Doing More Than Racing for the Kids

This year, our supporters are helping to make the 6th Annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC RBC Race for the Kids – part of Nickelodeon’s Worldwide Day of Play – bigger and better than ever!

On Saturday, September 25th in Riverside Park, thousands of mentors, children, and their families, along with other volunteers and caring New Yorkers will celebrate the true power of mentoring and the importance of health and wellness.

Before the Race, participants are actively raising funds and awareness.

BBBS of NYC’s Littles Race Committee, along with our staff and student interns, held its annual bake sale on Thursday, July 22nd. It was a record-breaking success, raising almost $800 in just 2 1/2 hours.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC Alumni also are showing their support. Our former Bigs and Littles have created their first official Alumni Race Team as part of the new Alumni Network’s efforts to support current Bigs and the agency. They also will be participating in pre-Race fundraising events. At the Race, attendees can meet these inspirational longtime mentors and mentees who have been experiencing the power to change lives for decades and learn more about becoming a volunteer Big.

Everyone has been enjoying our fun summer contests, which have challenged Race participants to build the most creative Race team page, follow us on Twitter, and raise $100 or more for a chance to win wonderful prizes, including retail gift cards, BBBS of NYC hats and t-shirts, and VIP concert tickets. Become a BBBS of NYC Facebook Fan, follow us on Twitter, and register for the Race, and we’ll be sure to keep you updated on additional exciting promotions available only to Race for the Kids participants.

Our returning title and presenting and sponsors, RBC and Nickelodeon, are bringing the stars, the fun and the awareness. The event day line-up, all courtesy of Nickelodeon, will include the young talent from TV's DeGrassi High, Nickelodeon's game show Brain Surge, characters Sponge Bob and Dora the Explorer, and more! Stay tuned for exciting official announcements in September regarding surprise professional sports and music celebrity guests!

For the first time, Nickelodeon will broadcast from the event at Riverside Park! Nickelodeon stars and special guests, along with Race participants, will appear in top-of-the-hour spots from 9am-12pm and again from 3-8pm on Nickelodeon, Nick Jr. and TeenNick, as well as various international versions of Nickelodeon.

RBC is participating in special new Race promotions, including a radio interview airing on 103.5 WKTU Cares at 7am on Sunday, September 12th with Rich Franchella, Race Chair and Senior Managing Director - Private Client Group, RBC Wealth Management, Race Founder and BBBS of NYC Trustee Rob Kelly, and Ruben Arias, BBBS of NYC Alumni Big. In addition, title sponsor RBC is hosting a Denim Day. You can join them in the fun pre-Race activities by hosting a Denim Day at your office, giving employees the opportunity to wear jeans on a Friday if they donate $5.00 to support Race for the Kids. For more information, please contact Lisha McCormick.

And, a famous New York City landmark is promoting the Race! On Friday, September 24th the Empire State Building will light up in BBBS of NYC brand colors, green and blue, to help raise awareness and support not only for the big event but for a charity that has been changing the lives of New York City's children for 106 years.

Together we can make the 2010 Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC RBC Race for the Kids - part of Nickelodeon's Worldwide Day of Play – the best one yet, and reach our goal of raising $1,000,000 to support and grow BBBS of NYC's youth mentoring programs.

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What Time Is It? It’s RumbaTime!
New Cause Marketing Partner is The One to Watch

A national brand has teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City to design a signature timepiece for an ongoing charitable initiative.

The exclusive blue watch, branded with the BBBS of NYC name, was created by RumbaTime to raise awareness and support for the agency. “We are grateful for this partnership opportunity with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City," stated co-founder Joe Anto. “As a Big Brother in the program since 2009, I’m thrilled to help this great organization raise valuable funds and bring one-to-one mentoring to more of New York City’s underprivileged children.”

