-Feb. 2 (7 shifts, $100 per team) Great River Hall RiverCenter, Downtown Davenport
Match Night for Bigs and Littles
Meet Miss Iowa Chelsea Dubczak at Putt-A-Round Match
www.puttaround.org Register a paid team of 4, by January 12 for a chance to win a Lexus, Kansas City weekend get-away! Sponsored by:
REGISTER YOUR TEAM TODAY AT WWW.PUTTAROUND.ORG
COACHES CORNER VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
GET YOUR TEAM TOGETHER! PLAY SNOWBIRD! Snowbird Softball Classic Men’s Tournament: Fri.-Sun., Jan. 26-28, 2018 (register by 1/24/18) Co-Ed Tournament: Fri.-Sat., Feb. 2-3, 2018* (register by 1/31/18) * If you are interested in playing on the BBBS team, contact Jaime at jkeller@bbbs-mv.org
Hosted by:
Sponsored by:
Big Idea Workshop
Emotional Intelligence = Engaging Employees A great professional development opportunity right here in the Quad Cities! Thursday, March 1, 8 a.m. to noon Presented by:
Rhythm City Casino and Resort, Davenport Workshop Presenters:
Dr. Emily Stuckenbruck
Fran Zeuli
Mike Veeck
Limited seating! To register now, go to www.bbbsmv.org/bigideaworkshop
COACHES CORNER
V O L U M E 9, I S S U E 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
PART-TIME AMERICORPS POSITIONS AVAILABLE AT BBBS! PART-TIME (900 HOUR A YEAR) POSITIONS are now available at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley located in downtown Davenport, IA. A 900 hour AmeriCorps position offers:
Living Stipend: $6,678 Education Award: $2,907.50 A unique, hands-on experience in social and human services . Funding for education expenses. Professional development. Networking and making connections.
Areas of service include Elementary, Middle and High School Program Specialists*, Volunteer Enrollment Specialist*, Customer Service Relations Specialist+ (* Bachelor’s Degree required within service contract. + Bachelor’s Degree preferred.)
For more information contact Kim, Jaime, Sarah or Jay at 563-323-8006 or email jjustin@bbbs-mv.org
A perfect transition for a recent college graduate in social services, education, psychology or recreation.
CELEBRATE JANUARY MATCH ANNIVERSARIES! Little’s First Name
Andrea Renee Kamren Preston George Colin Courtney Aevion Jaevion Jamarion Alauna Brianna Addyson Harley D'vonte Brianna Avianna Skyelynne Serenity Mariah
Big’s First Name
Big’s Last Name
Years Matched
Little’s First Name
Beth Julie Dan Blake Rob Joe Kathy Joseph Nathan Dave Cindy Laurie Anji Brenda Bryn Devona Jolene Adrianna Leah Keyandra
Cook Landwehr Arickx Schaeffer Pearson Witter Doyle Wonio Kessler Howell Walls Benson Neil Heisch Lawrence White Roete Vargas Foss Harrington
9 7 7 7 6 6 6 4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2
JC-Leeyah Isabel Zakyra Jorja Eli Zac Dasia Allison Aleigha Miranda Emma Quanasia Kenneth Kimberly Madisyn La'Shiah Alyana (Aly) Ledora Katalyna Catlyn
Big’s First Name
Big’s Last Name
Years Matched
Kylie Angie Kaylyn Pam Steve Wesley
Howell Cleppe Maher Goodwin Endress Arnold
2 2 2 2 1 1
Allante Marlene Emily Alissa Sloane Heather James Emily Branden Tina Dawn Sarah Karen Abigail
Brooks Baltazor Lane Lowe Hugaert Blancke Schmidt Gwin Feist Solheim Williams Boudinot Koslick Adkisson
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
COACHES CORNER V O L U M E 8 , I S S U E 12
D E C E M B E R, 2 0 1 7
A FULL YEAR OF MAGIC AT THE SOUTHERN MENTORING CENTER 2017 was a spectacular year in Warren and McDonough Counties! we want to say CONGRATULATIONS!!! We made tons of new matches, built partnerships in the community, and served the needs (in a variety of ways) of the people. The community is truly behind us, we have outstanding volunteers, and the kids are really benefitting from our efforts. We’re changing lives for the better, forever! New Matches! In the last month we have made 5 new matches! These will be the final matches of 2017, capping off a banner year. All 5 of these great new volunteers are outstanding people, and we’re really happy to have them on our team. Big Brother Dennis