Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Houston announces “The Big Draft” to Coincide with NFL Draft

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Event will push for new mentors to volunteer to be a “Big” to a youth in need

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) Greater Houston announces “The Big Draft” as part of the NFL’s “Inspire Change” initiative timed to the professional football draft April 25-27. The goal is to encourage volunteers to sign up to be a mentor (or a “Big”) to a child who needs extra help from a caring adult to succeed in life. The community is invited.

BBBS Houston will hold “The Big Draft” on Thursday, Apr. 25 from 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. at its headquarters at 1003 Washington Ave. in downtown Houston. During this time, current “Bigs,” (a big brother or big sister) are ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­encouraged to bring a friend or relative who is ready to be a Big and enter the BBBS Greater Houston ‘draft’. This NFL Draft watch party will feature food, beverages and entertainment, and attendees are encouraged to wear paraphernalia for their favorite NFL teams.

“The festive event celebrates our efforts to recruit 60 Bigs in 60 days during ‘The Big Draft’ campaign,” says Alistine Turnbull-Blackshear, BBBS Houston Market President. “We will host our current Bigs while recruiting our next generation of Bigs. While the NFL is inspiring change with their platform, we are leveraging the opportunity to inspire community partners to become a big brother or a big sister to those ages six through 15.”

“’The Big Draft’ push will continue into May and June,” adds Turnbull-Blackshear. “Mentoring a child or teen can transform their life and set them on the path to success through strong guidance and leadership, preparing them with life skills, academic support, workforce exposure and more. As the spring semester closes out, kids need adult leadership in their lives for the summer months and beyond.”

The greatest need for “Bigs” right now is with Black males ages seven through 14. Mentors aged 21 and up of all racial and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Generally, male “Littles” are matched with male “Bigs,” but females or couples can also serve as mentors.

Big Brothers Big Sisters develops positive, meaningful relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. At the center of its mission is one-to-one mentoring, with each mentor spending time with his or her mentee through one of three primary programs: Community-Based, School/Site-Based, and mentor2.0.

  • Community-Based is the traditional mentor model where a child is matched with an adult volunteer mentor and participates in outings and activities. Bigs and Littles meet a minimum of two times a month throughout the year and are able to participate in a variety of BBBS-sponsored events and programs.
  • School/Site-Based – Mentoring takes place at a school or partner site with a focus on academic achievement and planning for the future. Littles meet with their Bigs weekly throughout the school year during a non-core class, extended lunch break or after school.
  • mentor2.0 is designed to help students graduate from high schools and to be prepared for the future – socially, academically, and professionally. Mentor2.0 leverages email communication with in-person events to reach high school students through a technology-driven program that is flexible on the mentor’s and mentee’s schedules.

For additional information or to become a volunteer contact sgreen@bbbstx.org or visit www.bbbstx.org/be-a-big/.

If you are interested in attending “The Big Draft” to learn about being a “Big,” please register at https://tinyurl.com/4skv7xzj. Reservations are required.

Photos courtesy of BBBS

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