On This Page: u Falcon Fest  u Big Brothers Big Sisters Needs Help 
u Help's on its way for 'invisible' children  u Experience the Rewards of Volunteer Work
u Mentors Can Be Lifesavers  u Donna Boyd Honored
u Spotswood Students Donate

Falcon Fest
On Saturday, May 3rd, eight of our waiting list children participated in Falcon Fest, hosted by Fredericksburg Academy. Each of the children had a Fredericksburg Academy student assigned as their "Big for a Day" and as the children arrived at the event, they were met by the Big who was holding up a sign with the child's name on it. The group of Bigs all cheered and clapped when the match was made and the Little was made to feel very special. Then it was off for a day of fun. The Academy students had a full schedule of activities planned - swimming, a moon bounce, jump ropes, hula hoops, arts and crafts, cookies to be decorated, pizza and to top it off - t-shirts for each child at the end of the day. All of the kids - Bigs and Littles - had a great day and are looking forward to participating again next year.

Thanks to All Who Participated

Pictured at left, members of the Stafford County Sheriff's Department bowled with kids from our waiting list on Saturday, March 15 at the Liberty Lanes in Stafford.

The 3-day Bowl for Kids' Sake, in its 30th year, raised
$67,000 this year!

Free Lance-Star Article
Mentors Can Be Lifesavers: GEICO gives back to the community through school mentoring.
By Hugh Muir
July 17, 2007

Rocky Run Elementary School has the largest mentoring program in the county -- and probably in the state -- because it has come under the wing of a major corporation. A year ago, GEICO launched a major recruiting drive for the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide mentors for Rocky Run. The result was a team of 45 -- triple the number of the second-largest school program in Stafford.

Three people teamed to become the driving force behind the mentoring operation. They are Annette Fiddler, a guidance counselor at Rocky Run; Amanda Talbert, regional community relations coordinator at GEICO's Fredericksburg-based headquarters; and Cynthia Osband, Stafford mentoring coordinator for the Rappahannock BBBS.

Until a year ago, Rocky Run averaged seven mentors. Fiddler, a school counselor for 18 years and a teacher for 15 years before that, was struggling to meet the needs of the at-risk young people among Rocky Run's 850 students. After five years at the Stafford school, "I was very frustrated," she said.

Meanwhile, local GEICO management was looking for a way to serve its community. It considered a program in Macon, Ga., where, five years ago, GEICO had "adopted" a nearby school. "We looked at Rocky Run, the nearest school to our headquarters here on Route 17," Talbert said. "We told them we wanted to help. They said the greatest need was adult interaction, mentoring."

Working with Osband at Big Brothers Big Sisters, Talbert recruited 50 GEICO associates during July and August. "I wanted to lead by example, so I signed up along with them," she said. The matching of mentor and student is done jointly by Osband and Talbert. Shortly after school opened last September, there were 45 mentors in the program, 30 of them from GEICO.

The county's second-largest mentoring program, with a total of 15, is at Conway Elementary School.

"This is a wonderful example of the business community giving back," Fiddler said. "I've been in education for more than 30 years and I know what mentoring can do. We can see an improvement in attendance, in grades, in the kids' outlook on who they are and what they can become."

What puts a student "at risk"? Fiddler listed the causes: poverty, struggling families, unsafe neighborhoods, language learning, drug usage, unemployment. "There are so many things affecting the kids that prevents them from learning," she said. "Frequently, school is the only place where they have any chance to get what they need."

Counseling was new to Virginia schools when Fiddler came to Virginia's Northern Neck in 1989, from teaching in Alabama and Georgia. School counseling had been mandated by Virginia's governor in 1988. "I had taught English," Fiddler said. "But I wanted to work with children, to work with all parts of a student's life. I support the mentors and they call me if they need help. And, boy, do they call me!"

Each mentor is vetted by Big Brothers Big Sisters. "And every effort is made to match the skills of the mentor with the particular problems of the child," Fiddler said. Most children are referred to the program by their teachers.

The mentors are known as the Bigs. They range from college students to retirees. Rocky Run has two husband-and-wife teams. "The volunteers commit to one year when they sign up," Fiddler said. "One has been with our program for four years," This year, Rocky Run mentor Susan Wolff was named Rappahannock's Big Sister of the Year.

The mentorees are known as the Littles. At Rocky Run their ages are from 6 to 13, in all the elementary school grades. There also are mentoring programs in middle and high schools. "In an ideal world," Fiddler said, "every child would have a mentor."

