July 2013 coaches corner by Milepost Ventures, LLC

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Big Brothers Big Sisters 25th Anniversary Golf Outing

Fore! Sign up today!

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Current Matches, Past Bigs and Littles, families of Bigs and Littles, contributors, supporters and volunteers! REUNITE!

Big Brother Big Sister 25th Anniversary

Reunite Picnic

www.bbbs-mv.org (events)

Presented by:

Saturday, July 20th, 2013 6:30—7:30 a.m. registration Fyre Lake Golf Club Sherrard, IL

Modern Woodmen Park Saturday, July 20th 4:30 pm — 8:00 pm FREE OUTDOOR MOVIE 8:00—10:00 PM

Hole sponsorship and foursome. $1,200. DEADLINE: July 8th.

Picnic food provided by:

Foursomes: $600: Registrations accepted up to July 19th, based on availability. Each player will receive: Breakfast Box (provided by American Bank and Trust). Bloody Mary “Island” (sponsored by Mississippi River Distillery). Box Lunch (provided by Village Deli). Two beverage tickets (Beverage tent featuring Stern Beverage products— sponsored by Treiber Construction). Tee Gift Bag (sponsored by Hornbuckle Heating and Air Conditioning). Hole In One —Opportunity to win a $20,000 customized home entertainment Package (sponsored by Reference Audio And Video

Activities include: Target Station (pool noodles), Dunk Tank , Ring toss, Hula toss, Face Painting, Balloon Animals, Duck Pond Grab, Ping Pong Toss, Bulls Eye, Lucky Lollipops, Cup Switcheroo, Guess How Many, Sumo Wrestling, Bags, Kickball Game, Tractor Races, Hula Hoop Contest, Sack Races, 3-Legged Races. PRIZE RAFFLE! COST: $10 per match (current or past). $10 for “non-Big” individual. Plus, $2.00 per person for any additional guests To register: www.bbbs-mv.org (events) (by July 12th!) Or call your Match Coach!

Contact Kayla Kiesey: kkiesey@bbbs-mv.org

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

    

25th Anniversary Golf Outing Reunite 25th Anniversary Picnic Big Impact Award Winners Ask your Match Coach MENTOR LANE—Honor your “Little”

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Healthy Kids article and guide Money Wise Kids article Whiteside County Updates Go With the Flow —a Match closes Community Calendar

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YEARS

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LITTLE’S NAME

BIG’S NAME

Mia

Carol

Wilkinson

Sandra

Candice

Shamsie

Domingo

Mike

Erdmann

Cierra

Chelsey

McKee

Brittney

Heather

Schildwachter

Marissa

Susan

Denecke

Alexandria

Dawn

Marner

Jodie

Molly

Price

Kobe

Josh

Paul

Samantha

Sherry

Kaufman

Grace

Sarah

Madalinski

Brooklynn

Staci

Sawyer

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JULY—MATCH ANNIVERSARIES!

ASK A FRIEND AT WORK TO BECOME A BIG! It will make it more fun for you and for them!

RAVE ABOUT YOUR SCHOOL Congratulations Annawan Elementary!

School Partnerships are crucial to a successful School-Based Big Brothers Big Sisters program. This month we are highlighting Annawan (IL) Elementary School! During the 2012-2013 school year, Annawan welcomed a new counselor, Jackie Wiersma. Jackie was familiar with our program but had never worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters directly. With Jackie’s help and support, Big Brothers Big Sisters was able to double the number of matches at Annawan Elementary! Annawan staff did a tremendous job at recruiting new volunteers for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. A HUGE thank you to Annawan Elementary School! We look forward to serving your students next year and for years to come!

Have a RAVE about your “Little”? Send it in to your Match Coach!

