A Night of Big Stars Rehearsals

We are in the midst of the second week of rehearsals for our A Night of Big Stars fundraiser coming up on August 17th! It is already proving to be an event you don't want to miss. Check out some of the fun pictures from the kids at rehearsal!

Practice, Practice, Practice! 

Girls having fun at rehearsals! 

Practicing vocals! 

Honorary Chairman, Jack Darnall, with Roslyn and Molley

Honorary Chairman, Robert Buchalter, with Jaeden! 

Honorary Co-Chairmen, Robert Buchalter and Jack Darnall, with kids and staff from BBBS and ArtPlay! 

BBBS Night at the Barons

What a special time we had on Friday, July 19th! The Birmingham Barons hosted Big Brothers Big Sisters for a special BBBS Night at the Barons. 50 tickets were donated from Alabama Power and Coca-Cola so that over 20 matches were able to attend the Barons game. Our very own Big Brother of the Year, Phillip Howard, and his Little Brother, Cordae, were able to throw out the first pitch. It was definitely an unforgettable experience.

Phillip Howard with his Little, Cordae, on the field getting ready! 

Phillip, Cordae, and BBBS CEO Sue Johnson. 

CBS even came out and did a story on Phillip and Cordae and the special night! You can check it out here.

Art Show

Big Brothers Big Sisters was happy to host an art show on July 11th for one of our former littles, Marquis, and one of his friends, Michael. The night was a great time for Marquis and Michael to show off their art and make some money for college. Interested parties and matches alike turned out to support and shop! 

Michael and Marquis are both graduates of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and are both continuing their study of Art in college. Marquis will be going on to study at the Watkins College of Art, Design & Film. Michael will be going on to Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science & Art. We wish them both the best of luck and make sure to come back and visit us! We can't wait to say "We knew them when..."!

July Big of the Month

Julie Killpack is our featured Big of the Month! Julie and Khrysten have been matched since 2009 and have only grown closer over the years they have been matched. Julie has become a reliable figure in Khrysten's life and they have both enjoyed becoming members of each other's families. Julie and Khrysten particpated in a 12-week program put on by Hand-in-Paw and BBBS that included group therapy sessions with dogs to help children work on communication, school, diversity, and other topics. Julie says Khrysten has become much more than a little sister, she is now a "good friend."  

BBBS Night at the Barons

We are very excited about an upcoming event on July 19th! That night we will be having Big Brothers Big Sisters Night at the Barons! This is a special match activity where we have been given 50 free tickets to the Barons game. Not only do we have free tickets but our very own Big Brother of the Year, Phillip Howard, and his Little Brother, Cordae, will be throwing out the first pitch! 

That night the Barons are also having a special night where the first 1500 kids get a free jersey and of course it is also Friday Night Fireworks! 

It is going to be a great night to be at the Barons and supporting our kids and what we do. We are also excited to have an information table that night and look forward to bringing awareness to our mission. If you are a Big and are interested in bringing your Little to the BBBS Night at the Barons- call the BBBS Office at 939-5590! 

You're Invited... Art Show

We are so excited about an event we have coming up next week on July 11th! One of our former Littles, Marquis, and two of his friends that he graduated with from Alabama School of Fine Arts will be having an art show here at the BBBS Office.

Marquis, Omari, and Michael are three extremely talented artists. Each of them will be continuing their study of art at college. We're excited to see what all they bring for this show. Please share this information, tell you friends, and come! You don't want to miss out on this!

July 11th, 5-8 p.m.

BBBS Office

1901 14th Avenue South

School Supply Drive

Help us send our Littles back to school prepared! 

Many kids go back to school every year with no school supplies- help us change that for our Littles. 

We need…

#2 Pencils  

Red, Black, and Blue Pens

Five Subject Notebooks  

Markers

Standard loose leaf paper  

Binders

Crayons  

3 Ring Binders (1 & 2 in.)

Glue 

Erasers

Scissors  

Hand Sanitizers

Rulers  

Pocket Folders with brads

Tissues  

Clear Backpacks

Paper Towels

If you would like to get involved, call Jessica Whatley at the BBBS Office at 939-5590 or just bring items to our office. 

1901 14th Avenue South

Birmingham, AL 35205

All items needed by August 1st! 

Camp Hargis 2013

Another year of Camp for our Littles is in the books! June 4th through 6th we headed down Highway 280 out of the city and into the country to Camp Hargis in Chelsea, Alabama. It was the perfect place for 42 Littles to experience camp, the outdoors, and so much more. 

