Agency News

May 2021

Hello Friends!

Can you believe that Summer is right around the corner?! Our mentoring programs with local schools will soon be wrapping up for the year. Our college Bigs who are Seniors and have volunteered with us for the past 3 or 4 years are getting ready to graduate. Our high school mentees who are part of the Mazie Mentoring Program are also preparing for graduation and taking the next step in their lives. It is a bittersweet time as we celebrate those mentees and Bigs moving on but also know we will miss them! 

We encourage you to take the time in the coming weeks to savor the end of the Spring season before we rush into our busy Summer schedules. Follow along on social media for our #TryItTogetherThursday series. Each Thursday we share activity ideas to do with your Little or family. Visit our pages at the links below!

Thank you for taking the time to read our May newsletter and for standing with us to defend the potential of over 1,000 children! 

Sincerely,
The Team at Big Brothers Big Sisters

Match Spotlight

One of our matches recently had the opportunity to attend a Red Sox game in a suite! Brad and his Little, Izaiha, have been matched since 2019 and love attending sporting events but as you can imagine, that was difficult to do in 2020. They were thrilled to have this opportunity despite it being a bit of a rainy night. 

Brad said, "We are always willing to go to any live sporting event, no matter the sport! Sports in general bring out Iziaha's best self and I enjoy the time we share together - especially when he is really enjoying himself." 

Thank you to the Red Sox for donating the use of "Erica's Suite" for Brad and Izaiha to take in a game!

Program Highlight

This month we are highlighting the Worcester Area College Mentoring Program (WACMP) which is fitting for the month of May as many of our volunteer Bigs graduate from college and take the next step in their lives. We'd like to take a moment to say "thank you" to our dedicated college Bigs. When they first became Bigs, they were visiting their Littles once a week at a school of after-school program. Then in 2020, they had to transition to being a virtual mentor for their Little. We are so grateful to our Bigs who continued their mentoring relationships with their Littles virtually during this difficult year. We look forward to returning to our normal WACMP routines soon! Congratulations to our graduating Bigs!

Mazie Mentoring Program

This month, the Mazie team wrapped up its Senior Workshop Nights and hosted its Financial Literacy Night. Senior mentees presented their vision statements and hopes for the future at the second and final Senior Workshop Night, which was held on April 27th. One Senior mentee is looking forward to learning how to scuba dive, which will help prepare them for a potential future career in underwater welding. Another Senior mentee is making plans to enlist in the Navy, and is excited to finish developing a couple of video games that they hope will reach a public platform. After hearing the Seniors' presentations, all Mazie matches on the call brainstormed their hopes for the future as well. Matches shared where they hope to see themselves in five years, what scares them about the future, and what most excites them. The team was inspired by the thoughtfulness and creativity of mentees' plans, and Mazie is excited to hear more as our mentees' visions become reality.

The Mazie team also hosted its Financial Literacy Night on May 11th. An expert from the IC Federal Credit Union talked with matches about how to develop budgeting skills, take out a loan for a car or school, and build a credit score.

If you're interested in learning more about the Mazie Mentoring Program, please email mazie@bbbscm.org.

About the Mazie Mentoring Program

The Mazie Mentoring Program matches at-risk high school students in Framingham, Waltham, and Marlborough with dedicated adult mentors for their Sophomore through Senior years of high school. Its objective is to provide young people with the support to help them achieve their goals and succeed. Since its foundation in 1998, the program has served 1,000 students. Created to honor the legacy of John Andrew Mazie, the program is in its 22nd year of operation. Since 2017, the program has been operated by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass & MetroWest.

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