Bocce, bowling and cornhole: Whether you prefer lanes or lawns, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona (BBBSSA) has you covered with a trifecta of recreational fundraising activities through Bowl and Play for Kids’ Sake 2021.
A spin on its signature annual fundraiser and volunteer campaign, the event began in May and will continue at various times and locations over the next month, culminating June 26.
“This is our 40th year hosting the fundraiser and in addition to our traditional bowling sessions, we added outdoor experiences in consideration of the current environment that we live in. We thought some people might feel more comfortable being outside, so we offered bocce and cornhole in addition to bowling,” said Veronica Saiz, associate director of philanthropy for BBBSSA.
The event seeks to raise at least $100,000 for BBBSSA, which provides one-to-one, adult-to-child mentoring to help young Tucsonans achieve their highest potentials. The mentored children (known as “Littles”) have diverse economic, social and cultural backgrounds: Many live in single-parent households; some are being raised by grandparents or family members or are in the foster care system; and others have two-parent families.
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Saiz said that matches between Littles and their “Bigs” (mentors) take into account specific educational, emotional and social needs for each child as they enter the program.
“Lots of our kids have difficult backgrounds and are dealing with challenges, but we believe every child deserves access to someone positive who can give them one-on-one attention on a regular basis,” said Saiz.
Before COVID-19, the nonprofit served 600 children ages 6 through high school graduation; during the pandemic it utilized hybrid in-person and Zoom meetings as protocol allowed. Programs are in the process of ramping up again post-pandemic and currently 100 children are awaiting pairings with mentors; about 80 percent of those are boys.
“We never have a shortage of children in need of ‘Bigs,’ so recruitment is always a need, especially with the events of the past year. People are slowly coming back and feeling comfortable with volunteering again and we are having a big call to action so people know that we are still here and that we have many Littles waiting to be matched with mentors,” said Saiz.
She emphasized that the past year has highlighted the need for extra support of youth and that mentoring can prove to be a key component in helping children to guide children toward success.
“It has been a traumatic year for everyone, and that includes kids. Bigs can provide a really important connection with a considerate, caring adult that comes from outside of the family and outside of everything happening at home and school,” Saiz said.
Michelle Villegas, 19, can attest to that.
The 2020 graduate of Amphi High School just completed her first year at Pima Community College, a feat that she credits her “Big” and BBBSSA with helping her to attain.
“My mentor actually was one of the biggest impacts throughout my four years of high school. The transition of starting high school was more drastic than I had imagined, and since I am the first person in my family to graduate from high school, I had no one to guide me through it. My mentor, Kristen, had been through it and gave me the best advice and insight . . . if you have a mentor, it is very much like you have an advantage,” said Villegas.
Villegas said that BBBSSA also provided support when COVID scuttled traditional graduation celebrations.
“Graduation wasn’t what I had always dreamed it would be, but Big Brothers Big Sisters made sure I felt like I had graduated. They had a virtual ceremony and really made us feel that they were proud of our whole class,” she said.
That support, along with the ongoing mentor relationship, has also been invaluable during the transition into college in this very unusual year, according to Villegas.
“Personally, when I needed someone to help me with papers the first year of college, my mentor gave me edits and suggestions for improvements ... it has been a great experience and a huge resource that is helpful in so many areas. I am so glad that it exists,” said Villegas.
The mentoring experience has been equally rewarding for Daniel Gibson, 45, a “Big” who became involved with the BBBSSA Mentor 2.0 Program in 2019 and served as a team captain for the bocce fundraiser on May 22.
Gibson said that he became a mentor in an effort to pass on the hard-earned knowledge that he gained after navigating college on his own.
“Neither of my parents had gone to college, so I didn’t get that sort of direction .... if you are 16 or 17 and you don’t have parental intervention, it wears on you: It is hard enough in your 40s trying to figure things out. At 17, it is easy to slip through the cracks if you don’t have support,” said the father of two.
The Mentor 2.0 Program has also offered a convenient and flexible volunteerism option for Gibson, who is Senior Director of Communications for Visit Tucson.
“The Mentor 2.0 Program is all high schoolers, so the advice and engagement space is a little different and more mature, with online and person-to-person interactions. It is something you can do wherever you are and I knew I could have lots of impact, so it makes it almost impossible to say no. For busy professionals, this is a program that can be adapted to what people can do and the time commitments they can offer,” Gibson said.
Ultimately, Gibson believes that BBBSSA provides an excellent opportunity for people to become dialed in to volunteerism in the Old Pueblo.
“It is easy to be connected to Tucson: If you want to be part of something, you can. There is so much diversity and culture and even after 30 years of living here, I still uncover new things and meet exciting people doing interesting things. There is a lot to love about this community,” he said.
