December 2022 Edition

Happy December! The holiday season is here and this is a great time for us to share our gratitude for being part of our BBBS family. We hope that this year has brought you happiness and you have enjoyed staying connected to BBBS. 

Universal Human Rights Month is an annual designation observed in December. This month and every month to follow, people all across the globe are encouraged to come together and stand up for equality, justice, and the dignity of all humans. December is a time to honor the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, an international document stating the basic rights and fundamental freedoms to which all human beings are entitled. These rights include freedom from discrimination, the right to equality, and the right to be considered innocent until proven guilty.

To learn more about the importance and different ways to observe Universal Human Rights Month, click here.

Monthly Match Highlight

Meet our Community-based match, Big Brother Matt and Little Brother Tyran. Matt and Tyran recently attended the Bucks vs. Hawks game with other BBBS matches at the Fiserv Forum and rocked some Milwaukee Bucks merch. The Bucks had our matches come early to watch pre-game warm-ups and each Big and Little received a $25 gift card! Matt and Tyran have been matched for over six years and continue to have awesome experiences together!

REACH Highlights

Thanks to all the Bigs and Littles who joined us at our REACH activities this past year. We would like to invite you to join us in December to celebrate the holidays! We have a little something for everyone. 

Bookmark our REACH page on our website and refresh your page regularly to make sure you have the most up-to-date information. 

Check back often to see the most updated activities. 

Don't hesitate to reach out to your Match Support Specialist if you need anything. 

Monthly REACH Recap

January REACH is just around the corner! Check out the great ways to start the new year out and join us for “Fun with a Purpose”

Parent/Guardian Corner

BBBS is grateful for all our families! Thank you for being part of our program as we all work together to help encourage youth to reach their full potential.

Community Resources

We are thankful to have a great community partner who offers information, support and resources. Click here to access Children’s Wisconsin Triple P Programs and workshops schedule.

Community Advocates is another outstanding partner who supports BBBS. Check out all the services they provide. Contact your Match Support Specialist if you have any questions. 

You can get in touch with Community Advocates in the following ways:

Call: 414-270-2992

Email: Contact Us

Social Media: facebook.com/CommunityAdvocatesMilwaukee

Milwaukee Women’s Center’s 24/7 Crisis Line: 414-671-6140

Milwaukee County Energy Assistance Program: 414-270-4653 or

KeepWarmMKE.org

FSET at Community Advocates: 414-290-7700

Rent HelpLine: 414-270-4646 or renthelp@communityadvocates.net

Rent Assistance Application: How to Apply

Bottomless Closet: 414-270-2984

Emergency services after hours or on weekends: 2-1-1

Community Events

The Milwaukee County Zoo is offering Spring Zoo Class topics at the Zoological Society of Milwaukee.

Click here to learn more.

School-based Highlight

Meet Big Sister Samantha and Little Brother Da’Kari! They are a school-based match who reached their 3-year Match Anniversary in November. Recently, they have been enjoying playing board games like Guess Who? and Connect4. Throughout their time being matched, Da’Kari and Samantha have shared lots of stories and like joking around together. 

Community-based Highlight

In episode 9 of Little Big Chats, we meet Anna, Angel and Chase, a Couple's Match that has been together for five years. Anna (Big Sister) and Angel (Big Brother) are a married couple from the Milwaukee area. Anna works at the Lynden Sculpture Garden and Angel is an architect who works at Great Lakes Components. They are matched with Chase, an 11-year-old sixth grader. Together, this match proves that nothing is too big for their imaginations, you're never too old to explore, and there are some incredibly interesting sea creatures in the ocean.

To listen to the Little Big Chats podcast, click here!

Mentor2.0 Highlight

The mentor2.0 team would like to highlight a recent event at MacDowell Montessori School! Mentors and mentees spent the night playing a variety of games, working on schoolwork, and catching up with one another. We're so thankful for all the students and mentors in the program!

Upcoming Events: Ticket Opportunities

The Milwaukee Admirals would like to invite Bigs/Mentors, Littles/Mentees, and families to attend a game in December!

The offer includes 4 free tickets to one game in December. Please use the Promo Code - BBBS to access the offer!

Recruiting Events

The Recruitment team is looking ahead to January for National Mentoring Month! We are hard at work bringing new mentors to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. Our goal is 31 NEW mentors in 31 days! We will be out in the community all month long, spreading the word of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and encouraging people to take action this January, because we are #BiggerTogether. Check out some of the amazing things we have on the calendar this January, and contact Jordyn Plieseis if you want to get involved with any of these events or have other suggestions of community happenings the recruitment team can attend!

December Match Anniversaries