2020 Annual Report BIGGER TOGETHER Big Sister Shandra and Little Sister Asharia enjoying time together while observing safe pandemic guidelines. 2020’s BIG PIVOT Unprecedented. Pandemic. Social Thanks to an Distancing. Quarantine. outpouring of support from you These words became part of our daily vocabulary in and others in our 2020. The novel coronavirus affected our lives in both community, we were able anticipated and unexpected ways. Toilet paper was a to provide emergency grants scarce commodity and rush hour traffic was nonexistent. to our families for basic needs Hugs and handshakes were replaced by FaceTime like shelter, food, and clothing. greetings and Zoom meetings. As the shutdown extended We also created trainings from weeks to months, we learned together how to adapt and resources to support our while keeping ourselves and loved ones safe. mentors and youth in navigating intensified racial No one escaped the impact of the pandemic. Fortunately, unrest and injustice. those impacts aren’t all negative. The virus required We are proud of our ability to adapt, adjust, and survive us to pivot, giving us the opportunity to innovate and a global pandemic, a weakened economy, and racial and reimagine. It’s in times of great challenge and adversity political unrest. But we didn’t do it alone. You were there, that we become stronger. At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we and for that, we are grateful. experienced this firsthand. In this report, we’re elevating the stories of people like When initial stay-at-home orders went into effect in you who stood alongside us in defending potential. March, we adapted our programs to support the needs You’ll meet the dedicated and passionate partners who of the community. Face-to-face match meetings became enabled thousands of Twin Cities youth to benefit from virtual, in-person activities moved online, and staff another caring adult in their lives. Remember, we are intensified their support of Littles and their families. #BiggerTogether! 2 Make a gift today at BigsTwinCities.org/donate 2020 AT A GLANCE YOUTH SERVED SERVICE AREA 3,335 56% Hennepin 6% Dakota 25% Ramsey 4% Washington Ages 18 1% 8% Anoka 1% Other Ages 16–18 Ages 7–9 3 8 Ages 1–12 MATCHES = W 34 Ages 13–15 40 NE 7 38 Age of 15 28.2 Littles In-Person months Average match length 242 (1.2 months longer than Virtual national average) 56% Little Sisters 44% Little Brothers YOUTH DEMOGRAPHICS 57% Black/African American Youth from low 13% White 85% income households 12% Hispanic/Latinx 82% Youth living with a non- two parent household Other/Prefer Not 8% to Answer High school seniors 6% Multiracial graduating on time 94% 2% Asian Littles reported improved or 91% American Indian/ maintained grades. 2% Alaska Native Make a gift today at BigsTwinCities.org/donate 3 ONE-TO-ONE-MENTORING One Child. One Adult. One Life-Changing Relationship. Caring adult mentors (Bigs) are matched with children (Littles) to provide support, encouragement, and friendship. In our community-based model, matches spend time together in the community doing activities they both enjoy – riding bikes, visiting museums, playing board games, or simply hanging out. In our site-based model, Bigs meet with their Littles through an employee- or college-sponsored volunteer program at a consistent time and place throughout the school year. Meet a Match: Liz & Iyonna Big Sister Liz & Little Sister Iyonna Little Sister Iyonna and her UNL teammates Big Sister Liz and Little Sister Iyonna were matched in 2015 when Iyonna was 12 years old. In their six years together, their activities have changed to reflect Iyonna’s maturing interests. One activity, however, has been a constant in Iyonna’s life – dancing with a troupe called Unlimited Next Level Drill Team (UNL). During the riots in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, the school where the UNL team practices was destroyed, along with all of their musical instruments valued at nearly $10,000. Read the full story to learn how Liz supported Iyonna and her family through this tragedy at bigstwincities.org/collaborating-to-defend-potential. 4 Learn more at bigstwincities.org/youth-mentoring Meet a Match: Rob & Asharion BBBS continued creating life-changing relationships during the pandemic. We just did it virtually! Big Brother Rob & Little Brother Asharion Big Brother Rob and Little Brother Asharion were matched virtually via Zoom. At their match introduction meeting, Asharion noticed Rob’s guitar in the background and excitedly ran to fetch his guitar. They played some tunes together and look forward to future virtual (and hopefully in-person) jam sessions. Learn more at bigstwincities.org/youth-mentoring 5 “It’s been a true honor TEEN & EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING to walk this path with At Big Brothers Big Sisters, youth mentoring opportunities don’t end Shelby as she prepares when a Little becomes a teen. Our dynamic teen programming equips young adults with the skills needed to graduate from high school, for life after high