Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties

BBBS is closed today, Sept. 2, in observance of and will reopen on Tuesday, Sept. 3. 🇺🇸💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a paid Reads member.

Big Sister Maryann and Little Brother Tye are looking forward to their second year together! 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a paid Reads member.

The The Children's Movement of Florida is hosting its 5th Annual Built to Thrive Summit on Tuesday, Sept. 10 from 10 a.m. to noon.

The free virtual summit will feature prominent state and national voices on healthy child development, early learning and literacy and economic self-sufficiency for families.

This year’s keynote speaker is Harvard Business School Professor Joe Fuller. He is the co-director of the school’s long-term project, Managing the Future of Work, and co-heads the university-wide Project on the Workforce, focusing on children, caregiving, and workforce competitiveness.

Register for the event at loom.ly/k36qU00 and visit loom.ly/v80nidI for more information about the speaker lineup and topics.

Visit bbbsbigs.org to learn more about our programs.

Thank you to the Fort Pierce First Church of the Nazarene for inviting BBBS to its Back-to-School Block Party, where BBBS Reads Program Associate Rebecca Littleton joined fellow nonprofits in distributing school supplies to local students! 📚✏️📓💚

The church's final total: 509 backpacks and 207 families!

Learn more about how to enroll your child as a Little and how to apply to become a Big or a Reads member at bbbsbigs.org.

Thank you to Treasure Coast Business Magazine for helping us celebrate our recent national award!

Out of more than 230 agencies across America, our agency was one of 51 organizations to receive the prestigious honor. The national award recognizes top agencies that have consistently retained the number of Bigs and Littles matched through our mentoring program, exhibiting exceptional growth and program excellence.

BBBS served 837 local children in 20,302 one-to-one mentoring sessions, equal- ing over 500 days of mentoring in the three-county area in 2023. 💚🖤

Visit tinyurl.com/3p98dkm9 to read the full article.

Learn more about how to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member at bbbsbigs.org.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is overjoyed to cordially invite you to the 16th Annual 𝗖𝗵𝗼𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗲𝗳𝘀 (CCC) event on 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟮𝟴 at 6 o'clock in the evening at the Quail Valley River Club in Vero Beach! ✨

Join us as we celebrate the 2024 CCC 𝗛𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗬𝗲𝗮𝗿, 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗕𝗕𝗦 𝗖𝗘𝗢 𝗝𝘂𝗱𝗶 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿, with an evening full of sparkling champagne, a delicious dinner, raffles and a live auction, and a decadent chocolate display by prominent local chefs.

Purchase your tickets at tinyurl.com/2ysn3jkn. Thank you to 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗼𝗿 MusicWorks Concerts for supporting this popular event and our youth!

Please contact BBBS Events Coordinator Connell Osteen at [email protected] or 772-466-8535 with questions about the event and sponsor opportunities.

We look forward to celebrating with you on 𝗢𝗰𝘁. 𝟮𝟴!

The may have ended, but we are still reaching for the MOON with The Learning Alliance by reading for 238,900 (the distance to the moon) minutes by Sept. 8 , also known as International Literacy Day! 🥇📚🌝

Join us! It is easy to do:
1. Visit moonshotmoment.beanstack.com, and sign up as a family or an individual reader.
2. Open the “Moonshot Summer Olympics Challenge,” and use the dropdown menu to find a team to join. Follow the prompts to sign in.
3. Track your reading minutes and participate in fun activities to earn digital badges and tickets for raffle drawings.

Visit bbbsbigs.org to learn more about our programs.

“Being a Big Brothers Big Sisters Reads member has been an enriching experience. When I signed up as a reading tutor, I never imagined how rewarding the experience of assisting students with reading would be. I started working with first and third graders several months ago and see these same students gradually progressing. I never knew how rewarding it is to make a big difference in a child’s life. Many teachers truly appreciate me being there in any way I can help. For anyone who likes to tutor reading to children while making a difference to others, it is one of the best things someone else can do. You never know how far they will become without your help when they grow older”. – Brian Wright, BBBS Reads member

Thank you for your dedication to our youth, Brian! YOU are making a huge difference! 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Big Sister and former BBBS CEO Judi Miller is paired Little Brother, Dallas. A thankful gift fairy heard she loves pigs and shared these bookends to show her appreciation. 🐷📚

Thank you for your decades of dedication to our youth, Judi! 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Thank you, St. Lucie Voice, for helping us celebrate our exciting Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Platinum Award!

Out of more than 230 agencies across America, our agency was one of 51 organizations to receive the prestigious honor. The national award recognizes top agencies that have consistently retained the number of Bigs and Littles matched through our mentoring program, exhibiting exceptional growth and program excellence.

