For children of all ages, friendship with mentors provides an avenue for growth, trust-building, inspiration, and confidence; and for mentors, it offers the chance to make a huge difference in children’s lives. Big Brothers Big Sisters is the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, and its New Hampshire affiliate program (Big Brothers Big Sisters of New Hampshire – or BBBSNH) has been matching children facing adversity with inspiring mentors since 1966.
CCA Global Partners, one of the largest privately held cooperatives in the U.S. with 14 distinct businesses and over 3500 member locations, hosts a corporate mentorship program for 22 children from the Wilson Street School, located in an area with one of the highest poverty rates in the state of New Hampshire. On Monday afternoons, students beaming with excitement flood the hallways of CCA Global’s corporate headquarters. BBBSNH has thoughtfully matched these 22 “Littles” with volunteer mentors from CCA Global, affectionately known as “Bigs,” to help guide these children reach their fullest potential. And the impact of this program has been, well, life changing!
Empowering Youth & Dreaming Big
15 years ago, CCA Global’s Chairman and Co-CEO Howard Brodsky became a Big Brother for a Little named Josh. At a recent New Hampshire Charitable Foundation annual meeting, Brodsky spoke about the power of mentoring and his incredible experience with his Little. He spoke of how when Littles know they have someone in their corner that they can turn to for trust, support, and love; it can truly change their lives. Check out his heartwarming speech:
Brodsky was so inspired by the BBBSNH program and the impact it had on both Josh’s life and his own that he gathered a group of employees to create a workplace mentoring hub for BBBSNH. Co-op employees mentor the 22 Littles, teaching them valuable life lessons like trust, life skills, and healthy life choices. Most importantly, the one-on-one mentoring experiences impact the Bigs just as much as the Littles. Check out this short clip about the CCA Global BBBSNH life changing program:
BBBSNH’s CEO Gregg Burdett understands the positive impact of mentorship on at-risk youth from first hand experience. Burdett was a Little himself, coming first from a single parent home, and then becoming orphaned. He credits Big Brothers Big Sisters as the reason he was able to heal through his times of loss and transform into a strong and compassionate person. CCA Global co-op employees, through donations of mentoring time, money, care, and passion, are eager to help this organization succeed.
January is National Mentoring Month!
From December 1st – January 31st, BBBSNH is holding the first-ever Thankful Giving Campaignto celebrate national mentoring month! This public outreach, awareness, and fundraising campaign asks individuals, businesses, and community groups to support mentoring programs and help more at-risk youth with be matched with reliable, trustworthy mentors.
The BBBSNH mentoring program, including screening, training, matching and support, is free of charge for Bigs and Littles. These matches rely solely on community support and donations. The Thankful Giving Campaign will help extend these opportunities to more children each day.
CCA Global Supports Thankful Giving Campaign
In the lobby of CCA Global, there is a Change for Change collection bin filled with employees’ loose pocket change and dollar bills. As the change grows closer to the top of the bin, it really showcases how the little things people do, add up to make a big impact! At the end of the month, the money will be donated to BBBSNH’s Thankful Giving Campaign and will be used to make more Big and Little matches across the state of New Hampshire.
Inspired by stories like Burdett’s and experiences of their own through BBBSNH and other volunteer programs, CCA Global’s leaders truly do lead by example. In 2018, the co-op has committed to performing 10,000 acts of kindness through the #Coops4Kindness campaign. Together, co-ops across the US are pledging to commit 1 million acts of kindness. Get started today by pledging your commitment to kindness here.
