Features » Central Valley Today

Big Brothers Big Sisters

By KSEE Sales
January 4, 2013 Updated Jan 4, 2013 at 1:02 PM PDT

 

An organization that pairs underprivileged children with mentors just received a huge financial boost. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California was awarded nearly 44-thousand-dollars to continue its services. Nancy Conway and Richard Lord, tell us what that means for at risk youth.

 

 

January is National Mentoring month. Richard, say this was a highly competitive process in which 161 agencies submitted application requests. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California was selected to receive $43,750 in “pass through" funding from a Federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The funding comes from a $6.1 million grant previously awarded to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The money will allow the local agency to add a minimum of 25 additional matches between volunteer adult mentors and at-risk youth over the coming year. This OJJPD grant will enable the Big Brothers Big Sisters network to create and support at least 3,500 new matches in the 3 targeted populations of at-risk youth as defined by the grant: juvenile justice-involved youth, youth with a military parent/guardian, and tribal youth. The intent of this grant is to reduce juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, truancy, chronic absenteeism, and at-risk behaviors and other problematic behaviors that lead to juvenile justice involvement. 

 

Here are event going on in the Valley. This event involves Bigs, Littles, local businesses and individuals, who all come together for a great cause. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central California

905 N. Fulton Street in Fresno, (559) 268-2447, www.bigs.org

Bowl for Kids Sake - takes place each weekend, during the month of April.

Dates are as follows:

Madera, Saturday April 6th at Valley Bowl

Visalia, Sunday, April 7th at AMF Visalia Lanes

Fresno, Saturday, April 13 at AMF Sierra Lanes

Hanford, Saturday, April 27th at Kings County Bowl

 

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