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DEAR MATCH COACH… I’ve been having a hard time trying to enjoy spending time with my little without spending too much money for each visit. My Little either wants to do activities that cost a lot of money or asks for me to buy things when we are out. I need some help coming up with low-cost activities to do and I would like some advice on how to clearly and effectively communicate to my Little that the quality of our visits do not require large amounts of money to be spent. When entertaining kids, cost is often a concern. It is easy to get swept up in thinking that the only things to do together are visiting the recreational businesses that cost money. While it is great to take the Littles to places that they may not have the chance to visit, it is also important as Bigs to guide the Littles to understand how to use their imagination and be resourceful. There are several websites with lists of free and low cost activities for children and adults to do together. It might be fun to set goals with your Little to “earn” the activities that cost money. Most BBBS-provided match activities are free to matches and are a great way to spend quality time together without any financial burden. It is important to understand that we encourage no to low cost activities so that the match can focus on more quality time with one another. Look for your monthly Coaches Corner or email notices from your Match Coach with free or low cost ticket offers. Also ask your Match Coach about our HAVlife grants for registrations or equipment your Little might need to participate in an activity. Talking with your Little about the quality of the match relationship is important so that both parties can continue to have similar goals and interests to help increase the longevity of the relationship. Ideas to share with your Little are: cooking at home, watching movies, doing crafts or fun science projects with everyday household materials, going for a walk or bike ride, making a scavenger hunt, using puff paint to make t-shirts for one another and playing games. Some ideas that would be great experiences for kids would be to do volunteer work such as at an animal shelter or planting flowers. You could take your Little to places that would help them explore future career opportunities or visit local agencies to help them get familiarized with their community such as the police and fire station. There is also a website, www.kidsbowlfree.com that allows children to be signed up and receive two games of bowling for free for each day of the summer. Match coaches have great lists of activity ideas and websites to check out for these kinds of activities so if you are ever at a loss for what to do, do not hesitate to call your coach and ask for these resources.

$150 Text Only Brick

$150 BBBS Logo Brick (for current or past Bigs or Littles)

$250 Corporate Logo Brick

Honor your mentor relationship With your purchase of a brick on the BBBS Mentor Lane, you will receive an engraved brick placed on either the walk way or patio at the Big Brothers Big Sisters offices in down town Davenport and the option to include your story of mentoring and a photo to be featured on the Mentor Lane website.

ORDER YOUR BRICK BY 9/20/13 Go to www.mentorlane.org

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CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR IMPACT AWARD WINNERS

Claudia Newma n an SchoolBased Im d Adam — pact Aw ard

Kati e Care Scham er N b avig erger a ator n s Im d Kayla pact — Awa rd

BUSINESS IMPACT AWARD Volunteers

vin— d Dona Award n a n o t ls Jay Ne Based Impac y unit Comm

er oph t s i Chr 2013 and Year n he rto l Ca c h o f t e a t h Mic ct Ma a p Im

ORGANIZATION IMPACT AWARD Volunteers, Volunteer Center, CDBG

Kari Ho Whi rack an tesid d e Co Theres a— unty Imp Awa a rd ct

John L annah einart— Service Award 20

Tom H

BUSINESS IMPACT AWARD Volunteers, Board Leadership Funding Support

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JUST GO WITH THE FLOW...SEE WHAT HAPPENS By Evan Clark It’s 2:30 pm at Rudy’s Tacos in West Davenport on Cinco de Mayo, and the aroma of chili con carne burritos and spicy fish tacos can only recall one particular incident between match Stacy Garrow and Brittnee Dillard. “My kitchen was filled with smoke.” Stacy laughs. “I told you not to put the foil in the oven!” Brittnee countered. A botched burrito baking attempt may have ruined their dinner plans for the evening, but it’s also just another example of the zaniness and compatibility that has strengthened Stacy and Brittnee’s match over the seven years they’ve known each other. As the two giggle and reminisce between crunches of chips and salsa, it’s almost hard to tell who’s the Big and who’s the Little. Stacy decided to become a Big while enrolled at Scott Community College. Through the persistence of her professor and former Vice President at Big Brothers Big Sisters Jo Winegar, she gave the program a chance and has no regrets. “Brittnee and I started out as lunch buddies, and I looked forward to every time we’d have lunch together. Even though there was an age gap, we just had this instant connection.” Brittnee recalls being a fifth grader and noticing her peers having their own Bigs during lunch time. Not one to feel left out; she turned her jealousy into motivation, demanding to her teachers and counselors to have a Big of her own. “I was determined to get a Big for myself. I was tired of being around all the other kids.” After being lunch buddies proved not enough, Stacy and Brittnee became a community based match. When they weren’t hanging out baking cookies or watching their favorite reality TV shows, Stacy kept things moving by being a chaperone on Brittnee’s band trips, escorting her and her friends through haunted houses, planning the occasional road trip to Adventureland, and of course helping Brittnee look good for all her middle school dances. Brittnee admired Stacy’s willingness to open new doors to her in her native Davenport area. “She really opened me to new parts of Davenport and the Quad Cities,” Brittnee admits. “I thought I knew all about this place, but Stacy really got me out of my realm, and I loved that.” While the two became inseparable, it’s amusing how their comparisons