recently retired after working at Bower for 25 years; he's a super dad and a super granddad; Little Brother DJ is a great kid and was so happy to meet Dennis that their match introduction turned into a match meeting: they sat on the floor together at the BBBS office playing Battleship! Big Sister Lauren is close friends with one of our "legacy families," the Horrells—Lauren saw Steve and Trish and Chandler have great relationships with their Littles, and felt it was time to sign up; Little Sister Ashlynn is also from one of our "legacy families," as she is the third sibling now in a CB match with us. Big Sister Courtney is a hometown kid, one of Macomb's Police Explorers, and a WIU student. She came to BBBS looking to help a child out, make a life a little better, and to give something back to her community; Little Sister Lilly came looking for a new friend, someone to spend time with and help with schoolwork, and she got just that. Big Sister McKenna is a Law Enforcement student at WIU, a Macomb Police Explorer, and came to BBBS looking to serve the kids of her community; Little Sister Jazlyn is the nicest kid, and is an outstanding reader, and was so happy to meet her new Big Sister. Big Sister Gaby is so friendly and positive it only took 5 minutes to win over Little Sister Lamiyah at the introduction, and a great friendship was born. To all 5 of these wonderful new matches we say CONGRATULATIONS!!! Also, we missed getting the photo at one of our November match introductions, so we want to recognize them now: Big Sister Carlee is an RPTA student at WIU, participates in all sorts of community service, and is an outstanding role model; Little Sister Chyianne has been matched once before, loves BBBS, and is a regular at our activities. We're very glad to have them both on our team, and
Delorean and Dennis Morrow
Ashlynn and Lauren Barrett
Jazlyn and McKenna Carbon
Lamiyah and Gaby Alcaraz
Chyianne and Carlee Fosco
Christmas Party Our Christmas party was on Sunday, December 6th, and we had a fantastic time! Face painting, fresh cookies, Santa, a real band (of WIU students), and gifts for every child. It could not have been any better! Gamma Phi Omega volunteered do all of the work, and we very much appreciate their support of the BBBS program. The WIU Brass Ensemble, an outstanding student group led by Dr. Randall Faust, serenaded us with beautiful Christmas music. AND we made exactly 120 “anonymous” Christmas cards for the residents at Heartland and Countryview Retirement Homes. BBBS is very proud of everyone who participated in our annual gift to the Macomb community! Happy Holidays, all!
Lilly and Courtney Neavear
Watch for the M.A.P.S. program coming soon!
COACHES CORNER VOLUME 9, ISSUE 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
WHAT’S HAPPENING IN WHITESIDE COUNTY: JANUARY Oh What Fun! A fun time was had by all at our annual Christmas party.
Educational Bigs Night Out Gain a better understanding of how stress, trauma and early childhood adversities influence the brain of a child as well as their education, behavior, and health throughout the lifespan.
Pizza Ranch- Community Impact Night Enjoy a great meal at Sterling Pizza Ranch on January 8th from 5-8pm. 10% of sales and all tips will benefit BBBS of Whiteside County! Match of The Month Beth and Lindsey are one of our newest matches. Both of these girls have spunky personalities and we can’t wait to watch them grow together. GO BIG for LITTLES 1st Annual Sand Volleyball Tournament We are excited to announce that BBBS of Whiteside County will be hosting a Sand Volleyball Tournament at Triple P BBQ in Rock Falls on Saturday, June 9th, 2018. This fun filled event will feature a minimum of 10 volleyball teams, great food and drinks, and exciting raffles. Sponsorship opportunities are now available. Team registrations will be available early spring. Contact Danielle Vance at dvance@bbbs-mv.org or call 815-716-8987 for more information on sponsorships at all levels.
