ALLENTOWN, PA – October 17, 2018 – Anyone who has ever planted a garden knows the amount of work that goes into tending it to make it thrive. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley, the children they help through their one-to-one mentoring programs are like seeds, all with the ability to blossom and reach their full potential in life.
Each Big “mentor” and Little “mentee” match costs $1,200 to develop and support for one year. Similar to tending a garden, BBBSLV has developed a new monthly giving program, The Giving Garden, which will provide a continuous stream of financial support for the nonprofit agency’s matches. These funds will help sustain and nurture the agency’s mentoring programs while also allowing them to close in on the mentoring gap. There are currently hundreds of Lehigh Valley children waiting to be matched with a Big mentor.
Monthly donations levels are: Supporters – $10; Defenders – $25; Keepers – $50; and Sustainers – $100. Each month a donor’s credit card or debit card will be automatically billed or debited for the amount selected. They can cancel at any time.
Donors enrolled in the monthly giving program will receive the following member benefits:
- Name placement on The Giving Garden Donor Wall located in the BBBSLV Youth Mentoring Center community room where all functions are held. The wall features a garden mural painted by students from The Baum School of Art in Allentown, a partner on the project. A group of four students lead by instructor Rosemary Geseck, painted the wall over the course of six weeks.
- Name listed on the new https://www.bbbslv.org/giving-garden.html web page
- A bi-annual Giving Garden Impact Update newsletter
- Defenders receive all of the above benefits and a Giving Garden seed packet.
- Keepers receive all of the above benefits and prominent placement on the Giving Garden Donor Wall and web site.
- Sustainers receive all of the above benefits and a framed Giving Garden membership certificate.
“Together, our mentoring programs, volunteers, and donors work to defend the potential within Lehigh Valley children by providing an environment for each child to thrive,” said BBBSLV CEO Susan Bartels. “Continuous levels of support through The Giving Garden will help sustain these personal relationships that are transforming the lives of kids throughout the region.”
Questions regarding The Giving Garden should be directed to Kimberly Hopkins, Development & Marketing Manager, at khopkins@bbbslv.org or 610.432.8000 x101.
BBBSLV also unveiled its new national brand and repositioning with its goal of recruiting more diverse volunteers. It emphasizes the urgency of creating meaningful connections and clearing the path for youth to reach their full potential, and how everyone in the community, from parents and guardians, to prospective volunteers to donors and supporters, can help defend the potential inherent in our country’s youth and help them achieve their biggest possible futures. The new brand positioning will allow the agency to grow and evolve in order to meet the need in the Lehigh Valley by recruiting more volunteers and creating more one-to-one mentorship relationships.
The Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. For over 40 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lehigh Valley has partnered with parents/guardians, schools, corporations, and others in the Lehigh Valley to pair children (Littles) with qualified, trained volunteers (Bigs) and monitor these one-to-one relationships throughout their course. www.BBBSLV.org
Information & Images Provided By:
Tracey Werner, Blabbermouth Communications
tracey@blabbermouthcommunications.com