for each other come off as rather contradictory. Brittnee describes Stacy as, “sophisticated” and “role model-ish”, contrasting how Stacy would categorize her Little. “Brittnee is definitely very outgoing, eccentric and goofy,” Stacy described. “She can be pretty crazy at times. She orders chicken fingers wherever she goes, even at Johnny’s Italian Steakhouse! I admit, sometimes I don’t get her.” Brittnee defends her cuisine choices with a smile. “What can I say? I love chicken fingers!” Perhaps their differences are what binds them together. Stacy finds that the more she’s around Brittnee, the more in tune with her generation she feels. “It’s nice to be around Brittnee because she gives me insight to what kids are up to these days, and what it’s like to be young in this new era.” While the chicken fingers and cookies were always reliable, Stacy proved just as dependable to Brittnee, helping her get through some tough times in school, including dealing with racism, peer pressure, and even a pregnancy scare with one of Britnee’s friends. “When she became a teenager, Britnee started to come to me and tell me about her problems and what was going on at school. I think because we’ve opened up to one another, we now have a very close and trusting relationship.” During Stacy’s tenure at Enterprise Rentals, she’s also seen the progression of how having co-workers with Littles stimulates office conversation. “It’s really nice having other people I work with being involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters. We all talk to each other about what we did on the weekends with our Littles, brainstorm all sorts of things to do with them. It’s s a lot of fun.” While the two aged out of their match in March, they still keep in regular contact with each other. And as Brittnee gets set to begin a new chapter of her life as a freshman at Iowa State, she has one piece of advice for anyone hesitant to get involved with the program. “Just don’t be shy, that’s all I can say. You never know what will come out of it unless you give it a chance, so just go with the flow and see what happens.”

BBBS Night at the Ballpark BBBS matches spent an evening at Modern Woodmen Park with the River Bandits on Friday, June 14th for an exciting game against the Burlington Bees. Perfect weather enticed a great crowd to the park, and the BBBS group was lucky enough to catch all the action in great seats along the 3rd baseline. Fans were kept entertained between innings by fun on-field promotions and magic acts by the Quick Change duo. That, combined with a great baseball game followed by fireworks over the Mississippi, made for a match activity enjoyed by all!

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WHITESIDE COUNTY—BBBS UPDATE July 3-7 July 5-14 July 6 July 5,12,19,26 July 9 July 11

July 12-13 July 12-13 July 12-14

Petunia Festival in Dixon. Calendar of Events www.discoverdixon.org “The Music Man” at Timber Lake Playhouse Mt. Carroll, IL Firecracker weekend The Bike Barn in Morrison (Bogs) Musical Fridays at Dixon Riverfront Literacy Fun night at Sterling Public Library Free Movie in the Park at Sterling’s Grandon Featuring “The Lorax” at 8p Rock Falls Summer Splash at Rock Falls River front Sterling Street Faire at 300 Block of W 3rd St in Sterling (Fri 3p-7p and Sat 7a-1p) Woodlawn Arts Academy presents “Alice in Wonderland Jr.” (Fri/Sat 7p, Sun 2p)

July 13 July 17 July 20

July 26 July 26-27 July 27 July 28

CONGRATS TO OUR TRANSITIONING MATCHES!

Big, Dan Arickx and Little, Kamren.

Big, Sarah Lutyens and Little, Samantha.

Big, John Campbell and Little, Trence.

