BIG NEWSLETTER - MARCH

Big and Little Activities
Fundraisers
Activity Ideas
Win A Fabulous Prize
Free Stuff
Announcements
Big Thanks
Dear Match Support Specialist
Matchiversaries

Big and Little Events

Our next BBBS Activity will be Bowl for Kids' Sake on March 7th! Contact Rachel if you or your Little would like to participate as bowlers/fundraisers. We'd also love Littles to participate as pizza or drink servers!
Join us on Friday April 23rd from 5-7 pm for a Volunteer Appreciation Party at Avila Beach! Enjoy fun activities and friends! We will meet at the new Sea Life Center and enjoy free tours of the new site! E-mail Maddie if you're interested in coming!
"Get to know local wildlife" on a fun hike in Santa Margarita on May 15th from 9:30-11:30 am. Please bring your own lunch. This activity is for 15 matches total so e-mail Tram to RSVP early!
Mark your calenders for our camping trip to Lopez Lake from June 4-6th! E-mail Rachel if you're interested in this fun opportunity!

Fundraisers

·Bowl For Kids' Sake: Sunday, March 7th from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. at Mustang Lanes in SLO. Join us for the 3rd Annual Bowl for Kids' Sake. With a theme this year of "Waves of Change" it is sure to be a totally tubular time! Grab some friends, make a team, put on a Hawaiian shirt, and join us for a day of fun, food, and prizes all to help fund Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs and help us change "how children grow up in SLO County." Interested in becoming a sponsor or finding out more information? Please check out our Bowl for Kids' Sake page.

· Do you like to cook and help Big Brothers Big Sisters? If you are interested in purchasing Pampered Chef items with 17% of sales going to our agency, please contact Janel and mention Big Brothers Big Sisters.

· Donate your car with out the hassle of trying to sell it, and get a tax deduction, while supporting BBBS mentoring programs! Contact Anna for more information.

Activity Ideas

Email your activity ideas to a Program Specialist who will add your ‘Fab. Finds’ to our newsletter

Check out our updated list of 130 Free and Low Cost Activities as well as our new list of Activities for Achievement!

·Sunday April 18th, 10am - 4pm at 1771 Corbett Canyon Rd: BB Jason is part of a MS Society fundraiser- A Car and Motorcycle show, BBQ, Music, and Arts & Crafts show and sale. Admission for Littles is free and Bigs can make a $5 or $10 donation to the MS Society at the door. E-mail Rachel if you and your Little would like to attend this amazing event!

·The Giving Kids a Voice video project is still looking for kids from San Luis Obispo County to participate.They are looking for participants ranging in age from 5 – 20+. If you think your Little might be interested in voicing how they feel about their divorce experience please contact Aurora William,
Executive Director of Partnership for Responsible Parenting, at
(805) 236-1007.The Giving Kids a Voice is a video project designed to provide a forum where some of society’s most vulnerable kids can and will be heard. Some of the topics to be discussed are Children of Divorce, Kids Who’ve Aged Out of Foster Care, Children with Addicted Parents and Children Raised By Grandparents. All participants will be eligible for free counseling.

·Big Daddy's Oak Pit in Pismo Beach (in the Scholari's Shopping Center) has a free magic show on Tuesday nights from 6-8 in March. Also, kids (12 and under) eat free!

· Guitars not Guns is an organization that provides guitar lessons to vunerable youth in our community. They are currently taking applications. For an application, please contact Dale Andersen at 305-7185.

· Do-it-yourself bike maintanance with your Little at the SLO Bike Kitchen! Activities occur on Bike Kitchen on 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month! Then, help out at SLO Farmer's Market by volunteering for their Bike Valet Program. It takes place on Thursday nights from 5:30-9pm. Email Adam or Dan or visit the website for more information.

·Teach your Little how to surf! A community supporter is offering a 50% discount off of all surfing lessons! Visit the website for more information or email Van!

· Did you miss the BBBS Santa Maria Museum Day of Flight? One of our fabulous volunteers would love to share the experience of flight with you and your Little. For more information on flights email Bob.

· SLO Distance Running Club offers information on Charity Runs or Walks for kids and adults.

· Share the gift of volunteering with your Little! Volunteer opportunities are available with the Senior Nutrition Program of SLO County. Assist with a variety of tasks while providing a positive impact for the elderly and our community! For more information visit the Senior Nutrition Program of SLO County.

For more activity ideas, check out the other links below.

Win a Fabulous Prize

Win a fabulous prize if you Refer-A-Big! Do you know someone who would make a great Big Brother or Big Sister? If a BIG referred by you goes through the training and gets on the match list, you are entered into a drawing for a wonderful prize. Do something great for your community and for yourself!

Free Stuff

·The Cal Poly PolyHouse class is seeking nominations for their home makeover project! Check out previous projects on their website www.polyhouse.org. The class is looking for a family that would benefit from a major renovation (Maybe your Little's?)

Here are the criteria:

* The family must own the property.
* The location must be in SLO County, preferably within 30 minutes drive from San Luis Obispo. The closer the better.
* The family has to sign a contract that they will not hold Cal Poly responsible once the project is completed. However, PolyHouse will take care of the necessary permits and work with licensed contractors.
* The family must agree to a full background check.
* The instructor and assistant will visit the site with a licensed contractor to assess the feasibility of the project.

This is the 7th year that the project is taking place. The project is completed by a Project Management class in the College of Engineering and is made up primarily of graduate students.

The dates of renovation will be May 14, 15, 16 and 21, 22, 23. During the renovation, the family must move out for 10 days. The class provides housing/hotel for the family during that time.

The instructor will be making the decision in the next three weeks, so please email your nominations before Friday, March 12.

Please include your contact information (name, title, agency, email, phone number, and a brief description of your client.)

