Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Luau Update 📣

The location of Big Luau has been changed to Crusens War Drive! The event will still be from 6-10PM on August 16th.

Join us for an unforgettable night of live music, food, drinks, games, raffles, and more. Purchase your tickets today!

https://hoibbbs.bbbssecure.org/page/151188/-/1

Take me out to the ball game! ⚾️

Join us at the Peoria Chiefs game on July 30th as they take on the River Bandits at 6:35 PM!

Big Brothers Big Sisters will be featured for the first pitch and on-field games, and we'll have an information booth when you walk in! Come learn more about our programs while enjoying the excitement of a Chiefs game.

Purchase your tickets using the link below and get a discount with promo code: BBBS.

https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/BuyNew.asp

Welcome new matches! We are so excited to have you a part of the BBBS family💚

Keyson & Tyler
Jamie & Kalila

Breaking News! 🚨

This morning, our Youth Enrollment Specialist, Narria Tanguay, and Mario, a future Little in our program, were featured on 25News WEEK!

Narria shared why she loves being a Big and how to get involved through the campaign. Mario talked about what he hopes to do with his Big and why he wants a Big in our program.

Thank you, 25 News WEEK, for helping us reach more people!

https://www.25newsnow.com/video/2024/07/17/heart-illinois-big-brothers-big-sisters/

Learn more about becoming a Big today: hoibbbs.org/be-a-big

We love our Lunch Buddies! ❤️

The Lunch Buddies program offers volunteer Bigs the opportunity to meet with their Littles during lunch periods 2 to 4 times a month. They spend time together talking, coloring, playing games, or doing homework.

The next school year is right around the corner. Sign up today to become a Lunch Buddy!

https://www.hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Learn how to bake a pie ✅

Big Sister DeAnn and Little Sister Ja'Nyla had a blast baking together this week!

New update on ! 📣

We have received 37 volunteer inquiries since the beginning of June! Some of these have already led to new matches, and we cannot wait to connect each of these volunteers with a Little.

We have 19 days left to reach our goal of recruiting 60 new Bigs! Help us reach this goal by sharing this post or tagging a friend who you think would make a great Big!

Learn more about becoming a Big at: hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Thanks, OSF Garden of Hope, for hosting our Group Mentoring last night! 🌿

The boys had a chance to help clean up the strawberry patch, harvest fruit and vegetables, learn about gardening, and even taste some of the fresh fruit! It was an exciting experience for them to try something new.

Most of the boys in our Group Mentoring Program are still waiting for a Big! Learn more about becoming a Big today.

https://www.hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Don’t forget to come join us at Zion Coffee Co this morning! We will be here until 12pm connecting with anyone who is interested in learning more about our programs.

Invite a friend, grab some coffee, and discover the impact of mentoring. 💚

Swing by Zion Coffee Co tomorrow, July 11th, from 8am to 12pm to grab a coffee and learn more about our programs! ☕

We are over halfway into our campaign, and we are looking for more volunteers to become Bigs! Come learn about how easy it is to make a BIG impact today.

https://www.hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Wishing our President & CEO, Jami Truelove, a very Happy Birthday today! 🎉

Jami gives so much to Heart of Illinois Big Brothers Big Sisters, and we hope she feels extra celebrated today. We are so grateful for you, Jami!

It's , and this week we are celebrating Big Sister Louisa and Little Sister Kyleigh! ✨

Louisa and Kyleigh have been matched for just over a year and a half, and they quickly bonded over their love for cooking! They love spending time together trying out new recipes. Kyleigh recently made pasta for them to enjoy together, and they both said it was delicious!

It's exciting to witness their growth and connection through an activity they both adore.

Our office will be closed today in observance of the 4th of July. We hope everyone has a safe holiday!

It's ! This week, we want to introduce you to Keyson.✨

Keyson is 8 years old, and he loves fishing! He wants a Big Brother to spend together being active, especially going fishing and jumping on trampolines. Keyson lives with his grandparents, and they think he could benefit from having a Big Brother who can keep up with his activeness.

Do you think you could be a good fit for Keyson? Become a Big today!

https://www.hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Happy Work Anniversary to our Fulton County Site Manager, Cara, & Happy Birthday to one of our Match Support Specialist's, Tina! 🎉

Cara has been working with Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2021 and has been such a gift to our team! She advocates for her community, has great attention to detail in planning events, and truly has a heart for encouraging the potential of all children.

Tina has been with BBBS for almost a year now! We love her bubbly personality, adorable style, and the way that she interacts with every child on her caseload. Tina works hard to provide great support to every single match on her caseload.