BBBS served 837 local children in 20,302 one-to-one mentoring sessions, equal- ing over 500 days of mentoring in the three-county area in 2023. 💚🖤

“Being recognized with the national Platinum Award is a highly significant achievement for our agency, especially as we celebrate our 40th anniversary,” said Debbie Hawley, BBBS chief executive officer.

Visit tinyurl.com/h3cbc2f2 to read the full article.

Learn more about how to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member at bbbsbigs.org.

We are continuously grateful for Sunshine Laundry Centers / 2504 South US 1, Fort Pierce's dedication to BBBS and fellow nonprofits in our community.

𝗕𝗕𝗕𝗦 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗲𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝟮𝟱% 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗪𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗿𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗦𝘂𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗿𝘆'𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗦𝘁. 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝘂 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿. 💚🖤

St. Lucie County locations:
+ Fort Pierce: 2504 S US1 and 1606 Orange Avenue
+ Port St. Lucie: 1185 SE PSL Blvd and 7536 S US1

𝗧𝗛𝗔𝗡𝗞 𝗬𝗢𝗨 to Sunshine Laundry for supporting our youth in achieving their full potential!

Visit bbbsbigs.org to learn more about our programs.

National Nonprofit Day recognizes nonprofits' ongoing efforts to serve their communities, with the goal being to educate and empower those who want to take action in support of specific causes. BBBS' volunteers, staff members and supporters make our mission of igniting the power and potential of youth via one-to-one mentoring relationships a reality. 💚🖤

If you are interested in becoming a Big, enrolling your child as a Little or becoming a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year, please visit bbbsbigs.org.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁! Returning Big Sister Pashen and Little Sister Serenity are looking forward to shopping at the mall, talking nails, skincare and hair, getting active in the community, and joining a new sport. Congratulations to this new duo! 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a paid Reads member.

“The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you.” - B.B. King

International Youth Day just so happens to fall on the first day back to school for many of our students! is a day for reflection and for taking action in support of our youth in need of extra support. 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Happy to students in St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties! 💚🖤🎒📚

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆:
+ St. Lucie Public Schools: loom.ly/vKMDpgs
+ School District of Indian River County: loom.ly/hpL196g
+ Okeechobee County Schools: loom.ly/-IsYMwg

Visit bbbsbigs.org to enroll your child as a Little or to apply to become a Big or Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

In preparation for returning to school on Monday, here are a few safety tips for sharing back-to-school photos:
+ Blur or do not include your child’s school name or logo.
+ Blur or do not share your child's teacher's name.
+ If your child wears a uniform including his or her school's logo or name, blur or cover it.
+ Do not tag your child's school or teachers on social media.
+ Do not tag other children without parents' permission.

We are wishing your children a happy, safe school year! 💚🖤

If you are interested in becoming a Big, enrolling your child as a Little or becoming a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year, please visit bbbsbigs.org.

Please join BBBS in celebrating and thanking Ulta Beauty for their partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America that raised $𝟮.𝟰 𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 in support of the well-being of our youth across the country!

Thank you to everyone who shopped locally at the Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach stores in support of the youth we serve! We are excited for this continued partnership with the Ulta Beauty Foundation, as it is igniting nationwide support for transformational mentorship. 💚🖤💓 🧡

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a paid Reads member.

𝗪𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮 𝗳𝗲𝘄 𝘀𝗹𝗼𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗕𝗕𝗕𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, including 𝗧𝗪𝗢 in Okeechobee County, 𝗙𝗢𝗨𝗥 in Indian River County and 𝗦𝗜𝗫 in St. Lucie County!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝗕𝗕𝗕𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗱𝗼?
BBBS Reads members serve with VPK-third grade students on their literacy skills in a school-based one-to-one tutoring program. Members have a caseload of 10-12 students and meet with each student three times a week for 30 minutes at assigned school sites. All members receive a modest living allowance and some members are eligible for an education award.

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿? 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄!
1. Complete the inquiry form at tinyurl.com/y5ptv5rz for the 2024-2025 school year.
2. A BBBS team member will contact you to discuss the next steps.
4. Contact BBBS Reads at [email protected] with questions.

Thank you to AmeriCorps, Volunteer Florida, The Children's Movement of Florida and the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County for supporting this essential program! 💚🖤

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 with those who may be interested in joining the BBBS team as a Reads member. Visit bbbsbigs.org for more information about the Reads program and other BBBS opportunities.