Beginning on August 1st, 20% of all proceeds from BBBS of NYC Watch sales generated through RumbaTime’s website will be donated to the agency; 40% will be donated during the month of September to help support Race for the Kids. Stylish and resilient enough to keep up with the on-the-go New York City lifestyle, this digital timepiece and fashion accessory is lightweight, water-resistant, easy to wear, and looks great! The watch retails for only $20.00 and is available in sizes small, medium and large. Purchase the BBBS of NYC – RumbaTime Watch today!

“A watch is an appropriate symbol for our organization because our adult mentors give children in need the precious gift of their time. Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City truly values our many volunteers, like Joe, who not only make this powerful time investment to achieve successful mentoring relationships, but also help support us through their generous corporate donations," says Sharon Kessler, BBBS of NYC Director of Development.

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The BBBS of NYC Workplace Mentoring Center Summer Internship Program Gives Littles Valuable Experiences and Hope for the Future

New York City businesses offer unique career training opportunities to youth in what some experts say is the worst summer job market since the Great Depression.

Launched in 2005, the internship program was created to provide junior and senior high school student Littles enrolled in our Workplace Mentoring Program with the chance to build both their confidence and their resumes, while enhancing their professional workplace skills. It also enables local companies to positively impact New York City's youth by helping to lay the foundation for their career success.

This year, while BBBS of NYC received an unprecedented 45 intern applications from Littles (the highest number since the program's inception), we also had the lowest number of participating companies due to the economy and were able to place only 14 Littles in summer internships. BBBS of NYC researched and contacted these targeted local companies and asked them to participate because many Littles had expressed career interest in the industries. Companies such as The Source and YUMI KIM were willing to supervise, mentor and create learning experiences for the students. After the company applications and background checks were completed, internships were secured.

The program kicked off on June 29th with an orientation where BBBS of NYC staff prepared the Littles, giving them helpful tips along with overviews of their 6-8 week internship responsibilities. Then, meetings were held at the partner companies for the interns and their supervisors to discuss expectations and schedules, and enjoy tours of the offices. Acting as a supportive liaison between the students and the supervisors throughout the summer placements, a BBBS of NYC program manager ensured that the assignments and exposure to different departments helped the Littles develop their administrative, organizational and communication skills, industry knowledge, and career enthusiasm.

Intern Little Leah said, "The internship is GREAT! I couldn't have asked for a better one. I love to come to work because there are so many new and different experiences. I would love to work here for the whole year and it doesn't even matter that I don't get paid because the experience is great." Intern Little Tianna added, "It's been a great experience…they have us doing a lot of hard work but I understand that it will all pay off in the long run."

Surveys are completed by the Littles and the supervisors to provide important feedback for everyone. At the celebration ceremonies at the end of the internships, the Littles received certificates and presented highlights from their experiences.

Another highlight for our youth this summer was Camp Old Navy, a special one-day job shadowing program where store employees volunteer to help teens develop job skills and explore career opportunities in retail apparel as one of their designated community service days. We were delighted when Old Navy approached us because by fostering giving back, Old Navy and BBBS of NYC reinforce the student community service requirement of some local high schools.

On July 27th at the Gateway Center store in Brooklyn, 7 high school student Littles met employees, enjoyed breakfast, and learned about retail management, sales and merchandising, customer service, teamwork, finances, store culture - and giving back. They also gained hands-on training though fun activities like a jeans folding contest and merchandise "take backs" competition.

The Littles loved the experience! They all shop at Old Navy so the behind-the-scenes look at how Old Navy operates, including the break area and stockroom, was very special. At the end of the day, all the Littles received free flip flops and Old Navy bags. Old Navy also gave trophies to the "star employees" who were most enthusiastic, asked the most questions, and hustled the most during the tasks. Old Navy and the Gap start hiring at 16-years-old, so with their unique Camp Old Navy experience, these Littles will have an edge over other job applicants. Several expressed interest in wanting to work there one day.

We welcome new corporate partners who are interested in offering internships to our Littles during the summer or the school year. For more information, please contact Caroline Song.

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