CEO Corner
Dear Friends,
 
Happy New Year!

As 2019 begins, JBBBS continues to work to transform lives with the power of mentoring relationships for everyone! Since our inception almost 100 years ago, JBBBS has been inclusive. Our mission is to provide mentorship and friendship to all who seek it – regardless of race, religion, background, ability, gender and sexual identity and preference. Our commitment to inclusion is evolving and expanding as the needs in our community increase.

In 2018, we engaged and supported mentors and mentees from over 26 countries and formed a new effort to provide Bigs to Syrian refugee children in our community through a partnership with Jewish Family Services of Metrowest. We are grateful to have just been awarded a new grant for this very commitment to serve more refugees, asylum seekers, and new immigrants. More to come on that soon! Interested in being a mentor to a refugee, asylum seek or new immigrant? Click here.
 
As we think about our commitment to inclusion in 2019 and beyond, we will be increasing our efforts to provide mentors to more children and teens who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender. These children and teens, like all children and teens, can benefit from a mentor, but it is especially important that the Jewish community support them since they may feel increasingly isolated. Do you identify as LGBTQ and want to learn more about how you can be a Big to a child in need? Inquire here .

Although the children and adults we serve are all unique, the commonality is that mentorship and friendship serve to fill a gap of loneliness and isolation. Together, we are able to combat this isolation and loneliness through our 1:1 relationship model, supported by the wider JBBBS community.
 
I am so energized by all that we can accomplish together in 2019!

Happy New Year!
Kimberlee Schumacher
President & CEO, JBBBS
JBBBS Updates & Events

Lunch and a Show!   A huge thank you to the Silk Family for your generosity in making our Hanukkah Lunch and Theater afternoon a wonderful event. We had 100 people attend a delicious Latin-inspired lunch at Casa de Pedro in Watertown. Matches spent time with each other, and got to meet other matches. There were many lively games of dreidel played and chocolate gelt eaten! Each person even got to take home a pair of Hanukkah socks as a gift! After lunch, the matches attended a wonderfully entertaining production of 1776 the musical at the New Reparatory Theater. See photos from event here .
Hanukkah Celebrations with Friend 2 Friend
Thank you so much to the Bamel Family for sponsoring our annual Friend 2 Friend Hanukkah dance party. This year we had over 160 people attend at the Holiday Inn in Brookline. The evening began with a delicious dinner that quickly moved on to a lively dance party filled with prizes and a lot of fun! We finished the evening with dessert and a gift swap. A festive time was had by all! Thank you also to the employees of CJP who lovingly created our centerpieces for the evening. And thank you to Jan Klein, our guest of honor, who, over the last 24 years molded the Friend 2 Friend Program into an awesome place to make a Friend. Click here for photos.
Gift Cards for the Holidays! JBBBS gave away 92 gift cards to children and to adults with disabilities who are currently matched in our programs. These gift cards are a wonderful way to give these children and adults a little extra support and joy during the holiday season! Families of our Little Brothers and Sisters and Friends are able to provide gifts to their loved ones because of the generosity of so many donors. Thank you!
JBBBS Holiday Party

JBBBS Staff had a fabulous time sharing holiday cheer during a cooking class at  Sur La Table  in Boston. They learned how to cook a delicious Ratatouille, Lemon Thyme Green Beans and Chocolate Creme Brulee. 

Upcoming JBBBS Events

JBBBS 99th Anniversary Gala
Saturday, April 6, 2019, 7:30 pm at the House of Blues
The JBBBS Annual Gala is our biggest party, and largest fundraiser of the year: a chance to celebrate our successes and call attention to the importance of mentoring in the community. Registration is open! Click here for tickets and sponsorship packages.

Save the Date: The Inaugural JBBBS Tennis Event will be hosted by Board Member Marc Rubenstein and Jill Hai at Belmont Country Club on May 19 th! More details to come.


JBBBS Staff Openings: We're Hiring

We currently have the following three open positions:
Volunteer & Staff Spotlights
David Franklin, Chair, JBBBS Board of Directors
What has been your most rewarding/favorite moment as a JBBBS volunteer?
 
As Board Chair, I am awed by the aggregate impact we are having on our community. Attending our events is a great way to see the smiles on their faces, the pure enjoyment our matches have and the deep friendships which have been made. 

Joe Morgart, Chair, JBBBS Endowment Board
What does mentorship mean to you?

To me, mentorship at JBBBS is knowing there is a place in our community that has, and will continue to, for the next 100 years, be a place where we can change the direction and future of a Little. We as an Agency are fortunate to serve so many Littles and adults with disabilities who, through no fault of their own, face countless challenges. We have become a positive and trusted role model in their lives for many, many years. We have the skills and resources to help them at many important phases in their lives. Something as simple as a get together for a conversation, or to see a movie or a game, to something as supportive as getting them to summer camp or helping with a college scholarship. Mentorship is all about transferring and reinforcing the values that go into building great adults, and great people.   Click here to read full spotlight.
Friend 2 Friend Volunteer, Michael Lourie
Friend 2 Friend volunteer Michael Lourie saved the day (or should we say “evening”) last month, when the trivia night host that was scheduled to run a Friend 2 Friend MAGIC group called the agency to alert them that he had strep throat. During Michael’s intake interview he had shared that he hosted trivia nights as a side business. You guessed it, after a quick call, he saved the day and stepped in seamlessly, refusing to be compensated for his efforts and hosting a fabulous night of trivia.

Michael has been matched with his friend James or “JB” and the two have been in a MAGIC group together for the past 9 months. Michael’s wife Jennifer is also a volunteer in the same MAGIC group. Click here to read full spotlight.
Staff Spotlight, Outreach Manager Tania Gray
What motivates you most about your work at JBBBS?

First, I am motivated and proud to work for a mentoring agency that serves children, their families, and adults with disabilities of all faiths and backgrounds, including immigrants, refugees, and those in the LGBTQ community. Second, I am motivated by our amazing Jewish and non-Jewish volunteers who inspire me every day by volunteering their precious time to helping those in need. Finally, I am motivated by the knowledge that my recruitment of volunteers is the first important step in a process that will lead to mentoring relationships that change lives and futures. Click here to read the full spotlight.