BBBSNEW Blog

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 22, 2021

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin Honored with
2020 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Quality Award

The agency is recognized for outstanding team leadership in providing
1-to-1 mentoring programming for local youth.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin (BBBSNEW) is proud to be recognized as a 2020 Big Brothers Big Sisters of America  (BBBSA) Quality Award Winner. Every year, the BBBSA Nationwide Leadership Council, made up of local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency leaders and board members, select agencies for excellence in the 1-to-1 mentoring program which ignites the power and promise of youth. Despite the challenges of the past year, including the pandemic, social unrest, and economic uncertainty,  49 out of the 236 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country received top honors in quality.

“I am so proud of our board and staff for making quality programming
a priority for our local children,” said Katie Hess, Executive Director for
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin. “Their hard work
equates to more mentorship in Brown, Door and Shawano counties
and a brighter future for area youth.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters was founded more than 100 years ago as an organization focused on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion. It grew out of a need to offer an alternative path for youth facing the juvenile justice system. The program is based on in-person connections, but social distancing due to the pandemic prompted agencies to find innovative ways for volunteer mentors (‘Bigs’) to stay connected with their mentees (‘Littles’). BBBSNEW served 520 youth with Bigs last year. Staff provided support and coaching using a virtual model; they also found ways for Bigs, Littles and their families to stay connected through creative virtual REACH activities that included scavenger hunts, Zumba classes, baking cookies and art lessons to name a few.

“Over the past several months, I’ve heard from agency leaders in rural towns and metropolitan communities, those in the suburbs and every place in between,” said Artis Stevens, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. “And there’s one theme I’ve noticed everywhere, and that’s the power of resilience. We congratulate these agencies  for earning these top honors. The level of commitment and dedication is outstanding with staff doing all they can to make sure our youth will not only survive these challenging times but thrive.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Wisconsin will be formally recognized as a 2020 Quality Award Winner at the 2021 Virtual  ‘Bigger Together’ National Conference held June 28 –July 1, 2021.