The primary fundraiser for Boise Sunrise each year is Lobsterfest (LF) in October. For the last few years, we have chosen 4 local non-profits as beneficiaries of the proceeds from Lobsterfest. One of these has been Big Brothers Big Sisters and we cannot be more proud of the impactful work that they do in the Treasure Valley. They have been serving SW Idaho for 44 years and were recently recognized by the national BBBS organization with the Platinum Award. This is the most prestigious award that comes from national headquarters and it is based on metrics associated with impact, growth, and financial stability. Bravo BBBS; this is exactly the kind of organization we love to partner with.
In Boise, BBBS was able to re-start their “Lunch Buddies” program in 2023 after it was shuttered in 2019 due to the pandemic. This led to 35 new matches. The cash donation from LF23 to BBBS was over $38K and the leadership team at BBBS told us that this would enable them to recruit, train and deploy more “Bigs”. In 2024, they are focusing on a more holistic approach to both Bigs and Littles and addressing current needs in the critical areas of mental health, bullying, and internet safety.
As one specific example, BBBS executive director Hillary Xoumanivong shared this story.
Big Brother Tim and Little Brother Jessie have been matched in our site-based program for the last school year. Jessie is very bright and intelligent and will be a 7th grader next year. When he was referred to our site-based program, he did not have many friends in school, he would get bullied and picked on, and he did not have a great male role-model to look up to. His goals and ambitions for life were uncertain, he knew he enjoyed board games and wanted that to be part of his future, but he was not sure in what capacity. When matched with his Big Brother, Jessie began coming out of his shell and trying new things, he felt more confident interacting with peers, and he had someone that he could look up to and learn from. Jessie and Tim frequently spent their visits at school playing new games together or just joking around. During a recent check-in, Jessie was asked about his career ambitions and goals and educational goals transitioning into Junior High School. Jessie shared that he is really interested in continuing to learn from his Big Brother about different games as well as software engineering/development, and he is very much looking forward to doing the Avid program in his junior high school. Jessie shared that he is additionally excited to continue learning about different board and card games. Big Brother Tim shared that he hopes to help expose Jessie to new experiences and real-life applications of the “boring school subjects,” like writing, math, engineering, and science. Because of the relationship these two have built and the positive impact it has had on Jessie’s school life, they decided that rather than closing the match at the end of the academic year, they were going to transition their match into our community program so they could continue to build their relationship.
At Boise Sunrise, our motto is that we seek to leave it better than we found it. Our partnership with BBBS is one where this goal is achieved on a regular basis. We applaud the leadership team at BBBS and all of the Bigs who are dedicating their time and effort to change lives for Treasure Valley youth. This is a shining example of Service Above Self and we are enthusiastic supporters of the significant impact BBBS has for at-risk youth in SW Idaho.
