Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago

Happy Thanksgiving from BBBSChi! We wanted to use this Thanksgiving holiday as a chance to say thank you for supporting BBBSChi! We hope that you are having a wonderful break relaxing and sharing a meal with the people you love. For so many of our matches, cooking or baking is what first brought them together. It’s a part of shared milestones, conversations, and traditions. For Little Sister Makayla and her Big Sister Anna, baking means a chance for quality time to share traditions and inspiration for what comes next. Anna’s motto when joining BBBS was to be who she needed when she was younger. Though she had a fantastic support system growing up, the one thing she would have loved was a mentor who she could connect with as a teenager. Because of that she’s dedicated herself to mentorship in her adult life and looked for ways to help Makayla navigate school, relationships, and growing up today. Both Anna and Makayla are big foodies and send each other cooking and restaurant videos they want to try. The match recently attended a Halloween-themed baking class at Give Me Some Sugar in Roscoe Village and got the chance to create their own cakes from scratch. Makayla’s mom Benita loves to bake as well and always bakes a cake for family birthdays and holidays, so she is excited to have Makayla help her out in the kitchen in the future. The holidays have always been a time when Anna’s family loves spending time in the kitchen as well. Anna baked Christmas cookies with her mom growing up, and she was excited to pass on the tradition to her Little. Not only did Makayla take it seriously, but she did her Pinterest research, considered exactly what she wanted to make, and her cookies came out amazing! While Anna and Makayla are only two years into their BBBS match, they’ve already accomplished and grown so much together. Anna shared her mom's holiday cookie recipe and more of her match story on our blog here: https://lnkd.in/g-KHUwUX, so let us know how they turn out if you end up baking them! From all of us at Big Brothers Big Sisters, thank you for being a part of our family and thank you for helping bring Bigs and Littles like Anna and Makayla together — this season and for years to come.

Together, with Macy's, we are giving every child the gift of a positive mentor. From now until December 24, donate online or round up in-store through Mission Every One and support Big Brothers Big Sisters of America matches! This social purpose platform invests in youth and helps fuel life-changing mentoring experiences. Learn more and donate at macys.com/purpose. #BeBig

Join our team and love what you do! We're hiring for positions across Chicagoland including a new Marketing and Communications Manager. Use your experience in branding, storytelling and digital marketing to make an impact on thousands of kids lives. Come work for BBBSChi and make a meaningful difference every day! https://lnkd.in/eJTtJfrg

We want to welcome an accomplished leader who recently joined our Board of Directors at BBBSChi and committed to helping youth across Chicagoland achieve their full potential. With a career in the insurance industry that began in 2005, Joseph Honold has cultivated extensive experience and expertise in the field. Currently, he serves as a Managing Director at Marsh. As a passionate advocate for youth development, Joe is honored to be part of a team that is committed to empowering children and helping them reach their full potential. He believes that every child deserves a mentor who can guide them, inspire them, and help them navigate the challenges they face. Born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, FL, Joe embarked on a new chapter of his life when he moved to Chicago in 2019. He now lives in the vibrant West Loop neighborhood with his wife, Nicole, and their energetic three-year-old son. Together, they enjoy exploring the city and creating lasting memories as a family. We are thrilled to welcome Joe to our Board of Directors and look forward to collaborating with him to further the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters!

Congratulations to Big Hayley Rozman on winning the Outstanding Future Leader Role Model Award from the Outstanding Leadership Awards for their work making a difference for LGBTQ+ inclusion and for being an amazing mentor to Little Ari!

BBBSChi is thrilled to welcome Jim Matthews, an accomplished leader and alumni Big Brother to our Board of Directors! Jim is a leader at Ever.Ag, a software and risk management provider across the agricultural supply chain. He serves as the VP of their Feed and Dairy Producer Division, and has been in the agricultural, trading, and clearing industries throughout his career. Jim has been involved with BBBS since 2005 when he became a Big as a freshman at Miami University in Ohio. After graduating he moved to Chicago and reached out to BBBSChi and was matched with a 2nd grader named Abdul. Jim and Abdul were matched for 11 years all the way through Abdul's high school graduation in 2020 and they've continued to stay connected as Abdul continues his journey in Kansas City. Thanks to Abdul, Jim met his wife, Natalie, who was also a Big in our Uptown Neighborhood program to her Little Nancy. Jim and Natalie have both served on our Leadership Board and been advocates for the mission, helping to recruit more volunteers and raise funds for our mentoring programs. Jim and Natalie now live in Lakeview with their two children and their pup. We're thrilled that Jim has stepped up to join us on our Board and continues to make a difference for kids across Chicagoland. Please help us welcome Jim to our Board of Directors!

Thanks to our friends at Tickets for Good and the Genesee Theatre in #Waukegan for providing our Lake County matches with tickets to see Shrek the Musical Tour! Matches had a great time getting to attend a live performance together and loved seeing one of their favorite movies in musical form! BBBSChi is actively enrolling Bigs and Littles to join our programs in Lake County! Learn more and get involved at bbbschgo.org or check out our map of open programs at https://lnkd.in/gmnsyK8c.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our Family Focused Day over the weekend at our downtown office! We hosted more than 40 families who chose from self-care activities including painting, candle making, and creating their own shea butter. ???????? Big shoutout to Gigi, Darryl, Sheila, and Marly from the BBBSChi team for their work leading this event, and big love to our BBBSChi families for coming together, creating a positive atmosphere, and building community! We're actively enrolling youth to join our programs! Learn more and signup today at bbbschgo.org/enroll.

Last week BBBSChi matches got the chance to attend a workshop with Poker Power at the PEAK6 offices at the Chicago Board of Trade! Bigs and Littles teamed up to learn the game of poker and how its lessons can be the ace up your sleeve in school, at work, and everywhere in between. Poker Power seeks to empower women and girls, one hand at a time. They teach women how to play the game of poker and the game of life so they can succeed in business, finance and life — all in a fun, supportive, and safe-to-fail environment. Thanks to Jenny Just and the whole team at Poker Power for giving our matches this amazing opportunity and a seat at the table. Here’s to powering your potential through poker!

On this #VeteransDay, we want to celebrate the courage, dedication and sacrifice of all veterans who have fearlessly served our country. And we want to especially thank those who continue to serve their community as mentors and defend the potential of youth! Your bravery and commitment inspire us every day, and we are deeply grateful for your service.