HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS
November 23rd, 2011GIVE A LITTLE GIFT THAT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE
November 21st, 2011Do you have a person on your shopping list who is impossible to shop for? Let us make your holiday shopping a little easier by making a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee in honor of your friend, family member or co-worker. We will provide your loved one with a beautiful Big Brothers Big Sisters Holiday Ornament for a small donation of $25. Fill out this donation form to complete your order. Ornament supply card
Holiday Ornament Campaign
November 16th, 2011
Big/Little Holiday Party
November 10th, 2011
New Casual Pint Beer Market Opening in Bearden will Donate Proceeds to BBBS
November 8th, 2011
Match Box: Mikayla and Emily
November 2nd, 2011
This month we are happy to present Emily and Mikayla, who just celebrated their one-year anniversary of being matched. These two share a very special relationship and often times Emily finds it difficult to express how rewarding it is for her to mentor Mikayla. But, Emily is more than just a mentor to Mikayla; she is also a great friend. This friendship developed slowly however, because Mikayla was very nervous that Emily would leave her. Once Emily proved to her Little that she was devoted to her, Mikayla began to open up and the two built a deep, trusting friendship.
This pair is very involved in each other’s lives and they love doing any activity that allows them to spend quality time together. Emily loves to visit Mikayla at school for lunch and recess because they always have great conversation and Mikayla always makes her laugh. Furthermore, Mikayla loves going to her Big’s house and dressing up in her high heels and jewelry. But, Mikayla’s favorite thing to do is to give Emily a makeover and paint her nails. These girls also love to get out and be active doing things like going to the zoo, the circus, skating, bowling, swimming, painting and even go-karting.
Last spring, Emily was very overwhelmed with work as she had a big assignment to do. When Mikayla and Emily were spending time together, Emily explained that she was very stressed and worried about work. Without hesitation, Mikayla asked how she could help, a very mature inquiry for someone so young. Emily was so proud that her Little demonstrated such selflessness, putting her Big’s needs above her wants. Emily then realized that their relationship had developing into something so much more than just hanging out. Their friendship, built from love and care for one another, is sure to last through the good times and the bad.
Bigs Night Out in Kingsport
November 1st, 2011
Halloween Costume Ideas
October 28th, 2011Are you still looking for costume ideas for you and your big or little? With Halloween festivities coming up this weekend, finding a costume can be stressful, so here are some ideas to get you started.
Big Sister Little Sister:
-Any Disney princess
-Butterflies (This one can be homemade! Martha Stewart has some great tutorials on how to make butterfly wings.)
-Fairies
-Flappers (Easily crafted! Find a dress or use an old one and fashion with fringe and sequins. Finally, add costume jewelry and a headband with a feather!)
-Lucy and Ethel- just make outfits to look like one of their famous outfit duos.
-Dorothy and Glinda, The Good Witch from the North
-Pink Ladies from Grease
-Minnie Mouse and any of her friends such as, Daisy Duck
-Also, easy costumes can be dressing up in any type of animal print and just adding ears and face paint. Great idea when you are in a pinch!
Big Brother Little Brother:
-Any Superhero duo
-Star Wars inspired duos
-Mario and Luigi
-Charlie Brown and Snoopy (Easily crafted as well! Just find a yellow shirt and then buy felt and create the zig-zag pattern around the bottom like Charlie Brown’s shirt, then wear black shorts or pants and brown shoes. For snoopy, just wear white and then craft dog ears from felt and attach to a headband! Complete with face paint and black shoes!)
-Firefighters, policemen, army men
-Detectives
-Woody and Buzz Lightyear
-The Blues Brothers (Black suits + white shirt + black sunglasses)
We hope that you and your big or little find these ideas helpful, and please share your Halloween pictures with us on our Facebook page (http://tinyurl.com/3bos5bd) after your fun festivities!
We hope you have a boo-riffic weekend!!
Big Brothers Big Sisters Names New Chief Development Officer
October 27th, 2011Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee is excited to name Lisbeth Couser as the new Chief Development Officer.
“We are very excited to have Lisbeth join our Big Brothers Big Sisters team. She has more than 13 years of experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters which makes her a valuable asset to our program. She has a drive for success and will help ensure a bright future for Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee,” said Big Brothers Big Sisters CEO, Myra Yeatman.
Lisbeth previously worked for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee where she served as Vice President of Marketing Development. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University where she earned her Bachelor’s of Science degree in Mass Communications, with Minors in English and Psychology. Her prior business experience includes advertising and marketing, where her responsibilities included budgeting, demographic research, public relations, customer solicitation and graphic design. She joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of Middle Tennessee in 1998, where she spearheaded growth from a one-person development office to a team while increasing fundraising revenue through corporate and individual donor cultivation, fundraising events, annual appeals and grant applications. She coordinated and administered the first Big Brothers Big Sisters statewide Amachi federal grant, securing three-years annual funding of $1 million annually for Tennessee Big Brothers Big Sisters affiliates.
“The partnerships Big Brothers Big Sisters has with East Tennesseans are vital to the agency’s success in servinchildren facing adversity. I have personally seen the achievements of kids served by the agency including educational success and avoidance of risky behaviors,” said Couser. “Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the wisest investments we can make in our community.” According to board members serving as fund development volunteers, “Lisbeth excels in developing community partners, is a loyal agency advocate and creates a sense of team spirit as she works to help volunteers succeed.”
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee
Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee is providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Through these relationships, children achieve success throughout their lives. The funding provides the means to provide community outreach to recruiting more volunteers and reaching more children.
Additionally, the funding provides the financial resources to conduct criminal background reports on the volunteers, and provide the program services to provide quality program support to each match insuring longer stronger matches. Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee served more than 1,015 children in 2010. Through the one to one mentoring relationships, these children make better decisions about their lives, have a better attitude about school and choose to avoid gang and criminal activity.
For more information, visit www.bbbsetn.org or call (865) 523-2179.