The Match Discount Partners list has been recently updated! Check out all of the great ideas for your Match here! Here are two of our newest match discount partners!

St. Cloud Pride Week - The annual St. Cloud Pride Week celebration runs Sept. 12-18, and features a number of fun events in the community! BBBS of Central MN is a sponsor and will have a booth at Pride in the Park on Saturday, Sept. 17. Click here for a full schedule of events.

Family Food Truck Festival - On Saturday, Sept. 10, Miller Auto Plaza is hosting its Fall Family Food Truck Festival in St. Cloud. From 11 a.m.-5 p.m. there will be free inflatables, axe throwing and other games, as well as more than 15 food trucks with food and drinks for purchase. Check out the Facebook event for more info!

Fall Storytime at St. Cloud Library - Every Tuesday from Sept. 20 through Oct. 25, the St. Cloud library is hosting story time from 10:15-10:45 a.m. in the Children's Program Room. Storytime will include stories stories and songs geared towards children ages 3-6. It is limited to 20 children per session, so please register here.

Explore at the Outdoor U! - If you love the great outdoors, check out the Outdoor U on the Saint John's campus in Collegeville. The Arboretum has 15 miles of hiking trails as well as biking trails, a swimming beach, disk golf and trails for skiing and snowshoeing in the winter - all for free! Please click here for more information.

Money Management for Teens - On Wednesday, Sept. 21, teens are invited to the St. Cloud Library for a quick course on money management. From 7-8 p.m., learn about saving for college, budgeting your paycheck and more. This is for teens 13 and older and is limited to 20 attendees so please register here.

Bag of Books - From October 20-22, the St. Cloud Friends of the Library is hosting its annual Bag of Books book sale in the Mississippi Room at the St. Cloud Public Library. Used books, DVDs, magazines and audio books are available to purchase for $4 per bag. Sale times and more details are available here.

Jackie Johnson, the Executive Director of BBBS of Central MN, is teaming up with Michelle Redman from BBBS of Southern MN and Pat Sukhum of BBBS Twin Cities to host a virtual community conversation! On Sept. 21, the three leaders will share their expertise and insights. Please click here for more information.

Are you a Thrivent member with a Thrivent Action Team, or do you know someone who is? Starting this Fall, BBBS is partnering with Thrivent on a number of fundraisers that will utilize their generosity programs to further Thrivent's event impact. Get involved by reaching out to Emily Steinmetz at Emily@BigDefenders.org. Please click here for more information.

Do you need some more Big Brothers Big Sisters swag? Check out the Fall 2022 BBBS Online Store! T-shirts, sweatshirts, leggings and more will be available for purchase through Sunday, Sept. 11. Click here to view the online store.

As kids around Central Minnesota get ready to head back to school, BBBS is gearing up to support them! Between Aug. 22 and Oct. 31, BBBS of Central MN is looking to recruit 100 new Bigs to support waiting Littles in the area. If you know anyone interested in being a Big or someone who would be a great mentor, send them here for more information!

Are you looking for an easy way to give back to BBBS of Central MN every month? Start rounding up! Connect a card of your choice, and every time you make a purchase with that card, the total is rounded up to the next dollar - and that money goes to BBBS of Central MN! Round Up change accumulates and is donated on the last day of the month. Click here for more information!

Welcome to a whole world of fun, learning, and resources - The Little Big Virtual Academy!

The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota team has compiled a list of fun and interactive activities and resources for Littles and Bigs to do together (either in-person or virtually) click here to check it out!

We are looking for more Bigs to ignite the potential of our youth. Click here to get started today!

Please visit our BBBS Website to view resources and information for parents/guardians & Bigs including mentoring videos and parenting resources. We also have an extensive listing of community resources including tutors, food and housing assistance, and mental health resources. BigDefenders.org

In addition, we also list past issues of the Big Happenings on our website. Please click here to access past issues.

MSU Mankato is offering three Next Generation Nursing Assistant Classes this fall. The classes start Sept. 5, Oct. 3 and Oct. 31.. The classes are free of charge and are offered in a hybrid format. Free CNA training is also open to all Minnesotans who are 16 or older. Please click here for more information.

Around Cloud Tutors continues to provide free, virtual tutoring services to all K-12 students in the greater St. Cloud region. Please click here for link.