Sisters get spooky at our annual Halloween Party, corporate partners create opportunity for Boston's girls, and Big in Boston is right around the corner!
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OCTOBER 2019 ISSUE
From the President & CEO
Dear friends,
Our Little Sisters range in age from 7 – 20. To provide them with the most engaging and impactful experiences, we have become more intentional about focusing our programs on girls’ different ages and stages of development. We make it a point to listen to our Big and Little Sisters, as well as our donors and corporate and community partners, to evolve our offerings to fit the changing landscape for girls.
We held our annual Halloween Party for our Big and Little Sisters at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan. Having heard over the years that the celebration felt geared toward younger Little Sisters, we have broadened the activities to make them more inclusive for Little Sisters of all ages. In addition to our annual costume contest that featured several very creative pairings, I saw Big and Little Sisters enjoying dancing along to the Monster Mash, creating craft projects, and demonstrating curiosity in neuroscience with acitvities from our volunteer partners at Boston Scientific. They also got to interact with the ever-popular Sammy the Snake!
Workplace Mentoring grew out of a desire expressed by our corporate partners to create programming that more deeply engages their female staff with Boston’s girls. We are proud to announce our fourth Workplace Mentoring partnership with Wayfair, which will launch in January 2020. This program is an opportunity for girls to consider a variety of career options available to them while benefiting from the care and support of a one-to-one mentoring relationship.
On November 16, we are holding our annual gala, Big in Boston: The Remix, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This year we are reimagining our signature event to make it one that is more accessible and interactive. We continue to hold it at the MFA because we want to be part of the museum’s journey toward becoming a more inclusive venue. We’ve lowered the ticket price and replaced the traditional sit-down dinner and lengthy program with fun, interactive elements and surprises that are driven by our mission of elevating women and girls.
We look forward to continuing to evolve our offerings to meet the changing needs of our community and provide Greater Boston’s girls with support that enables them to thrive today and into the future.
In gratitude,
PROGRAM NOTES
Sisters Get Spooky at Annual Halloween Party
On Sunday, October 6, we hosted our annual SuperNatural Sisters Halloween Party at the Boston Nature Center in Mattapan. Nearly 100 Big and Little Sister matches enjoyed games, crafts, nature walks, and science activities.
Big Sister Rachel and Little Sister Garshae
Little Sister Garshae Earns $20K Scholarship
Little Sister Garshae, a senior at Boston Community Leadership Academy, has been matched with Big Sister Rachel Weidenfeld for eight years. This month, it was announced that Garshae was chosen to receive the ALKU Scholarship from Mass Mentoring Partnership, which will be applied to her tuition at a four-year college.
Garshae is optimistic about the future and has set her sights on attending college and after that, law school.
“The feeling of being new at something, but still giving it your all and coming out victorious, is a feeling I wish to have over and over again," said Garshae.
CORPORATE CORNER
Wayfair to Open Doors to Little Sisters
Supporting girls in Boston’s schools is top of mind for our corporate partners this month.
Our fourth Workplace Mentoring program will officially launch at Wayfair in January 2020. Currently, Wayfair's female staff are excited to start interviewing to be matched with a Little Sister from the Josiah Quincy Upper School in the coming weeks and add Big Sister volunteer to their résumes. “We’re thrilled to partner with Big Sister Boston to provide our employees and community with a unique program aimed at inspiring career aspirations with young women,” said Jane Carpenter, global head of communications, Wayfair, who also serves on Big Sister Boston’s Board of Directors. “We have an engaged base of employees who are eager to offer their skills and resources to make a difference in the broader community.”
Employees at John Hancock Financial assembled activity supply bags for Sister matches at the Josiah Quincy school while they learned about our volunteer opportunities.
IN OTHER NEWS...
More than 40 women from John Hancock Financial convened earlier this month to assemble fun-filled supply bags for our Big and Little Sisters at the Josiah Quincy Elementary School. Employees purchased items for slime-making, crafts, and other activities from our Amazon wish list and created activity kits for the Sister matches to use during their visits at the Josiah Quincy each week. The women also had the opportunity to learn about our volunteer programs, including Workplace Mentoring.
In the News & On Our Minds
What headlines have our attention this month?
"About 45,000 U.S. charities are dedicated to serving primarily women and girls...accounting for 3.3% of all nonprofit organizations in the U.S....These charities received a total of...1.6% of all donations made by individuals, foundations, and corporations that year."
Want to Work for a Winning Team?
Do you have a passion for programs that support girls' healthy development? We're hiring for exciting careers--apply today or share with your network!
Openings include:
Director of Our Big Futures
Manager of Site-Based Mentoring
Database and Data Quality Administrator
Mark Your Calendar
FEATURED EVENT:
November 16
Big in Boston: The Remix
TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Join us at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, as we put a new spin on the classic event. New this year: lower ticket price, bigger dance party, surprise guest DJs!
Happening Now!
Winter Coat Drive & Holiday Giving
Make the holidays warm and bright for our Little Sisters waiting to be matched and the families we serve. Click here to find out how to participate in our annual Winter Coat Drive or Holiday Giving program.
November 7
Fall Fest presented by the Young Professional Board
Be sure to get your ticket (and bring a friend!) to mix and mingle with the men and women of Big Sister Boston's young professional community at Meadhall in Cambridge.
November 15
Last day to donate to Team Big Sister
in the Rodman Ride for Kids
The Ride may be over, but the opportunity to give continues toward the finish line! BONUS: For every $50 you donate between now and November 1, you will be entered in a mini-raffle to win to two tickets to our gala, Big in Boston: The Remix.
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