Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters strives to inspire county youth through time and friendship with volunteers
For more than 50 years, Yavapai Big Brothers Big Sisters (YBBBS) has made meaningful supported matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and youth (Littles) ages six through 24. YBBBS develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of local young people.
It Takes Little to Be Big
“A Big Brother or Sister can start a young person on the path to bigger things,” said Kristen Kerns, YBBBS Executive Director. “It takes very little of your time and friendship to positively impact a child’s life and improve our community at the same time.”
Mentoring is about inspiring positive change and empowering youth to believe they can achieve what they never dreamed possible. You can give a Little the invaluable gift of your time and friendship for a few hours a month. Anyone can be a mentor; you don’t have to be perfect.
You can incorporate your Little into your everyday life: play sports together, picnic in the park, take your dog for a hike, or visit a museum. Being a Big will be one of the most enjoyable and fulfilling things you do, while also being a force of change in our community.
Mentoring has proven outcomes, including 92% of our mentored youth kept or created plans for high school graduation and beyond. 85% improved their grades and a youth with a Big Brother or Sister increases their chances to stay drug-free by nearly 50%.
Supporting the mentoring mission
This fall, there are several ways you can inspire the futures of local young people. We recently launched the Erase the Wait campaign to match the 47 children on our waiting list. Part of this volunteer recruitment campaign is our Beards for Bigs contest. Grow your beard from September to November and share a photo with us for a chance to win a special date night package.
The Arizona Charitable Tax Credit is another way for you to help ensure we can continue our vitally important mission, with no additional cost to you. The new amounts you can give and get back as a dollar-for-dollar credit on your state tax are $470 filing single and $938 filing as a couple.
If you prefer to join us for a fun event to show your support, November 16 is our Annual Gala. “If you like a party with a purpose, you must come to our gala at the Prescott Resort,” said Kristen. “The premier event in the county, our annual gala is filled with good music, live and silent auctions, a special fine dining experience, and a hot after-party.” Tickets go on sale soon.
For information on YBBS campaigns, being a Big, donations, or Gala tickets, visit azbigs.org or call the Prescott office at 928.778.5135.