Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley BIG IMPACT

Inside this issue...

• Arby's Charity Tour: Make a Brighter Future for Youth Just by Playing Golf
• Local Companies Recognized for Their Tax Credit Donations
• High School Big Brother Honored 
• Special Thanks to Our Recent Contributors 

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Make a Brighter Future for Youth Just by Playing Golf!
Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley and the Arby’s Charity Tour have teamed up to put together a charity golf tournament for a great cause, and we’re inviting you to help us make a brighter future for the youth of the Lehigh Valley.  The third annual amateur golf tournament will be held Wednesday, June 3 at Silver Creek Country Club in Hellertown.

Please consider joining us as a golfer or Hole Sponsor.  For more information or to register for the event, please go to www.arbysfoundation.org/lva09 or contact Jill Engels, Development Assistant, at 610-391-1827 x10 or jengels@bbbslv.org.

Currently, we have many children who are waiting to be matched with a mentor and, based on current trends, this number will only continue to grow.  More than half of those waiting are boys; some of which have been waiting over a year to be matched with a caring adult mentor.  Proceeds from this event will be used to help us recruit caring male volunteers into the program.

As a national sponsor for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Arby’s and the Arby’s Foundation developed the Arby’s Charity Tour to help support mentoring programs by hosting 20 tournaments around the United States.  Since 1995, the Arby’s Charity Tour has raised over $29,000,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies.  Last year, the tournament raised more than $43,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley with over 100 golfers and many local sponsors.  We hope to top that number at this year’s tournament.
 
Children Learn Chipping, Putting, Driving, and VALUES.
In conjunction with the Arby’s Charity Tour, Big Brothers Big Sisters will hold its third annual Children’s Golf clinic on Tuesday, June 2 at Southmoore Golf Course in Bath, PA.
The clinic, sponsored by Sacred Heart School in Allentown, will feature students from the Central Catholic High School golf team who will give instructions to the children on chipping, putting, and driving.  Professional athletes will also share stories and a lesson on the “Six Values” followed by Arby’s restaurants.  The clinic will wrap up with a putting contest between Bigs and Littles.

Campaign for Men is focus of Arby's Charity Tour
With a focus on male volunteer recruitment, the Arby’s Foundation will host several community events the week prior to the golf tournament.  The Arby’s Tour Bus will travel to different locations around the Lehigh Valley and set up recruitment drives featuring music, a TV with Wii golf, corn hole, and other interactive games.  With the purpose of attracting men, these events are sure to be a hit in the community.  Keep a lookout for the traveling Arby’s Tour Bus the week of June 1.

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High School Big Brother Honored
Jason Susko, the 2008 High School Big Brother of the Year, was awarded the Sandy Kelly/UPS Scholarship on April 1 at the annual Breakfast of Champions, held by the Volunteer Center of the Lehigh Valley at the Candlelight Inn, Bethlehem.  The $500 scholarship award recognizes a high school senior in the Lehigh Valley who has made a meaningful volunteer contribution.

Jason, a senior at Central Catholic High School in Allentown, was nominated for the award by Big Brothers Big Sisters and selected by the Volunteer Center because of his outstanding dedication as a Big Brother.  Jason has mentored his Little Brother, Juan-Daniel, at Sacred Heart School since December of 2007.  Jason will attend Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the fall and would like to continue mentoring with Big Brothers Big Sisters during college.  Congratulations, Jason!

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Special Thanks to Our Recent Contributors
Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley would like to extend a special thank you to the following contributors who have recently awarded us grant monies:

• The Century Fund - $2,500 for our Match Support Specialist
• Crayola, LLC - $3,000 for our Easton School-Based Mentoring Program
• Lehigh Valley Community Foundation - $5,000 for our Match Support Specialist
• Representative Joseph Brennan - $5,000 for our Whitehall School-Based Mentoring Program
• Representative Robert Wonderling - $5,000 for our new Agency Information Management (AIM) System
• Two Rivers Health and Wellness Foundation - $5,800 for our Easton School-Based Mentoring Program

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