Send email nominations to Dr. Liz Schlemer or Allison Holmgren

·Generous donors have gifted BBBS with free passes for Bigs and Littles to attend the Paso Robles Children's Museum. Contact Rachel if you would like to pick up a pass at our office or have one sent to you!

·Check out if your Little qualifies for free vision-exams or glasses through VSP's Sight for Students program!

· We have coupons to Chilli's Restaurant. Contact Rachel if you'd like to pick some up or have them sent to you!

· Women's Empowerment & Self Defense Workshop! Bring your Little Sister and together, gain confidence for a lifetime! The Sexual Assault Recovery and Prevention (SARP) Center workshop will focus on improving your awareness and assertiveness skills, and will teach physical techniques that can help you escape a dangerous situation. This FREE class is open to women and Littles ages 12 and up. To sign up, call the SARP Center at 545-8888 or visit their website for a list of upcoming classes!

. PERFORMANCE ATHLETICS GYMNASTICS has opportunities for our Littles to take 4 FREE classes! Their goal is to build a strong recreational and competitive gymnastics program that will provide a positive experience in the sport of gymnastics, as will as instill confidence and self worth within each athlete. There are classes available for all ages and skill levels. Please visit Performance Athletics SLO for information regarding class schedules and times. If you would like to sign up your Little for free classes, please contact the office.

· Join the Meathead Wrestling Club for Free! Little Brothers and Sisters can learn self-control, confidence and self-reliance while mastering a complex skill set and having fun at the Meathead Movers Wrestling Club. Practice and competition schedules are viewable at Meathead Wrestling. Practices are usually from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at SLO High. For more information about the Meathead Wrestling Club and their ride-share program, contact Jeff Barksdale (Club Director) at 805-544-6328 or by email.

. Free Refurbished Computers are available for Littles through Exploration Station. Call (905) 781-3226 for more information. To donate your computer contact 473-1421.

. Low Cost Dental Care is available to children in the community who need it through La Clinica de Tolosa, a not for profit children's dental clinic. Call (805) 238-5334 for more information.

Announcements

· Pilot Television Show Looking for Stories of Little Brothers and Sisters: An independent producer is seeking the support of Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies as he works to cast a pilot television program called “When I Grow Up” that he hopes to turn into a regular series. The premise of the pilot is to take deserving kids between the ages of 6 - 12 and find out what they want to be when they grow up, then to make that dream happen, and wrap that story into a 30 minute empowerment TV Show. The pilot is currently looking to cast their first season of shows and is looking to Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country to help them locate deserving kids with big dreams and compelling stories. Producer Tim Tialdo is also a former Big Brother, so he immediately thought of us. As he is casting children for the program he is looking for three main qualifications:
• The child must have a good back-story. This makes for more compelling and inspiring television.
• The child needs to be good on TV, meaning energetic and outgoing, and being well-spoken is always a plus.
• Is their dream realistic? Can they make the child’s dream a reality?

-If your Little has a “dream” and if you think your Little’s story would be good for this show, contact Rachel and she will contact the producers!

· Are you and/or your Little on Facebook? Contact Rachel if you are interested in doing your monthly or quarterly check-in through Facebook!

· Join our Speakers Pool. Its an easy way to support our fundraisers and outreach. For more information, contact Sarah.

· South County teens have a fantastic opportunity to join Lifebound Leadership, a fun Youth Leadership Program. Guest speakers, community leaders, professional athletes, and school board members will all be guest speakers. This program gives valuable tools to students on the collegiate road or for those who would like to make a positive change in their life.

· Teens can help with Tobacco Stings Program. This is a great way for teens to help stop teen tobacco use as well as helping keep their community safe and smoke free. For more info please contact Amber.

· Jewelry with our logo is available through Hearts Desire Creations! Please contact Teresa Wickersham at 602-509-4972 or heartsdesirecreations.com.

Big Thanks

· Thanks to everyone involved with Bowl For Kids Sake! It's going to be a blast!

· Thanks to BB Erik for donating tickets for our Bigs and Littles to see Suessical the Musical!

· Thanks to our Big in the Spotlight - Rich - for being such an amazing friend and mentor to your Little and our organization!

Dear Match Support Specialists

Our staff at BBBS attended an Asset Development Conference last month titled, Igniting the Spark: Connecting to Hope. Many Bigs ask us how to find out what their Little likes to do. A "spark" is something that all people, young and old, LOVE to do. It is a passion. It helps people discover what excites and inspires them to know themselves and change the world. A spark could be reading, playing a sport, helping others, you name it, as long as it helps us THRIVE. Peter Benson, the creator of the 40 Developmental Assets, said that 65% of youth can name their spark with no hesitation. 25% can name their spark when somebody helps them find it (that could be you!) A final 10% of youth do not know their spark. Here are some simple questions to pose to your Little to help them find their spark.

1. What is your spark?

2. When and where do you live your spark?

3. Who knows your spark?

4. Who helps feed your spark?

5. What gets in your way?

6. How can I help?

7. How will you use your spark to make our world better?

Please contact our office with any questions, always, but if you want to learn more about the 40 developmental assets, things all children need to succeed, let us know!

Matchiversaries

Februray MATCHIVERSARIES

THREE YEARS
Big_______________Little
Jeff G.                       Justin A.
Zoe B.                       Isabel G.
Barbara M.               Dinora E.

TWO YEARS
Big_______________Little
Matt G. Nicolas D.

NEW MATCHES
Big_______________Little
Christiana E.              Angela S.
Paige M.                    Emily M.
Raul O.                      Michael O.
Glori K. Naomi C.
Bill W.     Marcos C.
Dennis M.                Angel L.
Kimberley O.           Nicole N.
Brigitte F. Sierra S.

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