Recently in Big Brother Project Category

Yesterday, I went over to my Little Brother's house because it was his 12th birthday, so his family was getting together for cake and ice cream. (His mom got trick candles. I am a big fan of trick candles.) Anyways, we're hanging out front on the street throwing the football and his buddy Phillip comes riding up on his scooter with tinfoil in his hand.

"Hey Steve, I forgot it was your birthday until like an hour ago, so this is all I could get you." So he opens up the tinfoil, and pulls out a cookie from a nearby bakery. Then he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a dollar in change, the only other thing he could scrounge up in the past hour so that he could give his buddy a birthday present. Awesome.

(Anybody interested in making Philadelphia a better place by positively changing the life of a young person forever in a few measly hours a month, click here.)

Dunno if you caught the story about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program in the Daily News a few days ago, but if not please read it. Here is the impact you could have on a child's life by joining the BBBS program: "I have seen my granddaughter go from being a child who had no voice, who was sad most of the time, to being a new Gloria who is independent, who has high self-esteem, who loves to help people - a Gloria who is going to survive, a Gloria who is going to make it in this world," said the child's maternal grandmother, Gloria Mar.

I also want to thank the quizzo community for the awesome things we've put together these past few months. Every coach, ref, and scorekeeper at the Christian Street YMCA save one is from the quizzo community. And these guys are incredible. One of the coaches was late to his brothers rehearsal dinner so he could be there for his team at the game last Friday night. Amazing. The tutors at the Marian Anderson Center are all from the quizzo community, and I am extremely excited about where the program is going. I suspect that for many of these young teenagers, this is the first time they have ever gotten one-on-one attention in terms of schoolwork. Those who have stepped up and made an effort to help the lives of those around you, I cannot thank you enough. I know there are plenty more of you who want to get involved. Quit thinking about it and do it! If you want to look into making a profound impact on the future of a child's life and therefore the future of this city, please contact Spencer Wright at Big Brothers Big Sisters either by emailing him or by calling 215 701-8100. If you are interested in tutoring (math especially), please contact me.

Wanted you guys to meet Joe, a local guy who is in the Big Brothers Program. I sent him a few questions about his experience and he answered them in a couple of paragraphs that I think you guys should read.
I joined the program 18 years ago as a little. My big brother (Chas) and I were matched when I was ten or eleven and have remained very close ever since. We still get together two or three times a month and have a great time. I lost my father when I was four to a car crash and my mother thought a male role model was important, and it was. Chas has been a father, brother, mentor, best friend and more. Which brings me to why I joined. I have had a great life so far and having Chas has had a great impact on me. So, now it's time that I give back and help someone as much as I have been helped. I love kids and the BBBS program, so it was only natural I join and help out as much as I can. I was ready for the challenge last year, when I joined as a big. There are good days with my little and there are bad days with my little (Dante). The challenge is there and now I know what Chas was talking about when he said its not always easy. But we have fun and do things we both like doing. I show him things he might not get to see on his own and we share alot of laughs, good times and quality learning time. It's not just him learning from me. It's me learning just as much because he is so unique. I think that is what makes the program so great. Being a little brother was great, but the other side of the coin is even better. Watching Dante do something for the first time or hearing him tell a story or just having some good laughs is the most rewarding thing to me. Watching him smile and grow is the core of why I think people join. Knowing that you had a little to do with that process is one of the greatest feelings ever!

I have been blessed with experience at BBBS. I can tell you how rewarding it is only because I been apart of it. It does take hard work and dedication, but it is all worth it.

Quit making excuses and make a difference!

Here's what Dwayne Wade is doing, and here's a great quote from one of the best players in the NBA:
"I want to change communities, not just one community," he says. "I want to help change communities in our inner-cities, for our youth, for our black kids, for all of the young ethnic kids, to change their whole outlook on life. These kids don't experience the world; they are living in boxes. I want them to have the opportunity to get out there, experience what the world is about, not just what the 'hood is about. I want to have to do my part to make sure that they experience the world."
Change a childs outlook on life TODAY. Make this city a better place! You don't just change the life of one child forever, you change the life of that child and everyone they come in contact with forever. And don't tell me you don't have enough time. Bullshit. If you've got 6-8 hours a month to play quizzo, you've got 6-8 hours a month to make Philadelphia a better city. And to the guys who have signed up already, I say thank you. Everybody talks the talk, but you guys walked the walk.