We loaded the bus up Tuesday morning and went on our way to Camp 2013. Once we were there it was non-stop until we returned home Thursday at lunch. It was three days full of games, swimming, canoeing, hiking, movies, eating, arts & crafts, and a little bit of sleep thrown in the mix. 

Camp began Tuesday with unpacking and a discussion about the rules before they headed in for their first meal. From then on, the day was full with swimming, a scavenger hunt, and canoeing all before dinner! After dinner, everyone settled in for a movie night. 

Wednesday, the rain put a damper on the schedule but didn't hinder the amount of fun had at all! We were still able to take a morning hike, play field games, have a drawing contest, play board games, and go canoeing before it was time to eat our last dinner at Camp. The rain canceled the Bonfire but there was still plenty of fun to be had. Some of the kids stayed and played games in their rooms while another group headed to the Group Room for a dance party with glow sticks. 

Thursday it was time to head back to Birmingham. Everyone was tired and ready to be reunited with families, but had a great time at Camp experiencing new things and making new friends. The trip to Camp Hargis was made possible by the fundraising efforts of the BBBS Young Advisory Board. BBBS wants to thank our amazing YAB for all their hard work!

Bigs Only

On May 28th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham hosted it's first "Bigs Only" Event. The event provided a wonderful chance for Bigs to hang out, discuss issues, and get to know each other better. It took place at the Vestavia Hills Library in the Forest and all had a great time. The Bigs were able to talk and enjoy pizza and drinks. Liz with Hand in Paw spoke to the Bigs regarding Hand in Paw services and about bullying. We partner with Hand in Paw for their "No More Bullies" program. This program helps Littles understand how to deal with bullying and helps Bigs know how to help their Little handle bullying.

Two of our Bigs talking over pizza. 

Liz, from Hand in Paw, speaking to the group. 

Stay on the lookout for the 2nd Bigs Only event later this year! 

Time to Shop!

We're excited to announce our partnership with JCPenney for the month of June as a part of their jcpcares program! Head to your nearest JCPenney and round up your purchase to make a donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Or you can buy a $50 gift card and $1 will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

Also...

Buy a pair of Haggar pants and they will donate a $1 to Big Brothers Big Sisters. 

You can shop at the stores below and money raised from their donations will go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Birmingham so get to shopping today! 

Riverchase Galleria

Colonial Promenade in Alabaster

Colonial Promenade in Bessemer

Cullman Shopping Center

Colonial Promenade in Fultondale

Pinnacle Square in Trussville

Jasper Mall

Save the Date... A Night of Big Stars

We have set the date and are proud to announce the 2nd Annual 

A Night of Big Stars on August 17th, 2013. 

The event will once again take place at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center. 

This event is a fundraiser for BBBS so that we may continue to provide mentors to children.  The evening will consist of a cocktail hour, a live, on-stage production, and a seated dinner.  BBBS has partnered with ArtPlay, the arts education and outreach program of UAB's Alys Stephens Center, to co-direct an onstage production showcasing BBBS's best talent.  The production will consist completely of Littles in our program.  For more information, please contact Rebecca Hunter at rhunter@bbbsbhm.org. 

Birmingham Magazine Parents' Choice Awards

In the May Issue of Birmingham Magazine they announced their 2013 Parents' Choice Award Winners! We were thrilled to be announced as a Runner Up for Best Family Friendly Company. 

For the third year, they partnered with Alabama Baby & Child magazine to produce the Parents' Choice Awards. They ran an online contest in the spring where more than 5,000 people responded and entered the businesses and services they thought were the best in 81 categories. They listed the top 3 winners in every category! 

Thank you for the honor and we're proud to be recognized for being a family friendly company and a great place to work! 

Check out all the winners here! 

May Big of the Month

Each month in our newsletter we will be featuring a Big of the Month. After they are featured in our newsletter we will share with our Blog Readers and Followers as well. This month's Big of the Month is Crystal Pate! 

Crystal and Evelyn at Crystal's Wedding! 

Crystal Pate is our featured Big of the Month! Her and her little sister, Evelyn have been matched for five years now. Crystal, who grew up in a house with four brothers, has loved the experience of having Evelyn as a little sister. 

Crystal and Evelyn began their journey with a rock climbing adventure and have continued to enjoy that experience together as well as cooking, swimming, and watching and playing sports together. Crystal has made a lasting impact on Evelyn as she has grown from a small child with trust issues to a brilliant and driven young lady. Evelyn's mother shared that "Crystal has brought Evelyn out so much from that rough exterior she once had and has encouraged her to try new things." Evelyn now wants to go to college at UAB and go into the medical field. Evelyn has enjoyed the program so much and she wants to become a Big Sister when she gets older.

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