We wouldn't be where we are today without Cara & Tina's hard work and dedication to our mission. Thank you both for all you do!

Today our team learned more about the services & programs over at Phoenix Community Development Services. Special thanks to Molly, VP/Chief Operating Officer, for giving us a tour & sharing all of the great things your agency has to offer our community!

Meet this week's match, Little Sister Sohnja and Big Sister Lisa! 💚

They have only been matched for about four months, but they are off to a great start! Lisa has been a huge supporter at Sohnja's softball games, and Sohnja is looking forward to an upcoming horseback riding lesson with Lisa's horses.

They have both loved getting to know one another and look forward to spending more time together! Thanks for highlighting the power of mentoring, Lisa and Sohnja!

Purchase your Big Luau tickets today! 🌺

Save $10 with our Early Bird pricing, meaning tickets are just $65 if purchased by the end of the month! Big Luau is a community favorite event that includes dinner, drinks, dancing, live music, and much more! All proceeds will support our mission to provide one-on-one mentoring relationships to children in our community.

Get your tickets for the event of the summer using the link below! 🌴

https://hoibbbs.bbbssecure.org/page/151188/-/1

Yesterday was an exciting day for Little Brother Mason!

If you've been following along with our most recent posts, you likely recognize Mason from some of our group mentoring highlights. After waiting three years to be matched, Mason was finally matched with his Big Brother, Matt!

Average wait time for some of our Littles is anywhere between 1-3 years. Right now, there are 80 additional young men waiting to be matched 1-1 with a Big. What are you waiting for? Get started with volunteer enrollment today!

https://www.hoibbbs.org/be-a-big/

Wednesdays are for group mentoring with the boys!

So far, our group is absolutely loving our van, courtesy of Gilmore Foundation! This week, we welcomed two new mentors, Ken & Zak, who spoke to the boys about self-respect, making positive choices, and being a leader. We're thrilled to have you two on board!

Our Group Mentoring Program serves some of the male youth on our waitlist, waiting to be matched with their very own Big. Our goal is to find them, plus the additional 100+ kids on our waitlist a mentor of their own. For more information, visit our website at hoibbbs.org to see how you can make an impact today!

Welcoming these new matches to the BBBS family! ✨

Ciara and Sa'Renity
Journee and Kaele
Kinsley and Courtney
Rebecca and Titus
Cassie & Genesis

Update on our campaign! 📣

We are excited to announce that we've received 27 new volunteer inquiries! In the coming weeks, our team will guide each potential Big through the volunteer enrollment process, with the aim of pairing them with a Little by the end.

A huge thank you to everyone who has helped us spread the word about becoming a Big! We’re nearly halfway through our 60-day campaign, and your support has been crucial. Let's keep the momentum going and reach our goal of 60 Bigs by the end of July.

Please continue to share our mission and encourage others to get involved. Together, we can make a BIG impact on the lives of children in our community.

Happy ! ✨

This week's featured match is Little Brother Landon and Big Brother Harry! They have been matched for about a year and half. They both have a contagious, outgoing personality. It is so exciting to see them together because of how much fun they have! They recently went to the Summer Picnic and could be seen having a blast in the water balloon fight!

Landon's family has noted that he has grown a ton since being matched with Harry. Harry encourages Landon to work hard at school and be the best version of himself!

Big Brothers, Big Sisters, big goal: 60 new mentors in 60 days There are nearly 120 local kids waiting for a mentor.

Today for we're highlighting Little Brother De’Mere and Big Brother Adrian!

De'Mere and Adrian have been matched in the Lunch Buddies program since April.
De'Mere was initially enrolled into the program to help him focus on having a positive self-esteem, and to better navigate everyday social situations. Adrian wanted to show his appreciation for De’Mere’s hard work, so he recently nominated him for the Peoria Police Department event, Hometown Heroes. Together, Adrian and De’Mere, along with De’Mere’s family, attended the event on the Peoria Riverfront.

When asked about the event, Adrian said that it was phenomenal. Together, they got to see the planetarium, play games, eat, and there were also gift cards provided to the family. They later on got to spend time with Santa and left loaded with gifts.

Adrian added, “I told him, De’Mere, I said, look, the reason I’m nominating you for this is because of who you are, you’re not fighting in school, you’re not falling to temptations and peer pressure, you’re getting all A’s, you’re a phenomenal student. As long as you keep this up, life is going to be a lot better for you.”
Adrian added, “He needs to know he’s on the right path.”

Thank you, Adrian, for your constant support and belief in De'Mere!