Mayoral candidate Dwight Evans thinks so:
Dwight Evans held a press conference on Thursday, April 12th to announce his pledge to fully support Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Philadelphia and their mentor programs as a way to reduce violence in the city. As a show of his commitment to Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Dwight signed up to be a Big Brother for a young child in Philadelphia.
“I fundamentally believe that we can overcome this scourge of violence Philadelphia is suffering through right now,” Evans said. “Community involvement and personal commitment will be keys to ending the violence, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters is a model combination of both these elements."

This past week, the 100th person was murdered in the city of Philadelphia in 2007. Numerous writers made note of the "milestone". But it seemed that most of them did what I think a lot of people are doing with this problem: find someone to blame. Several writers claimed that using the term "Killadelphia" would wake people up at City Hall, as if we could turn this thing around if the Mayor just came up with a committee of people in suits and ties sitting around a table. I'm not completely belittling their efforts, because I think that it's important that we keep the heat on City Hall to come up with ideas to deal with the problem. But there is only one group of people in Philadelphia who can really make an impact on the murder rate, and that is the citizenry. As long as we lob grenades at easy targets, nothing will get accomplished. If you want to lower the murder rate in Philadelphia, then it's up to YOU to do it. Not Mayor Street, not Sylvester Johnson, not the local media. YOU. You have the power to make a MAJOR IMPACT on the future of this city. Now do it.
MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

Well, we're kicking into gear this week as I start recruiting people to do their part to make Philly the greatest city in the country. As I said before, it takes more than great restaurants, museums, and nightlife. It also takes a feeling of community, an honest effort by its citizens to go the extra mile to help those less fortunate. Amber Adamson at BBBS is going to help me achieve my goal by matching you with prospective Little Brothers. Here's a bit more about her and about our mission:

My name is Amber Adamson and I work at Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern PA (BBBS SEPA). I have lived in the Philly area for the past 10 years (wow, that long already- I AM getting old). I was a student at Swarthmore and Penn, and have held a few different postions in the past 6 years-working first as a teacher for kids with learning disabilities, a year doing an Americorps VISTA and then of course, Big Brothers Big Sisters. Outside of work, I enjoy celebrity gossip, drinking wine, wearing high heels and going to the beach (THE SHORE)!

Johnny Goodtimes volunteers as a Big Brother with BBBS. He wanted to start the New Year off on the right foot by helping to recruit MORE MEN to become Big Brothers for BBBS. I am here to help YOU start 2007 right by learning more about how to become a “Big” like Johnny.

So, let me tell you about BBBS SEPA. Our “Bigs” (adults who volunteer to be friends with a child) and "Littles" (what the children are called) do simple things together, like playing football in the park, playing video games or even going grocery shopping. It’s quite simple and easy - these children simply need someone in their life to spend time with them and show them that someone cares.

Not to scare you, but but we have about 1,000 boys who are waiting to be matched for a Big Brother, and honestly, we don’t have enough men to pair them with.

This is where you come in. We are looking for a few good men to step up and spend a few hours a month with a boy in our program. You and your friends can be just what the boys on our waiting list need. You don’t need to be an expert to be a mentor. If you can be yourself and have fun, you can be a “Big”! Johnny Goodtimes is a Big Brother and he LOVES it- just ask him. See if it sounds like something YOU would want to do.

Johnny has committed to getting 100 boys off the waiting list and matched to a Big Brother by the end of 2007. Want to help?

Just give me a shout and we can start the process.

Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you!

Amber Adamson
Work: 215-790-9200 ext. 306
Cell: 215-917-1311
Email:Aadamson@bbbssepa.org