Congratulations to the 8 BBBSCO Littles that are graduating high school this year! It is exciting to see young people succeed and beat the odds to meet their goal of high school graduation. Many of our Littles enter the program unsure if they will graduate high school. For some, the obstacles that stand before them seem overwhelming and insurmountable.
As I think back on the Littles that have passed through Big Brothers Big Sisters to achieve high school graduation, I am overwhelmed with pride.
For many of our Littles, high school years are not spent preoccupied with after school sports, high school parties and college tours. Instead, their high school years have been spent struggling with a lack of technology to do their homework, worry about food, worry about basic needs not being met and being stigmatized as a failure.
For some of these youth, their high school years were spent struggling with homelessness, being abandoned by parents or guardians and suffering from mental health issues. For many of these kids, it felt like everybody had given up on them. Everybody, except their mentor!
In each case, it was the Little's BIG that was the consistent source of support and encouragement that helped them attain their goal of High School Graduation, no matter the obstacle put in front of them. I cannot imagine where each one of these Littles would be if it had not been for their BIGs who have arranged tutors, advocated for them with teachers and taught them how to advocate for themselves. Big’s helped get food boxes and a warm bed in a shelter when they had nowhere else to go. The longer the match the bigger the impact!
Join us, throughout the month of June as we share stories of triumph and accomplishment in the celebration of BBBSCO Littles that have overcome numerous barriers to meet their ultimate goal of attaining a high school diploma.
If like us, you believe that youth deserve to have a champion in their corner and a chance to overcome barriers to graduation, please consider making a donation today toward the Graduation is a BIG Deal campaign.
*Due to COVID-19, this year we are unable to hold an annual fund raiser, ‘Bowl for Kids Sake’. This makes your support more important than ever!
Together, we can raise $5000 to ensure that 5 more youth can have a champion!
Thank you!
