Tag: Volunteering

Mentoring Real Life Story: Insider Perspective of Matching Process

A lot of  work goes into making each match, but the process itself is actually super easy and very much worth it once you are matched. Big Sister Stephanie expanded on this process—and her experience as a Big—on her personal lifestyle blog where you can learn all about how to live a happy and healthy life. Read […]

10 Reasons You Should Add A Little For Your New Years Resolution

The beginning of a new year is a great time for self-assessments, reflecting on all that you’ve accomplished in the previous year, and setting goals for what you hope to accomplish by this same time next year. In this post we highlighted 10 reasons why one of your goals for this year should be adding […]

10 Ways Matches Are Spreading Holiday Cheer

The trees are decorated, the lights are hung, and the Holiday Season is fully upon us! This is always a fun time of year for matches as there are a lot of fun activities to do and it’s a great time of year to show how thankful you are for your relationship. Today, we showcased […]

Top 5: Best Mentoring Stories of 2016

With the Holiday Season upon us and 2016 coming to a close, we wanted to reflect on just a few of the many amazing stories we hear every day from our Bigs. The year had no shortage of great mentoring stories, and we were lucky to capture them on our blog throughout the whole year. Read […]

7 Ways to Make a Bigger Impact as a Mentor

Thanks to everyone who helped participate in this year’s Giving Tuesday! On a similar note, ’tis the season of giving, so we put together a list of ways you can make an even bigger impact as a mentor in your community as a Big Brother or Big Sister this holiday season. Enjoy! 1) Refer your […]

3 Ways to Get Involved This Giving Tuesday

Happy Thanksgiving! We are officially in the season of giving and you know what is quickly approaching? No, not Christmas…Giving Tuesday! Giving Tuesday is a global movement that celebrates and encourages philanthropy and generosity. So, after you strike some deals with Black Friday and Cyber Monday, be sure to kick off the season of giving […]

Winter is Coming: 10 Indoor Activities For Your Match

Brace yourselves Bigs and Littles…Winter is coming. We know that this time of the year can be tough to find things to do. Gone are the sunny summer days where you can spend a whole outing outdoors. So, we put together a list of indoor activity ideas for outings to help get you and your Little […]

5 Ways Becoming a Big Will Make You Feel Young Again

It’s no secret that a large majority of our Bigs are college students and young professionals, but there’s no cookie-cutter age, ethnicity, education level, lifestyle, or background for volunteers. In general, we would LOVE to see more retirees or older professionals volunteering in our program. They have plenty of life lessons to share with a […]

Mentoring Real Life Stories: Meet Dancing Duo Michelle & Ana

Michelle Nigro, former NFL cheerleader and owner of Town Barre, was always interested in becoming a Big Sister. About six months ago, she finally made the decision to get involved. From the start, her Little Sister Ana was the perfect match. The active, pizza-loving pair has gone rock climbing, ice skating and even practiced for dance recitals […]

10 Reasons College Students Should Become Mentors

Becoming a Big in college (or any time, for that matter) is one of the best volunteer opportunities you can pursue. It’s an awesome experience that provides you with lessons that can be applied in the classroom, workplace, and even your personal life. Read on to hear just 10 of the many reasons why you should […]

From Volunteer to Career: Meet Jay and Jamani

In 2012, Jay Cronin, then a sophomore at Boston University, may not have known what to major in, but he knew he was meant to be a Big Brother. He expected to be a mentor to his Little, Jamani, but he had no idea that his role as a Big would change the trajectory of his life. […]

Hispanic Heritage Month: Mom Helyn Reflects On Mentoring

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! As an agency that serves over 800 Latino Littles, we thought it would be important to celebrate with Hispanic Mentoring themed blogs throughout the month. This week, we spoke to Helyn, who is a mother of three Little Brothers in our program. After struggling with domestic violence, Helyn is incredibly open […]

Real Life Mentoring Story for Hispanic Heritage Month: Luis and Randy

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! From September 15 to October 15, the United States will be celebrating the heritage and contributions of Hispanic & Latino Americans. As an agency that serves over 800 Latino Littles, we thought it would be important to celebrate with Hispanic Mentoring themed blogs throughout the month! This week, we’re kicking things off with Luis […]

Emerson Men’s Basketball ‘Teams’ up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts

Emerson Men’s Basketball ‘Teams’ up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay to Mentor Kids in Boston. Jonathan Goldberg was always told that being successful in sports could directly translate to success in life. He was told that concepts like teamwork, commitment and leadership were essential, on and off the court. Now, having taken […]

10 Easy Eats to make with Your Little

Cooking with your Little is the perfect way to bond over a tasty treat. You work together, creating something new from scratch, and (if everything goes as planned!) you get a yummy snack at the end. Tie on your apron and check out these fun ideas for treats and get cookin’: 1. Make Your Own […]

Mentoring Real Life Story: Allen & Paul

Like any other young boy in a tough home, Allen just needed a role model to look up to and a friend to laugh with. After his father left, he struggled to find that person — until he met his Big Brother, Paul. Here, Allen shares the story of how his Big Brother became his […]

Mentoring Real Life Story: Scott & Malik

Sometimes mentoring is more than changing one child’s life. In fact, many volunteers go above and beyond their mentor duties, making an impact that reaches far and wide within the community. This is the case for Big Brother Scott Hamilton. Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Scott was heavily involved in youth […]

5 Reasons Pokémon Masters Would Make Great Bigs

In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two weeks, nostalgic millennials and newcomers alike have been hitting the streets in search of Pokémon. Yes, you read that correctly… Pokémon is back and all you need is a smartphone to get in on the action and start your journey to becoming a […]

A Mother’s Perspective: This Chapter and The Next

Every year around this time we celebrate mentoring by honoring matches as they transition from our program to officially becoming Alumni at Match Graduation. For many matches, they’ve been together for years. This isn’t the end of their story, but more so the end of a chapter with many entering new and exciting stages in their lives. […]

How Mentoring Can Have a Positive Impact on Your Career

There are countless benefits to becoming a mentor. Aside from potentially gaining a lifelong friend and making a difference in a child’s life, Bigs can also develop skills that make them standout employees. Time and time again we hear from many of our volunteers that their experiences have had a positive impact on their career […]

A Longtime Mentor Tries Coaching

This spring, our VP of Marketing and Community Engagement, Rich Greif, delved into some new territory. As a long time Big Brother and mentor, he decided to become a coach to his son’s AAA minor league team. As we read about his experiences, from his hesitations at the beginning to his positive philosophy and fun, […]

7 Activities for New Matches

Deciding what to do with your Little for your first outing can be difficult! We asked a couple of our Match Advocates what they suggest to new Bigs, and the ‘big’ takeaway was to keep things familiar, low key and comfortable so you can get to know each other. Take a look at the list […]