The Big Picture

Tournament Celebrates What Hedge Fund Leaders and At-Risk Youth Have in Common: Ping Pong

High-powered Wall Street executives play squash and ping pong on shiny courts with new equipment at fancy locations. Children living in NYC's public housing projects play ping pong on old tables with worn paddles in sparse basements. Both play for recreation, for diversion from the challenges in their lives, and for the love of the game. BBBS of NYC's ToC Pong Tournament connects these two different groups of ping pong enthusiasts and enables leaders in the hedge fund and financial communities to give back.

BBBS of NYC Board Member and ToC Pong Event Founder Andy Lipman of T.A. McKay & Co.,Inc. sees this fun event as an opportunity for Wall Street to give back to a great cause. "Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC matches at-risk children with mentors who can keep them from turning to gangs or crime, boost their self-esteem, improve their school performance and help them reach their potential. It's more than just a meaningful, life-changing friendship between a child and a mentor - it's an investment in the future of our city," says Lipman.

The Second Annual Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC ToC Pong event will take place on Thursday, January 28th in Grand Central Terminal's Vanderbilt Hall. BBBS of NYC is pleased to again partner with the Tournament of Champions, the world's largest spectator squash event, to present a team ping pong challenge to raise money and awareness. ToC Pong features an afternoon double elimination table tennis tournament, followed by an evening cocktail reception leading up to the ToC Squash Finals.

This year's event will also include a special "ToC Pong-Eve Practice Party" on January 27th at 6:30pm at SPiN NY, the hottest new table tennis club in New York City. At the ToC Pong Practice Party, tournament participants will have a chance to socialize, share cocktails and warm-up for the big tournament.

Supporting teams represent the top tiers of the finance and hedge fund communities. A limited number of team sponsorships are still available at $2,500 per team. To learn more or sponsor a team, please contact Lisha McCormick, Assistant Director of Special Events at 212-994-7741. Event spectators are welcome.

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This Holiday Season, BBBS of NYC Partners Help Raise Awareness and Revenue

From a small local restaurant, to large national retailers, to Facebook, Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City benefits from the generosity of its supporters during the holiday shopping season.

For Christmas, Rocking Horse Cafe is baking traditional shortbread almond cookies made with cinnamon and cloves and covered with snowy white sugar. These Homemade Galletas Navideñas are packaged in baker's dozen bags with hanging gift tags as delicious holiday gifts that gives back. Rocking Horse Cafe will donate 30% of the proceeds to Big Brothers Big Sisters of NYC. "We knew we needed to do something special this year," explains Roe Di Bona, former Big Sister and owner of Rocking Horse Cafe, "Christmas is always a time for giving, but with the state of the economy, service to the community is even more important." Priced affordably at $15 and sold until January 6, 2010, the cookies can be purchased at the restaurant or online.

On Happy Day, Friday, December 11th, longtime partner Clinique spread happiness by offering packs of Clinique Happy Holiday Cards with artwork created by Littles as complimentary gifts at Clinique counters nationwide and free with any $30 purchase on Clinique.com. The holiday card icons designed by Littles also appeared on Clinique's Facebook application where people created one-of-a-kind, personalized holiday ecards, posted them on their walls and shared them with Facebook friends.

"At Clinique, we're committed to paying it forward," said Lynne Greene, Global President of Clinique, Origins and Ojon. "We're thrilled to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters once again and bring smiles to the faces of children who need them the most." BBBS of NYC Executive Director Michael A. Corriero stated, "For three consecutive years, Clinique has demonstrated its commitment to our children by selecting Big Brothers Big Sisters as the beneficiary of its annual holiday promotion. Clinique's generosity is bringing holiday cheer to countless children."

Lord and Taylor's New York City Benefit Bash was a successful new collaboration for BBBS of NYC this year. To kick off the holiday season and support local charities, Lord & Taylor invited Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City and other non-profit organizations to participate in the sale of $5 admission tickets to its Benefit Bash at Lord & Taylor 5th Avenue on Tuesday, November 10th.

Shoppers enjoyed an exclusive day filled with special events, prizes and savings, and BBBS of NYC retained all proceeds from its ticket sales. Since BBBS of NYC pre-sold more than 50 tickets to the event, it also received a portion of the "at the door" and register ticket sales and a donation for every new Lord & Taylor charge card opened that day. In addition, Lord & Taylor matched the combined total of tickets sold and made an additional donation to that pool of money because after posting the 5th Avenue Benefit Bash event on Lord & Taylor's Facebook fan page, they reached over 10,000 fans on November 10th.

If you are interested in a cause marketing partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City, please contact Sabrina Valvo , Marketing Director at 646-274-6039.

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Giving Presence

BBBS of NYC ends the year the way it began, with a strong spirit of volunteerism, as employees, Littles and their families give back to those less fortunate at the Food Bank For New York City's Community Kitchen of West Harlem.

On Thursday, December 10th, enthusiastic BBBS of NYC volunteers donned gloves, hair nets and special colorful aprons and served hot evening meals to a large, grateful crowd. Teen Little Sister Cynthia wore a smile as she carefully placed fish and vegetables on the plates, put them on serving trays and passed them down the organized assembly line. When Little Brother Malik and his mother arrived eager to join the others, they learned that Malik was too young to volunteer in the kitchen. So, while his mom served the food he happily distributed the packaged family meals and helped organize the stockroom.

This volunteer activity was supported by BBBS of NYC funder, The Singer Foundation. Both Singer and Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City promote volunteering, being there for others in need, giving time and making a difference. Together, grantor and grantee enabled Bigs, Littles, families and staff to give back to the community and enjoy a rewarding experience at the food bank this holiday season.

BBBS of NYC encourages matches and employees to embrace the spirit of giving year-round by donating their time for the holidays, on National Youth Service Day, and beyond. Through agency events and community partners, such as local animal shelters/adoption centers and humane education service groups, volunteer opportunities are offered frequently to help foster the importance of giving back from a young age.

With best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season, BBBS of NYC reminds everyone to give their presence as well as their presents. While the value of the latter can be measured, the former is priceless.

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