Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MN has just been awarded a $122,500 contract from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to focus on providing services to youth of military families. This contract will provide funding through 2013 for the support of 70 new mentoring relationships between adult mentors and youth who have active-duty military parent(s), or a parent who is or may be deployed facing deployment.  While Big Brothers Big Sisters has been serving youth of military families for years, the contract will allow more youth to be served, and will specifically focus on recruiting volunteers who have a connection with and/or understanding of military life.

Wade and Sue Bastian reflect on the impact a Big Brother had on their son during the time of Wade’s deployment.
“We can’t say enough about the Big Brother that our son was matched with in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program during my two-year deployment to Iraq from 2005-2007.  Our son still talks about how great it was to have someone to do activities and talk with while I was away.  It wasn’t the same as me being there with him, but his Big Brother, Stan, cushioned the impact of me being away and in harms way.   Our family is extremely grateful to Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Foley School that supports the program, and especially to Stan, the high school volunteer mentor that took time away from his school day to make a “BIG” lifelong, positive impact in our son’s days spent away from his Dad.” While only the 21st most populous state in the nation, Minnesota is 5th in the nation in number of service people.  This high population of military involvement demonstrates the need for positive mentoring relationships to support the youth impacted, and also indicates a wealth of military oriented individuals who would make excellent, compassionate, empathetic mentors. Big Brothers Big Sisters seeks to bring these two populations together to provide a rich experience for all parties involved, and to support these mentoring relationships with a professionally degreed and trained staff member who is familiar with and passionate about working with military families.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central MN has been rapidly establishing relationships throughout the military community with such organizations as: Camp Ripley’s Beyond the Yellow Ribbon, Regional Inter-Service Family Assistance Center, Central Minnesota Warrior to Citizen, Operation Military Kids, University of MN Extension Educator Volunteer & Partnership Development, and Veterans on Campus at St. Cloud State University. These partnerships will provide information and support for staff, mentors, and youth involved in the program to allow for successful mentoring relationships to be developed.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota was established in 1969 and helps youth to realize their full potential by providing positive growth experiences through one-to-one mentoring relationships. To learn how you can be the difference in the life of a child, as a mentor, volunteer, or donor, please call 320. 253.1616 or visit www.bbbscentralmn.org.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota has received a $60,000 grant from the Morgan Family Foundation. The funding will be used to match 55 children who are facing adversity with a caring and professionally trained volunteer mentor and will support an initiative to strategically train and support mentors and children in our program (targeting youth with disabilities) while integrating best practices and proven principles into a mentoring service model.

The Morgan Family Foundation is a private, family foundation that was established in 1993. The Foundation focuses its giving on youth, education, the environment, and stewardship.

“We are very grateful to the Morgan Family Foundation for helping us meet the growing needs of youth in central Minnesota,” said Jackie Johnson, Executive Director, “We know these matches between kids and caring adults can be life-changing, as we help create a path to successful, productive lives for these young people.”

Big Brothers Big Sisters is thankful to the Morgan Family Foundation for being a loyal source of support for the work we do.

Federated Challenge Gives $300,000 to BBBS of Central MN

The Federated Insurance Foundation recently presented a check for $300,000 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota based in St. Cloud. The donation comes from funds that were raised this past summer at the Federated Challenge for Kids of Minnesota. The two-day event, hosted by Federated and Wells Fargo Bank, was held in the Twin Cities area. Co-chaired by Federated Insurance Chairman Al Annexstad and his wife Cathy, the Federated Challenge has raised several million dollars in recent years to support the work of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization in Minnesota. Since 2005, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota has received $1.6 million from the Federated Challenge, which represents the largest single source of funding in the organization’s history.

“We extend our deepest appreciation to Al and Cathy Annexstad for leading the Federated Challenge to be a major difference in the lives of the 800+ youth we serve annually,” noted Jackie Scholl Johnson, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota. “While many people agree that our children need our help, the Annexstads and Federated are doing something very meaningful about it. Because of their generosity, Big Brothers Big Sisters is able to match more youth who are facing adversity with a caring and guiding mentor. The bar that Federated has set is one to be emulated by others.”

Three agencies of the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization currently serve Minnesota: the Twin Cities, Central Minnesota, and Southern Minnesota in Owatonna. Together these agencies serve over 5,000 children in the state, with several hundred more on waiting lists to be matched with adult mentors.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota was established in 1969 and helps youth to realize their potential by providing positive growth experiences through one-to-one mentoring relationships. To learn how you can become involved in the life of a child, as a mentor, volunteer, or donor, please call (320) 253-1616 or visit www.bbbscentralmn.org.

The JM Oil Company recently presented a check for $6,250 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota based in St. Cloud. J M OIL CO demonstrates their commitment to the communities they do business in through their community involvement and generous donations.

“We are thankful to JM Oil Company for making a difference in the lives of the youth in our shared communities. While many people agree that our youth need guidance, JM Oil is doing something very meaningfully about it. Because of their generosity, we are able to match more youth who are facing adversity with a caring and guiding mentor.” - Jackie Scholl Johnson, Executive Director


From Left to Right: Brian Laudenbach, JM Oil Vice President, Ruth Vorwerk JM Oil Office Manager, Andrew Karasch BBBS Database Specialist, Jackie Scholl Johnson BBBS Executive Director

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