Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa Receives Variety Grant
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Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. By partnering with parents/guardians, Bigs, and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa is accountable for each child in their program achieving: higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships, avoidance of risky behaviors, and educational success.
Variety provided funding through the 2022 grant cycle for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa to offer activities for Littles and Bigs that they might not otherwise experience, such as exploring the Science Center, attending an Iowa Wild Hockey Game, or participating in art activities at Glazed Expressions. Experiencing new things together allow matches to grow their relationship and form a stronger bond.
Little Sister Carissa had always been interested in playing sports and spent much of her free time doing so, especially soccer. She never really had much of an interest in the arts, so when her Big Sister Chelsea told her about the match activity that she signed them up for through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa at Glazed Expressions, she was less than thrilled. However, Chelsea thought it would be a great chance to expose Carissa to something new and different and convinced her to give it a try.
The match each got to pick out a piece of pottery to paint – Carissa chose a bird and Chelsea a flower. They spent the next hour painting and chatting about a variety of topics, ranging from Carissa feeling anxious about school to her excitement about trying out for the soccer team. Afterward, Carissa shared that it turned out to be her favorite outing that they had done together and that she realized how much she enjoys doing art. This opportunity sparked a new interest in Carissa and she said that she can’t wait to try other new things with Chelsea. Additionally, Chelsea shared that she felt like the activity at Glazed Expressions allowed their relationship to blossom and grow from the great conversation they had. This is one example out of many that demonstrates the value of providing match activity opportunities to Bigs and Littles in order to help strengthen their relationship.
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