A business based on bouncing back is helping a local nonprofit help lonely children do just that.
AZ Air Time, a 26,000-square-foot trampoline park at 3931 W. Costco Drive, is aiding Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson in three ways: Raising money by asking customers to round up their bills to the next whole dollar, giving program participants 50 percent discounts and encouraging customers and employees to volunteer for the organization.
The program comes at a crucial time for the nonprofit, which pairs adults with children in need of role models. According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tucson CEO Marie Logan, the organization has a waiting list of 150 kids seeking partners, and 120 of those are boys.
“It’s bad,” Logan said. “We have boys who have to wait for more than a year.”
AZ Air Time’s efforts have already yielded at least one new Big Brother to shorten that list. Manager Alec Foster said he hopes to pair up with a boy he can mentor.
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“I’ve always wanted to volunteer there, and now that AZ Air Time is affiliated with them, they are willing to work with me and free some time up in my schedule,” Foster said, adding that he plans to take his Little Brother to the facility, as well as sporting events and the zoo.
AZ Air Time’s ownership says it hopes to raise $5,000 for the organization this month. Jon Mirmelli, a major investor in the business, said the program is a way to give back to the community.
“We want to help raise community awareness,” he said. “We thought this was the charity that would get the most bang out of this.”
Mirmelli said AZ Air Time is well-positioned to help the nonprofit.
“The adults need to have something to take the kids to that’s very inexpensive,” he said. “We have a lot of employees in their early 20s and late teens on staff, and they are good examples for kids to learn from.”
Owner Barry Jenkins said AZ Air Time’s efforts to help Big Brothers Big Sisters is an extension of his will to take care of all the kids he can.
“It’s hard to put into words what that charity means to me,” he said. “I’m a dad with five kids, and I end up being a surrogate dad to a lot of kids in the neighborhood. ... It seems like this organization does everything I would do if I had the time.”
General manager Sabrena Oviatt said she is happy to lend a hand to Big Brothers Big Sisters.
“We’re excited to provide a service,” she said. “We want to raise awareness and we think this is a great way to get the word out.”
Foster, for one, is jumping at the chance to help a child.
“I think it not only helps kids have fun, but keeps them out of trouble,” he said. “It kind of shapes their future. ... It’s just about positive reinforcement.”
