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!

Breakfast with Santa - The Foley High School Minnesota Honor Society is hosting breakfast with Santa! From 8-10:30 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 10, head to Foley for breakfast, photos with Santa, crafts, cookie decorating, a silent auction and music. The cost is $5 per person, and all proceeds benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota!

Holiday Classics Retro Series - Get in the holiday spirit by watching classic holiday films on the big screen! From Dec. 2-15, Marcus Parkwood Cinema in Waite Park is showing eight different holiday classics including Elf, White Christmas, The Grinch, and more. Tickets are only $5 per person - check out the Marcus website for showtimes and to buy tickets.

December Downtown - Downtown St. Cloud has a day full of holiday fun planned on Saturday, Dec. 3. From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. take part in a cocoa crawl, letter writing to Santa, reading with Mrs. Claus and cookie decorating at various businesses. Be sure and stop by cookie decorating at Bella Vita Salt Caves - you might see some familiar faces! Click here for full schedule.

Christmas Movie Night - Warm up from the cold with Christmas movies and hot chocolate! On Saturday, Dec. 3, the Sartell Community Center is hosting a free family movie night. How The Grinch Stole Christmas will play at 6 and 7 p.m. Click here for details.

Free Kiddie Matinees in Sauk Centre - The Main Street Theatre in Sauk Centre is offering free matinee showings of kids' movies. On Saturday, Dec. 3, Sing 2 will be shown at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Click here for more information.

Country Lights Festival Starts Dec. 1! - The Country Lights Festival at St. Francis Park in Sartell starts Thursday, Dec. 1, and runs through Dec. 31. Lights are on from dusk until dawn every day of the week. The kiddie train runs and hot chocolate is served from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday through Dec. 17, and there are fireworks on Dec. 31. Click here for more information.

MLK Jr Art & Essay Contest - Students from the St. Cloud School District and surrounding area are invited to express their thoughts and reflections on the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by submitting visual art, essay or spoken word pieces. Pieces are due by Friday, Dec. 2. This year's theme is 'Our Beloved Community,' and awards will be announced at the 10th Annual MLK Everyday Community Celebrations Jan. 14-16, 2023. Awards are given out by age group. Click here for more information or to register.

Sledding/Skiing/Showshoeing Sundays - The shelter at Riverside Park in St. Cloud is available for public use on Jan. 8, 15 and 29, 2023. A limited supply of snowshoes are available for checkout during this time. Click here for more information.

Arts Underground at St. Cloud Paramount - Every Thursday from Sept. 15, 2022, through May 18, 2023, head to the Paramount Center for the Arts in downtown St. Cloud to try your hand at various skills! Work with a studio mentor to try throwing a bowl on the wheel, piece together a mosaic or make a clay sculpture. Youth 19 and under are $5 each and adults are $10. Click here for more information.

Have you ever thought about being a Big? Do you know someone who would be a great Big? BBBS of Central Minnesota is looking for 10 mentors to be a part of the Bigs on Campus program at St. Cloud State. Meet with your mentee twice a month for an hour at a time at SCSU and help them get accustomed to life on a college campus! Click here for more information or to sign up to be part of the Bigs on Campus program!

As the holidays approach and the new year gets closer, we are taking a look back and are so grateful for all of our supporters. We couldn't do what we do without each and every one of you! Another opportunity to support BBBS of Central Minnesota is Giving Tuesday on Tuesday, Nov. 29. Your gift helps support our matches and match making process! Giving Tuesday Website.

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.

Giving to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MN is now as easy as sending a text! Simply text the word BIGS to 269-89 and you are able to donate right from your smartphone. Text today to help support one-to-one mentoring for local youth in the community!

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.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is partnering with KPMG’s Women of Risk Community (WORC) Employee Resource Group for a BIG Futures Workforce Development Resource. From 6-7 p.m. on Dec. 1, this virtual panel will focus on Women’s Entrepreneurship, and is open to teens, young adults, their Bigs, and KPMG professionals nationwide for an interactive conversation aimed to inspire innovation. Please click here to join the conversation on Dec. 1.

Higher Works Collaborative in St. Cloud works to advance the lives and livelihoods of African Americans in Central Minnesota. They offer tutoring and classes to help prepare middle and high schoolers for life after high school. Please click here for more information.

Minnesota Afterschool Advance helps Minnesota families who meet income requirements use the powerful but underutilized Minnesota K-12 Education Tax Credit to help them pay for educational afterschool programs like tutoring, music lessons, and art classes. Please click here to apply.

Career Solutions helps Central Minnesota find a job or career that's right for them. The WIOA Young Adult Program can help assess future careers, assess skills and interests and assist with job searches. 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.