If you are currently in a school-based match and are interested in transitioning to the community-based program, please contact Loni at 815-441-9118.

start something

Second Saturdays in downtown Dixon’s Main Street from 6p-8p for multicultural fun Summer Music Concert at Sterling’s Grandon BBBS 25 Year Anniversary Golf Outing/Summer Picnic Celebration July 23 Free movie and popcorn at Sterling Public Library at 2p featuring “An American in Paris” July 25 Free movie in the Park at Sterling’s Grandon featuring “Happy Feet” at 8p Ice Cream Social and Storytelling at Sterling Public Library Sterling Street Faire at 300 Block of W 3rd St in Sterling (Fri 3p-7p and Sat 7a-1p) 4x4 Summerfest at The Bike Barn in Morrison (Bogs & Motocross) Whiteside County BBBS Summer Match Activity

WHITESIDE SUMMER MATCH ACTIVITY Following several suggestions from Bigs and Littles in Whiteside County, we will have a summer match activity to gather the Bigs and Littles for food and fun on Sunday, July 28 from 1-4 at the Larson Shelter at Centennial Park, 508 E 11th St in Rock Falls. More information on this event will be sent out soon but if you are able to come, please make arrangements with your Little’s parent/guardian to bring them. Remember if you are in a school-based match, you are not able to transport your little to and from the event. If you would like to attend, please let me know and I can contact the parent and help set up the Little’s transportation.

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HAVlife

Update

We currently have 12 Littles who have received a HAVlife Grant through Big Brothers Big Sisters and two Littles who are currently in the process. These children are doing a variety of activities. Some chose to participate in a sports team or camp, summer day camps, dance lessons and one Little is learning to play the guitar! This grant is still available so if your Little has expressed interest in participating in some sort of extracurricular activity, please let your Match Coach know. Summer is a great time to for your Little to explore new interests! For more information about HAVlife grants, please ask your Match Coach.

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HEALTHY KIDS GUIDE — SHARE THIS WITH YOUR “LITTLES”!

GO TO: WWW.BBBS-MV.ORG (Click on—For Bigs Only)

For more information about Hav life and how you can get your “Little” involved call 563-323-8006 and ask for your Match Coach.

Have them call 563-323-8006

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HEALTHY KIDS — SUMMER SAFETY By Unity Point Health—Trinity Staff As the sun gets hotter and the days get longer, it is a sure bet that summer is just around the corner. People are eager to spend as much time outdoors as they can after spending a long cold winter cooped up inside. Before you go outside for some fun in the sun, there are some important things you will want to remember; to stay hydrated and apply sunscreen! Keeping Hydrated “Compared to adults, kids get dehydrated quickly, especially during sports,” says Dr. Cheryl Remigio of UnityPoint Clinic – Pediatrics at Bettendorf. “It’s important for them to drink fluids frequently. Hot or humid conditions only make things worse – so be extra careful then. Keep an eye out for signs of headaches, dizziness, faintness and dry mouth. They’re indicators of dehydration.” Sports drinks & water “Sports drinks are recommended. They not only replace the water in sweat, but electrolytes, too. Sodas or tea are not a good choice. In fact they are diuretics,” says Dr. Remigio. It is recommended by The American Academy of Pediatrics that you drink fluids every 20 minutes when actively playing outdoors. Cool Down Dr. Remigio recommends that if you do see signs of dehydration in a child, have them stop immediately, cool down and get a drink. In extreme cases, see a healthcare professional. Apply Sunscreen “Summer is meant for fun, and kids love to be outside; but summer also brings the potential for sunburn,” says Dr. Claudia Frye, also with UnityPoint Clinic – Pediatrics at Bettendorf. “All kids over the age of six months should have sunscreen any time they’re outside. Kids under six months should not be exposed to summer sun at all.” Sunburn can be a very painful thing to deal with. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, just one bad sunburn can double your risk of getting melanoma skin cancer. “There are two types of harmful ultraviolet rays – UVA and UVB. It wasn’t until recently that we understood the damage caused by UVA rays,” explains Dr. Frye. “So look for a sunscreen that says UVA/UVB, or ‘broad spectrum coverage’ on the bottle. And three words for success – reapply, reapply, reapply And make sure you put on enough.” How to fix a bad burn If you do get sunburn, it is soothing to the skin to apply Aloe Vera. A helpful tip from Dr. Frye, “Keep it in the fridge. It feels better on sunburn.” High UV levels According to Dr. Frye, the best thing you can do is prevention. Sunscreen and plenty of it is the key. And if possible, keep kids out of the sun altogether between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., when UV levels are the highest.

