CEO Corner November 2023

It's that time of year again when we pick our GOAT (so to speak, and no, I don’t mean Tom Brady). For us, it is our Bigs of the Year! We look forward to reading each nomination from parents, staff and youth in our program. We have had the honor over the years to hear incredible stories of resilience, feelings of belonging, new adventures and having fun!

The Thankful Giving Campaign (TGC) is in full swing! This is the best time to honor the mentors in our life plus give thanks to our great mentors that have spent over 24,000 hours this past year shaping the lives of NH youth. Each year these necessary funds help us achieve our mission of creating and supporting the best mentoring relationships and at no cost to our families.  

Imagine if we had 1,000 Christopher’s. This little boy came to the office with his dad back in 2015 to drop off a jar of funds he collected for his 8th birthday. Christopher decided that instead of presents for himself, he wanted to help other kids that need a mentor.  For his 8th birthday, he asked friends and family to contribute funds to support a mentoring match at BBBSNH. It has been eight years since this picture was taken and to this day, I still remember being overcome with joy and gratitude for this young person and his vision to do something that would impact another’s life.

What Christopher did in 2015 is what it means today to get involved in our Thankful Giving Campaign. Find your way to get involved to honor your mentor by donating to support the next mentoring match. Tell your story as a Big/mentor, a parent that has a child in the program, or as a donor. Get your workplace involved, community circles, friends, social media – the possibilities are endless!

We currently have over 100 youth waiting for a mentor. We won’t stop working to match every child that wants a mentor, with one! Every child deserves someone in their corner.

Do you have a story of a mentor in your life, or that you were a mentor to someone else? Click reply and let me know about it! We all need to hear more stories of gratitude and mentorship.