5 Ways Becoming a Big Will Make You Feel Young Again
It’s no secret that a large majority of our Bigs are college students and young professionals, but there’s no cookie-cutter age, ethnicity, education level, lifestyle, or background for volunteers. In general, we would LOVE to see more retirees or older professionals volunteering in our program. They have plenty of life lessons to share with a […]
Mentoring Real Life Stories: Meet Dancing Duo Michelle & Ana
Michelle Nigro, former NFL cheerleader and owner of Town Barre, was always interested in becoming a Big Sister. About six months ago, she finally made the decision to get involved. From the start, her Little Sister Ana was the perfect match. The active, pizza-loving pair has gone rock climbing, ice skating and even practiced for dance recitals […]
Emerson Men’s Basketball ‘Teams’ up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts
Emerson Men’s Basketball ‘Teams’ up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay to Mentor Kids in Boston. Jonathan Goldberg was always told that being successful in sports could directly translate to success in life. He was told that concepts like teamwork, commitment and leadership were essential, on and off the court. Now, having taken […]
10 Easy Eats to make with Your Little
Cooking with your Little is the perfect way to bond over a tasty treat. You work together, creating something new from scratch, and (if everything goes as planned!) you get a yummy snack at the end. Tie on your apron and check out these fun ideas for treats and get cookin’: 1. Make Your Own […]
Mentoring Real Life Story: Allen & Paul
Like any other young boy in a tough home, Allen just needed a role model to look up to and a friend to laugh with. After his father left, he struggled to find that person — until he met his Big Brother, Paul. Here, Allen shares the story of how his Big Brother became his […]
Mentoring Real Life Story: Scott & Malik
Sometimes mentoring is more than changing one child’s life. In fact, many volunteers go above and beyond their mentor duties, making an impact that reaches far and wide within the community. This is the case for Big Brother Scott Hamilton. Before joining Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, Scott was heavily involved in youth […]
A Big Day Shared with Littles- A Cape Wedding to Remember
Becoming a Big is not just about mentorship, it’s also about celebrating happy times and forming lifelong friendships. Stephanie and Evan Haussman first got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Cape Cod & the Islands in 2014 while they were dating, and now, two years later, their Littles are a part of their family. […]
5 Reasons Pokémon Masters Would Make Great Bigs
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past two weeks, nostalgic millennials and newcomers alike have been hitting the streets in search of Pokémon. Yes, you read that correctly… Pokémon is back and all you need is a smartphone to get in on the action and start your journey to becoming a […]
A Mother’s Perspective: This Chapter and The Next
Every year around this time we celebrate mentoring by honoring matches as they transition from our program to officially becoming Alumni at Match Graduation. For many matches, they’ve been together for years. This isn’t the end of their story, but more so the end of a chapter with many entering new and exciting stages in their lives. […]
How Mentoring Can Have a Positive Impact on Your Career
There are countless benefits to becoming a mentor. Aside from potentially gaining a lifelong friend and making a difference in a child’s life, Bigs can also develop skills that make them standout employees. Time and time again we hear from many of our volunteers that their experiences have had a positive impact on their career […]
7 Activities for New Matches
Deciding what to do with your Little for your first outing can be difficult! We asked a couple of our Match Advocates what they suggest to new Bigs, and the ‘big’ takeaway was to keep things familiar, low key and comfortable so you can get to know each other. Take a look at the list […]
5 Misconceptions About Becoming a Big
We talk to prospective Bigs every single day and we hear many different reasons why they they can’t become a Big Brother. We’re here to clarify some of the most popular misconceptions! Any of these reservations you may have about becoming a Big will wash right away the moment you meet your Little. 1. There […]
A Mom’s Perspective: Getting a Big Sister for My Daughter
Eight years ago, Jean signed her daughter up to get a Big Sister. Having her older son in the program, she knew this would be beneficial for her daughter as well. For some mothers of daughters, there may be hesitancy because they believe that their daughters already have a positive female role model in their […]
Test Yourself: Are You Smarter Than A ‘Little’?
Becoming a Big can be a bit intimidating! A lot of volunteers question how they will get along with their Little or what kind of activities they could do together. Like any new friendship, it takes time. To help get to know some of the Littles we work with, we put together this awesome video showcasing […]
12 Boston Volunteer Opportunities You Can Do With Your Little
We’ve received a lot of requests from Bigs looking for opportunities around Boston for them to volunteer with their Littles. Showing your Little how to volunteer encapsulates the goals of the program and teaches Littles the importance of giving back themselves. As per your request, we put together a list of organizations and kid-friendly volunteer […]
10 Tweets From Bigs & Partners You Need To See
Twitter is not all about Kanye rants and Daniel rocking his white Vans. While we admit that it IS entertaining, the microblogging site is actually a great way to share your thoughts and experiences in a quick, witty way. BBBSMB often interacts with our Bigs and partners on Twitter. It’s fun to see what our […]
10 Inspiring Athletes Who Are Positive Mentors
Many athletes would not be where they are without the help of a mentor. In the case of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, sports and athletes are also a popular topic that Matches bond over; their love for the Sox or Tom Brady will never waver! In this post, we highlight some of […]
Mentoring Real Life Stories: Little Brother Tim Runs 2016 Boston Marathon
Throughout their match, Bob exposed Tim to the idea of paying it forward. Now, Little Brother Timmy Leung will be competing in the Boston Marathon this April with his goal to finish and help raise $5,000 for the American Red Cross. Without his Big Brother Bob, he reflects on how none of it could have […]
BIG Advice: 7 Tips for New Bigs from Bigs
The early stages of a match are a little intimidating. The desire to make a great first impression and be a good mentor to your Little may seem a bit daunting. What you might not know though is that the beginning stages can be some of the more rewarding moments you have together. You learn how […]
Best Moments of Being a Big: In GIFs!
What’s it like to be a Big or mentor? We put together some of our top mentoring moments for you… all in GIFS! When you make the decision to become a Big… via GIPHY You were probably thinking about it for a while and then suddenly you realized that you could spare 2-3 hours, twice […]
Making a Difference on the Cape: Gabrielle & Emma
Gabrielle knew she wanted to give back to her community, but as a college student with little money or influence she knew that the one thing she had to give was time and effort. Fortunately, that’s all she needed to become an awesome Big Sister to Emma. Like many of our Bigs, Gabrielle would soon realize […]
National Mentoring Month: Chris Byner Pays it Forward
In honor of National Mentoring Month, BBBSMB would like to highlight some of our partners who play a major role as mentors in our community. This week, we will be focusing on Chris Byner of Boston Centers for Youth and Families. Chris is a lifelong Boston native, who gave up a six-figure job to pay […]
Bucket List: 12 Things To Do With Your Little this New Year
A New Year is always an exciting time to try and learn new things. In a match, this is especially true. So for the New Year, we mapped out some of the best activities you can try each month as well as highlight a few of the many deals our awesome partners provide. Track your progress […]
College Athletes Give Back: Lesley Athletes are Leaders in Community
In the Fall of 2014, Lesley University’s Athletic Director, Jen Benway, approached BBBSMB about presenting our program with hopes of recruiting a few of the athletes. Now almost into 2016, Lesley’s athletes have become leaders in the community and provided mentors for many children in the Cambridge area. We highlight two of the matches that have been […]