| TABLE OF CONTENTS |
| YOU Have What It Takes #3BIGTHINGS Congratulations to the 2024 Bigs of the Year! Read announcement National Mentoring Month BINGO: Submit your entries! BBBSL-sponsored activities RSVP today Celebrating Black History Month through Mentorship Read our Tri-County guide Join the BBBSL team! View open positions The BIG Beyond Read announcements Motivational Monday: Navigating the desire for gratitude Watch video Policy refresh: When should you alert BBBSL staff? Read more Match support reminders Contact your match coordinator Free and low-cost meal options Read more |
YOU Have What It Takes #3BIGTHINGS
Hey Bigs! We need YOUR help recruiting Bigs LIKE YOU! Later this month, you will receive an email invitation with a CALL TO ACTION to forward the message to your network.
We are calling it the YOU Have What It Takes #3BIGTHINGS recruitment campaign.
Bigs who refer a friend, colleague, or family member who successfully becomes a Big will receive a $50 gift card for you and your Little! Stay tuned!
We are thrilled to announce our Bigs of the Year for our community-based and BIG Beyond programs!
These exceptional individuals, nominated by our staff, truly embody the spirit of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry. Join us in congratulating them for their unwavering commitment to making a positive impact on the lives of the kids in our community!
Last call: Win a $50 restaurant gift card for playing National Mentoring Month BINGO
We hope the activities on our National Mentoring Month BINGO cards provided fun ideas for connection with your Little/Scholar! Bigs can submit completed cards to megan@bbbslowcountry.org by Monday, February 12, for consideration.
Make big waves in 2024!
The BIG Boat Raffle is back! This year’s boat is fully loaded with T-Top and DEKit boat flooring.
Retail value of $55,000 (includes Westco trailer & ALL TAXES PAID!
NO LIMITS on the # of tickets you can purchase ($100 TICKET = 1 ENTRY).
The more tickets you buy, the better your odds of winning!
Please help us spread the word — all funds go directly to our program and toward our mission of creating and supporting 335 mentoring matches in 2024!
Bigs can participate for 10% off and Littles and their families are FREE. It is a 5K, but it can be a run/walk.
Bigs use code BBBS2024
Littles/Families use code WWFREE2024
February 17: BBBSL Oyster Roast
It’s Oyster Roast season, and Bohemian Bull is turning up the heat. Come out and join us for an oyster roast to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lowcountry on Saturday, February 17, from 12 pm to 4 pm. Your $30 ticket gets you endless oysters, BBQ, and sides.
RSVP for the 02/20 BIG Huddle: Cross-cultural mentoring and attunement
We invite Bigs to our next BIG Huddle scheduled for February 20 from 5:30-6:30 PM via Zoom! Our topic will be cross-cultural mentoring and attunement. What exactly does that mean, and why should you attend?
While we do our best to create compatible matches, ALL our mentoring relationships have differences within them along the lines of lived experience, religion, class, race/ethnicity, regional experiences, and more. The good news is that differences ADD RICHNESS and offer such opportunities for personal AND match growth.
This BIG Huddle is designed to help you gain skills to help you get curious about differences, explore them, and bridge them into deeper relationships with your Littles/Scholars.
This session’s learning objectives will include:
- Self-awareness and mapping mentor identity
- What it means to “decenter” oneself
- Learning how to create space for your Little to open up and become their own person
- Staying open while managing one’s own beliefs and potential biases
- Embodying healthy communication through “attunement” and curiosity
- AND AS ALWAYS…time for Bigs to ask questions and seek answers
We hope you will participate!
Big Huddles are designed to support our Bigs as they continue to grow into strong mentors and help us to bring you content/training that addresses the questions/requests for support you bring up in your monthly or quarterly match support calls. They also provide you with an opportunity to connect with other Bigs. We received positive feedback from our past installments—“Connecting with Teens,” “The BIG Experience, ” and “Poverty, Toxic Stress & Mentoring”—and are committed to providing more valuable resources on an ongoing basis!
Match Service Opportunity: Help BBBSL Recruit Bigs at Our Booth!
We hope to spread the word to families about our services AND recruit Bigs!
When: Saturday, March 9
Where: North Charleston Convention Center, 5001 Coliseum Dr, North Charleston, SC 29418
Register for the shift you want — PLEASE check with your Little and their family BEFORE you register as this opportunity is limited, and ensuring adequate coverage is needed.
9:30 AM to 12 PM: 2 matches needed
12 to 2:30 PM: 2 matches needed
2:30-5 PM: 2 matches needed
BBBSL will purchase Black Expo tickets on your behalf and sign off on service hour paperwork if needed by Littles/Scholars. You are encouraged to enjoy the expo before/after your shift.
UNLIMITED Arcade Games at Stars & Strikes of Summerville!
We are thrilled to announce that we have room for 80 guests (40 matches) for UNLIMITED arcade games at Stars and Strikes!
Saturday, March 16: 10 AM to 2 PM
A card will be shared between each match during the event — please register yourself and your Little ASAP. We can’t wait to see you there!
March Match Activity: Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra Tour & Concert
Join us for a PRIVATE BBBSL BEHIND THE SCENES TOUR of the Charleston Symphony followed by a Charleston Symphony YOUTH Orchestra concert. The concert will showcase 100+ Tri-County young musicians. The tour will share the ins and outs of symphonies, orchestras, and ALL the things that go on behind the scenes to make productions work!
WHEN: Sunday, March 24
Tour: 2:30-3:30 PM
Concert: 4:00-5:30 PM
WHERE: Gaillard Center, 95 Calhoun St, Charleston, SC 29401
PARKING: There is free parking in the Gaillard Parking Garage, and there is also street or metered parking (free Sundays)
ATTIRE: School dress
FOOD: Outside food/drinks will not be provided, so please ask Littles/ Scholars to eat in advance. Concessions may be available for purchase.
As we set our sights on creating more positive matches, we are excited to announce that we are growing our team! If you feel energized by the mission, vision, and responsibilities of these very critical and exciting roles, we can’t wait to hear from you! Please email your resume or refer an outstanding candidate to ssoutherland@innovatehcs.com. We look forward to connecting with you very soon!
Click the image above to launch the video.
Bigs certainly give a lot, and sometimes doing so can be a little thankless. Expectations about gratitude can cause frustration, OR we can RECLAIM the power. In this video, we will explore:
- Why we want gratitude
- Expectations for youth and families
- How to cultivate/model gratitude for your Little
- Being asset-based
BBBSL Bigs who suspect child abuse or exploitation in any form are to report this to their Match Coordinator or Merridith Crowe, CEO of BBBSL. This requirement to report abuse is per BBBSL and BBBSA standards regardless of whether they are designated by South Carolina as “mandated reporters.”
- BBBSL Big contacts a BBBSL staff member about suspected child abuse.
- BBBSL staff contacts Children Services in the county in which the suspected activity took place.
- BBBSL staff share information with their direct supervisor, who reports the information to the CEO.
- BBBSL CEO reports abuse allegations involving a Big, Little, Board member, non-mentoring volunteer, or staff member to the Board of Directors, BBBSL attorney, and BBBSA lead child safety staff contact.
BBBSL staff are mandated reporters. Reporting to child protection is required by law and BBBSL policy.