Individuals who are interested in becoming mentors in the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters program should contact the group at 540/371-7444. Talk to Lisa Bales (lisabales@rbbbs.org) or Trish McAlister (trishmcalister@rbbbs.org). For general information, visit rbbbs.org. The office address is 325A Wallace Street, Fredericksburg, Va. 22401. RBBBS serves Stafford as well as the City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania, King George and Caroline.

In Greek mythology, Mentor was a trusted friend of Odysseus, the hero of Homer's Odyssey. When Odysseus left for the Trojan War, he put Mentor in charge of his son, Telemachus. When Odysseus failed to return when the war ended (having been diverted in his travels by a series of adventures, all chronicled by the poet Homer), Mentor set out with Telemachus to find his father. Ultimately, Odysseus arrived home before his son and Mentor returned from their lengthy search. Then the three of them drove away the host of suitors who, during Odysseus' absence, had been pestering Penelope, Telemachus' mother. This classic story of a son reuniting with his father and family was revived in a French book written in 1699, this time with Mentor as the hero.

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The Free Lance-Star Article
Big Brothers Big Sisters Needs Help: Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates 40 years, still faces fundraising and volunteer challenges.
By Corey Byers
June 10, 2007

This is the 40th year the Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters organization has paired generous mentors with kids who need a hand.

Along with celebrating that anniversary, the group continues to tackle the constant challenge of fundraising and finding volunteers.

The group's most recent expansion came in 2004 when it received a three-year federal grant totaling $477,501.

Executive Director Lisa Bales said the grant doubled the number of big-little pairings and enabled the hiring of more staff members.

Last year the organization coordinated 431 pairings of mentors and children.

The grant money runs out this fall.

"Our big challenge right now is finding new income streams to replace those funds," Bales said. "There's going to be a big hole a huge hole in our budget."

Big Brothers Big Sisters facilitates mentoring between adult volunteers and children ages 6 to 13. Once a child is matched with a mentor, he or she can stay in the program until the age of 18. The program serves the city of Fredericksburg and the counties of Caroline, King George, Spotsylvania and Stafford.

According to the organization's history, the Rev. Thomas G. Faulkner, the rector of St. George's Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, helped establish an area Big Brothers program in 1967.

Seven years later a Big Sister program opened, making the organization the first in Virginia to combine the two.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is looking for corporate gifts, individual donations and state and federal grants.

Another obstacle for the group is the nature of the region. Many residents commute back and forth to Washington, leaving little time for volunteering.

"When they get home during the week, they won't have time to spend with another child," Bales said.

She said the need for volunteers is a "supply and demand" issue--there's no shortage of children looking for a mentor.

"In these times, it's a real special thing when someone, on a regular and consistent basis, spends time with a child they don't really know," Bales said. "When you stop to think about it, it really is incredible.

Pictured above, Jonathan Jurgins gets ready to go out with his 'big,' Andre Gaskins. Lower photo, Nina Gills, who works with kids in the program, shares her artistic skills.

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Spotswood Elementary School Students Make Donation
May 21, 2007

Two wonderful students at Spotswood presented Executive Director, Lisa Bales, with a check for $220. They earned the funds through a Holiday-Gram project. Said Bales, “These kids worked really hard and were so proud to present the check. It certainly was a magic moment!”

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Free Lance-Star Letter to the Editor
Experience the Rewards of Volunteer Work
May 19, 2007

National Volunteer Week ended a couple of weeks ago. The Rappahannock Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is blessed with some of the most caring and compassionate volunteers. Some of our volunteers mentor a child one-on-one during the school day; others give up precious weekend and evening hours.

It is heartwarming to meet and work with so many wonderful people. Like so many others in our area, they take time out of their busy lives to make a difference in the community.

Thank you so much to all the volunteers, whether it be with Big Brothers Big Sisters or any of our other helping agencies.

Cynthia M Osband, Stafford

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Donna Boyd Honored for Service to Youth
May 15, 2007

RBBBS King George Mentoring Coordinator, Donna Boyd, received an "Excellence in Prevention Award" for her outstanding service to youth and families in Planning District 16. The ceremony was hosted by the Prevention Planning Partnership at the Workforce and Technology Center at the Germanna Community College Fredericksburg campus. Doris Buffet and the Rev. Joseph Henderson- Bragg Hill Family Life Center were among the other award recipients.

Heart-felt congratulations to Donna for her great strides in providing the youth of King George with outstanding mentoring services over the 2+ years she has been "going the extra mile" as an RBBBS staff member.

Pictured above, Lisa Bales, Donna Boyd, Gayle Hock, Director of Guidance for King George Public Schools, and Bobby Anderson.

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