CEO Corner March 2021
3/11/2021
I'm thrilled to share an especially heartwarming story with you this month. This arrived in my inbox last Friday from a member of our Match Support staff about a Big Sister/Little Sister match made exactly one year ago. In fact, this pair was the last match we introduced in person last spring before we went into a statewide lockdown from COVID-19.
With the timing of their introduction, Big Sister Erin and Little Sister Makayla spent their first couple months together getting to know each other over Facetime chats. During those early virtual meetings, they bonded over a shared love of horses. Erin owns horses, so sometimes she'd carry her phone outside to show Makayla the horses on video. In honor of their shared passion, Erin even signed Makayla up for a subscription box from a company that specializes in horse-themed clothing and accessories. Boxes of horse shirts, hats and goodies arrived on Makayla's doorstep.
I bet you can guess what Erin and Makayla did together on their first in-person outing together when the weather warmed up last summer. That's right - they took Erin's horses for a socially-distanced trail ride!
They also shared some photos and their story with the horse box subscription company, and the company was so inspired by their story of friendship during the pandemic that they sent Makayla some extra gifts and asked her to be model for them.
Recently, Erin held a photo shoot - snapping images of Makayla wearing the horse-themed clothes while visiting Erin's horses and playing with her dog. The creativity and commitment of this Big Sister to build a brand-new friendship and earn the trust of her Little even during the pandemic inspires me.
What inspires you? Every day we at BBBSNH are witness to inspiring mentoring relationships made and supported by our team. This past week, while working on some videos to share with our new volunteers, I've been inspired all over again talking about the impact of our mission. (It also gave me the inspiration to wear makeup and do my hair!)
Seriously, though, I think about the mentors who changed my life and guided my potential along the way. I think about how our mission puts this special person - a mentor - in the life of a child. We can ALL use another person in our corner! I have been working for this organization for almost 10 years and I have been inspired many times over.
I'm so inspired by the parent who signs their child up for a Big because they know it will be life-changing and give their child someone else in their corner.
I'm inspired by the Bigs who have stayed connected through this difficult time. They show up and give their best so their Little feels important and less isolated during the pandemic.
I'm inspired by the donors who joined our monthly giving Impact Circle, or enrolling mentors who donate the cost of their background checks in support of the mission-critical child safety measures we take. We also have Bigs who are business owners and offer to support our activities and ongoing support to families.
Every day, our team is inspired by you.
This month we are launching a new Match of the Month feature and we need your help. Are you a mentor, parent/guardian or donor and want to share with us a match story or something inspiring? Send us your stories here!
We'll start sharing one of these stories every month in our newsletter and on our social media channels.
There are great things happening right here in our community, and I know we can all use a little more of those. Nominate your match or child's Big today and help us tell those stories!
We look forward to hearing from you,
Stay well friends,
Stacy W. Kramer, CEO