Thanks to Unity Point Health—Trinity for their support of our Healthy Program!

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MONEY-WISE KIDS — SMART SHOPPING TIPS

By IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union Staff Remember, your budget? Can you list the first couple steps of building your budget? Knowing how much money you have, what you need, and how much it costs. Now that you know how much money you have, you can use Smart Shopping to find the best price. This’ll help your budget go even further. Know what you’re buying. Read the labels. Whether it’s a new shirt or a new iPod, you want to make sure you have everything you need. Nothing’s worse than finding something you love and it gets ruined or you don’t have what you need to use it. It’ll cost even more to replace it or to buy more stuff to make it work. Look for the REAL deal. Go big or go small. Just because it’s bigger, doesn’t mean you’re getting more for your money. The same thing goes for smaller items. Just because it’s smaller, doesn’t mean it’s cheaper. Make sure you’re comparing the prices and the sizes. But it costs more. Even though it may cost more up front, it doesn’t mean it’s not a better deal. If it’s going to last a lot longer than the cheaper item, it may be worth the extra money. Is it really cheaper? If something you’re looking for is on sale, you should definitely check it out. But be careful, just because it’s “on sale” doesn’t mean it’s cheaper. It may be the same price it was last week, but with more flashy signs. It’s just a sale. Do you need it? No, not really. Don’t waste money on things you don’t really need or want just because they’re on sale. Make sure you’re using these shopping tips to help you build your budget and to stay on budget after you’ve mapped it out. Good luck!

Thanks to IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union for their support of our Money-Wise Kids Program!

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR — JULY 2013 JULY, 2013

3 Backwater Gamblers Water Ski Show

Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

Pioneer Village in Long Grove

Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

Archery Night Davenport Nature Explorers

13 Connection Church Block Party

19 Red Hawk Golf $4 a person!

Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

Bettendorf July 4th Celebration!

Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

4 Whitewater Junction!

20 25th Anniversary Golf Outing 25th Anniversary Reunite Picnic

Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

31 Backwater Gamblers Water Ski

GET OUT AND ABOUT IN THE QUAD CITIES! Join the fun at Whitewater Junction on Thursday, July 4th for raft Red Hawk Golf Course offers 3 par golf, a bucket of balls, dinner races, games and other family-friendly activities throughout the and a movie for just $4 a person on Friday, July 19th from 6-9pm. day. Call 309-732-7439 for pricing information. Call 563-328-7275 to register. Bettendorf’s 4th of July Celebration begins at Cumberland Square with a parade at 10am on Thursday, July 4th and continues throughout the day with arts & crafts booths, a petting zoo, carnival rides, inflatables and more, finishing off with the Quad City Parachute Team and fireworks at dusk.

Street Fest, in conjunction with Bix7 takes place on Friday and Saturday, July 26th and 27th. Join for food, live music, arts and crafts, a family fun area, and lots of festival fun! The event is free and located on 2nd Street in downtown Davenport.

See history come to life at the Historical Pioneer Village in Long Learn the history of archery and how to correctly shoot a bow as Grove, IA on Sunday, July 28th as villagers re-enact life on the part of the Archery night in Davenport’s Friday Nature Explora1890’s prairie. Admission is free with a donation of a nontion series. Friday, July 5th from 6-8 pm at Sunderbruch Park and perishable food item. Call 563-328-3283 for more information. just $4 a person. Call 563-328-7275 to learn more and to register. Check out a Backwater Gamblers Waterski Show any WednesConnection Church in Bettendorf is hosting their 3rd Annual day or Sunday through the summer. The free one-hour, fun-filled Block Party on Saturday, July 13, 2013. There will be a dunk family show begins at 6:30 pm, takes place along the Rock River tank, inflatables, bike tune-ups, prizes, food and more. Join in on at 44th Street, and is a themed performance combining skits, the fun and receive a backpack and school supplies for your music, dance, and water-skiing. Visit Little! Call 563-355-0919 to learn more and to reserve your free www.backwatergamblers.com for directions or more backpack and supplies. information.