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!

Trunk or Treat at Gilleland - On Friday, Oct. 28, head to Gilleland Chevrolet in St. Cloud for their annual Trunk or Treat! This free, family friendly event is open to everyone from 4:30-6:30 p.m.

Pumpkins, petting zoo and more in Royalton! - Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 30, head to Triple S Pumpkins in Royalton for a day of fun. The farm features pumpkins and crafts for purchase as well as hay slides, a playground, a corn walk and a petting zoo free of charge! Click here for more information.

SCSU Halloween Spooktacular Concert - On Thursday, Oct. 27, join the SCSU Wind Ensemble for the Halloween Spooktacular Band Concert at 5:30 p.m. in Ritsche Auditorium. This free event features games and activities for kids, a 30-minute concert of Halloween music and a costume contest! 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.

St. Cloud Fall Art Crawl - Head to downtown St. Cloud from 4-8 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 21, for the Fall Art Crawl! This free event features locally owned shops and eateries displaying local artwork. Click here for more information.

SCSU Planetarium Homecoming Showings - The St. Cloud State Planetarium will host a collection of showings for science enthusiasts during SCSU's Homecoming. There will be two showings on Friday, Oct. 21, and 12 on Oct. 22, all at The Planetarium in the Wick Science Building. Showings will explore the solar system, dinosaurs, outer space and more, and each showing will be followed by a tour of the current night sky. All showings are free. Click here for the showing schedule.

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.

Downtown St. Cloud Halloween Walk - Put on your costume and come to downtown St. Cloud on Saturday, Oct. 29, and trick-or-treat with downtown merchants! Trick or treating starts at 2 p.m. and goes until the candy runs out!

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.

World's Largest Corn Maze - The world's largest corn maze is right in St. Cloud's backyard! Head to Stoney Brook Farms in Foley to check out the corn maze and pumpkin patch - open Friday through Sunday from Sept. 10-Oct. 30 - and Harvest Fun Days! Please click here for more information.

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 $5 per bag Thursday and Friday and $3 per bag on Saturday. Sale times are available here.

It's time once again to nominate for BBBS of Central Minnesota's annual awards. Nominate now through Nov. 6 for Bigs of the Year, Littles of the Year and High School Bigs of the Year. Nominations can come from Bigs, Littles, families or community members. The 2023 award winners will be selected on Nov. 18 and honored at the Big Celebration in June 2023. Click here for more information and to nominate by Nov. 6.

On Wednesday, Oct. 19, tune in for a virtual neurodiversity training. Not sure what ADHD, autism or dyslexia means? This short, interactive presentation will teach you the basics. The training starts at 5:30 p.m. via Zoom and will be recorded. It is geared towards high school and college students as well as parents/guardians. Click here for more info or to register by Oct 12.

Join BBBS of Central Minnesota and our partners at Thrivent on Thursday, Nov. 10, for a bean bag tournament fundraiser! Stop by Bad Habit in St. Joe from 4-7 p.m. for socializing, refreshments and a bean bag tournament. Cost to enter the tournament is $20 per team, and all proceeds go to BBBS of Central MN! Email Emily Steinmetz to RSVP!

On Monday, Nov. 21, the Jacob Wetterling Resource Center is hosting a virtual training for Bigs, Parents/Guardians, and other adults in the community to help navigate the virtual landscape and watch for potential red flags. This presentation, which runs from 6-7:30 p.m., details the risks students are facing, and practical, positive ways that adults can respond. Click here to register by Nov. 16.

Applications are now open for the North Star Exchange/Granite City Rotary exchange program for the 2023-24 school year. High school students between the ages of 15 and 19 are invited to apply to study abroad for one year in one of 34 different countries. Applications are due by Nov. 9. 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.

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!

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.

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.

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 Nov. 9, 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 Nov. 9.

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.

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.