Karla Belzer, University of Illinois Extension Extension Educator, Family Life Karla is the Family Life Educator for Unit 4, serving Carroll, Lee and Whiteside counties. BRAIN ARCHITECTURE GAME In the Brain Architecture Game, participants build brain structure based on foundational principles of neuro-science. Groups compete to build the strongest, most viable “brains” using simple materials, such as pipe cleaners, straws and weights. Brain builders must respond to the kinds of experiences that affect brain development, both positively and negatively—from responsive interaction with caregivers to maltreatment and poverty. Some brains will collapse under the weight of adversity; others reflect weaknesses from a series of adverse situations; others emerge strong and tall.
Tuesday, January 23 at 5:30 p.m. Come hungry! We will be serving tacos! BBBS Offices, 506 W. 4th Street, Suite 27 Sterling, IL 61081 RSVP by January 15 815-716-8987 Email: dvance@bbbs-mv.org www.bbbsmv.org
January Match Activities Putt-A-Round MATCH NIGHT: Play 24 uniquely designed and built indoor, mini-golf holes and enjoy free appetizers! Bring your Little! Tuesday, January 30, 5:30-7:30, Great River Hall, RiverCenter 136 E. 3rd Street, Davenport, IA. Read and Run: January 19th, 6-7:30pm Northside School Morrison
For more information about becoming a “Big” contact Danielle! dvance@bbbs-mv.org or call 815-716-8987
COACHES CORNER
V O L U M E 9, I S S U E 1
J A N U A R Y, 2 0 1 8
COMMUNITY CALENDAR—JANUARY SUNDAY
MONDAY
1
TUESDAY
2
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
3
4
FRIDAY
5 Bald Eagle Days
SATURDAY
6
Game Night Davenport Library
7 Bald Eagle Days
14
8
Crafting at the Library
15
9
10
11
12
Guided Nature Hike
13
CAREER NAVIGATOR TOUR—GERMAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
16
17
18
BIG / LITTLE TRAINING
ICE Stravaganza Community Yoga
19
20 Moana Movie Night
BIGS’ NIGHT OUT at the Hotel Blackhawk
21
22
23 Lego Night
24
28
29
30
31
MATCH NIGHT!
25
PUTT-A-ROUND
Bald Eagle Days
26
1 PUTT-A-ROUND 2
27
PUTT-A-ROUND
3
OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COMMUNITY! JANUARY Bald Eagle Days: Friday - Sunday, January 5-7 | QCCA Expo Center | The largest event in the Midwest dedicated to the United States’ national symbol of freedom featuring live eagle programs and live bird of prey demonstrations, along with over 100 display booths. Admission is $6 for adults and just $1 for children. For more information, visit qccaexpocenter.com.
provided for kids to create an adorable pinecone hedgehog. No registration required.
Game Night: Friday, January 5 at 3:30pm | Davenport Public Library Eastern Avenue | Enjoy favorite board games including classics like Clue, Life, and Scrabble. No registration required.
Free Community Yoga: Saturday, January 13 at 11am | TaxSlayer Center | Bring your yoga mat, water bottle, and positive energy to a free community yoga event for ages 8 and up!
Guided Nature Hike: Saturday, January 6 from 9-10am | Join a Naturalist for a guided hike along the trails at the Marsh. Hikes are offered on the first Saturday of the month and give visitors an opportunity to experience the environmental changes as the plants and wildlife adapt to the seasons. Whether you are a regular visitor or first-timer, there is always something to learn at experience at the Marsh. Free with a suggested donation of $5. For more information, visit nahantmarsh.org/event/guidednaturehike
Moana Movie Night: Saturday, January 20 at 5:15pm | Christ’s Family Church | Come with your beach towels, shorts, and whatever other summer gear you want to break up the winter a bit, if even just for the night! Admission is FREE, and there will be FREE food and popcorn available for everyone! Doors open at 5:00, movie starts at 5:15. Call (563) 359-3765 for more information.
Ice Stravaganza: Saturday, January 13 from 11am-4pm | Freight House Farmers Market | Icestravaganza offers FREE kids’ activities, featuring 10 different ice sculptures, visits from princesses, and Davenport Public Library story time.
Lego Night: Tuesday, January 23rd at 6pm | Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch | Come play with the library’s Crafting at the Library: Monday, January 8th at 4pm | thousands of Legos for an hour of free-build! The library Davenport Public Library Fairmount Branch | All materials are provides the bricks, you supply the imagination!