school. prepare for a career or post-secondary education, and turn dreams into It’s been especially reality. With the guidance of volunteer mentors, students learn how to build academic confidence, improve study skills, cultivate healthy peer exciting to discuss and relationships, and strengthen self-advocacy skills. explore scholarship opportunities through BBBS as she considers her college options. I feel so fortunate to witness this important time of transition for Shelby, and to offer support and guidance along the way.” > Christine Friberg, Founder – She Climbs Mountains Big Sister Christine and Little Sister Shelby Community Partnership Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities and She Climbs Mountains partnered to establish Girls Rise Up, a no-cost mentoring program for girls ages 8-18 who have experienced the loss of their mothers. Christine and Shelby’s relationship developed through this program. Learn more at sheclimbsmountains.org/girlsriseup/. 6 Learn more at bigstwincities.org/programs FREE ARTS PROGRAM “Frank encouraged the kids to express themselves. He was very encouraging and Our Free Arts program leverages the power of mentoring by providing made the children feel children with a safe place for artistic expression and self-discovery. Caring volunteers engage youth in art projects at partner sites like they could do and throughout the Twin Cities. Through these supportive and consistent write about anything. experiences, children are empowered to build trusting and positive The fact that he was an relationships that can have a life-changing impact. African American man was very special because Art Adaptations they could relate to During the pandemic, our Free Arts team got creative in adapting this in-person, hands-on youth mentoring model to a virtual platform. him and some of his One example — students learned about spoken word art in a virtual life experiences. The residency with teaching artist, Frank Sentwali. Students wrote about children’s pieces literally a topic important to them. Many of them expressed feelings about heightened racial injustice following the death of George Floyd that made me and others cry had occurred a month earlier. At the final session, students performed … it was amazing!” their poems via video conference. Using their creativity and life experiences, students found an artistic outlet to share difficult feelings, > Patricia Krause, Educator; learn new skills, and develop confidence. Northside Childhood Development Center Learn more at bigstwincities.org/free-arts 7 A CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION In 2020, Big Brothers Big Sisters Twin Cities celebrated its 100th year as a youth mentoring organization. We had big plans that included celebrations, match activities, fundraising events, and even an open house for our new Minneapolis home. The pandemic may have changed our plans, but it didn’t damper our enthusiasm. Here are some highlights from a year we’ll never forget! JANUARY 2020 JUNE 2020 BBBS team members kick off a year of Care Package Drive centennial celebrations with a BIG cake! • 156 pounds of crayons • 264 pounds of notebooks • 343 pounds of colored paper TOTAL = 2,010 pounds (that’s more than 1 ton of donated fun and creativity to help our kids stay active, engaged, and healthy during stay-at-home orders) OCTOBER 2020 Big Night (in!), our first-ever virtual gala MARCH 2020 • Raised $257,000 Honored a 75-year match • 500+ attendees from Minnesota and across relationship between Big the country Brother Jim and Little Brother Pat (that’s three- fourths of BBBS-TC’s entire existence!) 8 Make a gift today at BigsTwinCities.org/donate POWERFUL PARTNERSHIP Our mission is all about relationships. We create and support rewarding and long-lasting relationships every day between our Bigs, Littles, and families. We also rely on community partnerships to bring our mission to life. Federated Insurance® has partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Minnesota — Twin Cities, Central Minnesota (St. Cloud) and Southern Minnesota (Owatonna) — to change the lives of thousands of young people each year. The company’s annual gala, the Federated Challenge®, raises awareness and provides critical funding to Big Brothers Big Sisters. The 2020 Federated Challenge raised a record-breaking $3,087,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters despite being virtual due to the pandemic. More than 500 guests from 61 prominent businesses logged on to their computers or mobile devices to support youth mentoring. One hundred percent of the money raised benefited Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Minnesota and at the national level. Now in its sixteenth year, the event has raised more than $41 million for youth mentoring programs. “We knew in our hearts that canceling [the 2020] event was not an option,” said Federated Insurance Chairman Jeff Fetters. “And that decision became more significant this year than ever before, as many kids have been patiently waiting to be matched with a Big.