Join BBBS as we partner with The Learning Alliance in this year's Moonshot Literacy Olympics! We are going for GOLD by reaching for the MOON by reading for 238,900 (the distance to the moon) minutes by Sept. 8 - International Literacy Day! 🥇📚🌝

It is easy to do! Read for at least 20 minutes a day, log your reading time and earn digital badges in support of The Learning Alliance's goal:
1. Register at moonshotmoment.beanstack.com.
2. Open the “Moonshot Summer Olympics Challenge.” Use the dropdown menu to join the BBBS team, and follow the prompts to sign in.
3. Track your reading minutes and participate in fun activities to earn digital badges and tickets for raffle drawings.

Visit bbbsbigs.org to learn more about our programs.

Thank you to Vero Beach Elementary School for inviting BBBS to yesterday's orientation! Wishing your students, faculty and staff a very happy school year!

Pictured: BBBS Reads Program Director Sam and Reads Program Associate Rebecca and BBBS Indian River County Match Support Specialist Kari 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to apply to become a paid Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗿𝘁! Big Brother Jeff and Little Brother Ramelo "Melo" are excited to embark on their new journey as Big and Little! Jeff and Melo both enjoy bowling and baseball, and their favorite pizza topping is pepperoni. Congratulations to you both! 💚🖤

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a paid Reads member.

BBBS Reads just wrapped up a noteworthy year, serving 390 students during the school year and 260 during the summer in 13,518 sessions for a total of 22,405 hours! Reads members read 9,019 books with their students and 4,186 books were sent home. Students' test scores increased by 93% and their social-emotional learning scores improved by 97%! 👏

To say we are proud of our Reads staff and members would be an understatement! Thank you for all you have done and continue to do to support literacy skills in our youth! 💚🖤

Thank you to AmeriCorps, Volunteer Florida, the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County and the Children's Movement of Florida's Reading Pals for supporting this essential program!

Visit bbbsbigs.orgbbbsreads or contact BBBS Reads via email at [email protected] to learn more about becoming a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Thank you, United Way of Indian River County!

Learn more about our programs at bbbsbigs.org.

Big Brothers, Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties is providing vital services in Indian River County daily. United Way of Indian River County is proud to support the Passport to Early Literacy Program through our Education Impact Area. Thank you for standing with us to strengthen our community and build a brighter future. Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties

Students in St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties return to school 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗞 from today on Monday, Aug. 12! 💚🖤🎒📚

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰-𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗯𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘆:
+ St. Lucie Public Schools: loom.ly/vKMDpgs
+ School District of Indian River County: loom.ly/hpL196g
+ Okeechobee County Schools: loom.ly/-IsYMwg

Visit bbbsbigs.org to enroll your child as a Little or to apply to become a Big or Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Our team members donated school supplies in support of one of our BBBS Reads families when we gathered at our annual retreat. Their bright smiles upon receiving their personalized backpacks full of their required school supples = everything! 💚🖤🎒📚

Visit bbbsbigs.org to enroll your child as a Little or to apply to become a Big or Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year.

Join the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County and its fellow sponsors at this Saturday's Back-to-School Expo at the St. Lucie County Havert L. Fenn Center in Fort Pierce from 8:30 to 11 a.m.

The event will include free school and sports physicals, developmental screenings, backpacks and school supplies, and much more for first 650 students who attend.

Thank you to our community for hosting such a wonderful event for our youth! 💚🖤🎒📚

Visit bbbsbigs.org to enroll your child as a Little for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year.

Don’t forget to join us this Saturday for the 16th Annual Back to School Expo scheduled for Saturday, August 3 from 8:30-11 a.m. at the Havert L. Fenn Center.

School Physicals
Health Screenings
Fingerprinting
School Supplies

Our dedicated BBBS Reads members recently enjoyed an end-of-the-service year gathering! Thank you for 𝗔𝗟𝗟 you do for our youth! 🖤💚

Thank you to the United Way of Indian River County for welcoming us to utilize your spacious conference room.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗕𝗕𝗕𝗦 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀?
BBBS Reads AmeriCorps members serve with VPK thru third grade students on their literacy skills in a school-based one-to-one tutoring program. Members have a caseload of 10 to 12 students and meet with each student three times a week for 30 minutes at assigned school sites.

All members receive a modest living allowance and some members are eligible for an education award in addition to the living allowance.The service year runs from August thru July. Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Visit bbbsbigs.org/bbbsreads to apply to become a Reads member for the 2024-2025 school year. Please share this post with those who may be interested in joining the BBBS Reads team.

Happy 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗗𝗮𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 from BBBS, where our mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

Through friendship and mentorship, we help them achieve them full potential. Big Brother Cory and Little Brother Greyson do just that! The duo has been paired since 2023 and enjoy their regular outings, especially at the beach during ! 🏖️🐚

Visit bbbsbigs.org to apply to become a Big, enroll your child as a Little or to become a Reads member.