10 TV & Movie Mentors We Can All Learn From
Great life lessons and mentoring moments can be picked up from your favorite movie and TV characters. Despite some of their unsavory personality traits and unconventional mentoring styles, there are always moments we can learn from by simply watching how they impact the lives of their mentees. For fun, we put together this list of our 10 favorite […]
Community Spotlight: First Match at Villa Victoria
We know first-hand how tough it can be to connect meaningfully in communities we hope to serve, so this week we featured one of our new and most proud community partners, Villa Victoria. In addition, we put together a list of tips to help other non-profits make the same impact in these communities- see below! Located in […]
10 Moments That Will Make You Believe In Mentoring
Here at the Being BIG blog, we normally show you our mentoring real life stories through interviews, short stories and quotes. However, to really get a sense for what being a mentor is all about, we thought it would be better to actually show you our great Bigs and Littles in action. They say seeing is believing, so […]
11 Parent Mentoring Testimonials That Will Make You Smile
Our Match Support Specialists are the eyes and ears of our agency. As the point of contact for our families, they hold the key to something special: our Matches’ stories. Day in and day out, parents and guardians are singing the praises of our Bigs and we thought it was time to stop and share […]
10 Low-Cost Things To Do With Your Little This Fall
While it’s sad to say goodbye to summer, Fall is a New Englanders dream! There are so many fun and cost effective things to do in and around the Boston area. To make your lives easier, we thought we’d highlight a few to get you and your Little out in the crisp fall air. Enjoy […]
BBBSMB Staffer & Big Brother Kyle K. is #BostonMAde
Our very own Kyle Kozelka, Enrollment Supervisor and Big Brother, has been selected by the City of Boston’s Onein3 Council to appear in their #BostonMAde campaign, which recognizes 20-34 year olds living and working in Boston who are community-oriented and help make the city better for all of us. In this post Kyle shares the […]
5 Ways to Help Your Little Gear Up for Back to School
With ‘Back to School’ in full swing, we’ve been getting a lot of questions from volunteers about how to encourage their Little in school without sounding too “naggy” or missing out on the fun. So we put together a list of five things that you can do to help encourage their love of learning while […]
Why I Ride for Team BBBSMB: Rodman Ride for Kids
Here at BBBSMB we are always looking to highlight awesome partners and opportunities for individuals to support the BBBSMB mission. This week we decided to highlight Rodman Ride for Kids, the largest single-day athletic fundraiser in the nation, along with our awesome riders who go the extra mile (or 25+) to do whatever they can […]
10 Things To Know About Finding a Mentor for Your Child
When it comes to finding a mentor for your child, questions are inevitable. How does the program work? What is my role as a guardian? To answer these frequently asked questions and to soothe any other nerves, we made a list of quick and easy bits of information for parents and guardians considering getting a […]
Mentoring Real Life Story: An Ode to Grandparents
Families come in all shapes and sizes. Regardless of who a child’s official guardian is, those who call us are united by one common belief: they all want what’s best for their child/grandchild. Time and time again we see moms, dads and now more than ever, grandparents, looking for a program that will help their […]
5 Healthy Ways to Integrate Technology Into Your Mentoring Relationship
If you’ve watched a child for an extended period of time, then chances are you’ve had to fork over your smartphone or tablet to keep him or her busy. It’s okay, we’ve all done it at some point. According to a Common Sense Media study, children ages 5-8 spend nearly two and half hours each day […]
Mentoring Success Story: “It’s not about the money”
The benefits of mentoring relationships on mentees are endless. Research shows that mentors have the power to influence a child’s development including career goals, academic performance, social skills, and more. Of the many practical life skills a mentor can teach, one that makes a huge difference in a child’s daily habits is the practice of spending […]
3 Reasons Why Boston Young Professionals Need to Get More Involved
Finding your way in the working world can be a hard thing to manage, but getting involved doesn’t have to be. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay’s Young Professional Group encourages and supports Boston’s work force to make a difference and is a great resource for Boston young professionals looking to give back in the […]
Gorging for a Good Cause: 3 Innovative Approaches to Partnerships from Boston University’s SigEp
A triple bacon cheese burger, a heaping plate of fries, an eight scoop super sundae (with a brownie at the bottom) and a 20 ounce root beer. How could anyone be talked into trying to eat all of that in a day let alone in 30 minutes? Who would pay to try to accomplish such […]
College Athletes Give Back: Emerson Basketball Mentors in Boston
Jared Kortsen had always felt like he was missing out on something. After transferring from the University of Akron to Emerson College in the Fall of 2014, he felt like the pieces were started to come together, but something was still lacking. Then his fellow teammates told him about the opportunity to become a mentor […]
6 Bigs You Should Be Following on Twitter
With over 2,000 Bigs just in the Greater Boston Area, there certainly isn’t a shortage of inspirational mentors to learn from and get inspired by! We decided to help you out by selecting some of our favorite Bigs to follow on Twitter. These guys (and girls!) have totally different experiences in mentoring. With varying degrees […]
3 Mentoring Takeaways We Learned From Humans of New York
A few months ago, the popular photoblog, Humans of New York did a feature story on a child named Vidal from Brownsville, New York. He said that despite the tough neighborhood, his principal, Ms. Lopez was the most positive influence in his life. What started out as a photo and simple statement turned into […]
10 Reasons Why Adding a Little is Good For Your Health
A great nonprofit resource HelpGuide.org compiled a list that shares multiple ways that volunteering has surprising benefits and a new study by the UnitedHealth Group, the Optimum Institute, and Mashable aslo found that volunteering can lead to better physical, mental, and emotional health. We highlighted the top ten reasons why volunteering is so good for your health. […]
Harvard Athletes Team Up to Change Lives in Boston
In the Spring of 2012 Luis Gallardo had just finished up a season rowing for the Harvard Men’s Lightweight Crew Team, and decided to become a Big Brother. Little did he know that his decision to step up and volunteer could make such a lasting impression on not only his Little’s life, but the rest of […]
4 Work Life Balance Tips from 4 Successful Boston Leaders
Four Big Brothers and leaders in the Boston community come together to give some Work Life Balance Tips for other guys trying to prioritize giving back and their professional careers. Dalen Cuff, Anchor/Reporter, Comcast Sports New England, Big Brother since 2014, @DalenCuff “It’s not easy to balance work with my personal life in general. […]
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: Latino Kids Need Mentors
As long as Jose Vega could remember, he’d been surrounded by role models. The youngest of 2 in a tight knit Latino family, Vega grew up alongside his older sister and 2 older cousins who were often confused as his brothers. Looking up to them, Vega was able to learn from them; good and bad, […]