(Photo above: Amanda Gow, director of Big Brothers Big Sisters with children in the program | courtesy of BBBSCO)
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon (BBBSCO) was awarded the national Gold Standard last week for program quality and excellence by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. The honor is given to top performing BBBS agencies throughout the country. The Gold Standard was only given to 16 agencies in the country. Putting BBBS of Central Oregon in the top 7 percent of agencies in the nation. The Gold Standard is given for program quality, growth and financial stability.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon is also the recipient of the Big Sister of the Year award for the state of Oregon. This honor goes to Katy Wooderson a Big Sister in the program for 3 years and the current BBBSCO board chair. Katy is the marketing director for Bend Memorial Clinic. Katy brings incredible passion and dedication to the mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the honor is well deserved. She was nominated by the staff of BBBSCO and selected as the Big Sister of the Year for Oregon by a national panel.
Big Brothers Big Sisters has been operating in Central Oregon since 1994. In 2013 Amanda Gow took over as director and the program has been on an upward trajectory ever since. BBBSCO served over 300 children last year and implemented new programs in the community and school to serve children in need of mentoring services. Amanda brings vision and passion to the job and is excited to see the growth, community support and opportunity for BBBSCO.
“It has been an honor to serve as director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon. I am proud of my staff and board for accomplishing our goals and achieving the Gold Standard designation. It is an honor to be recognized for the work we are doing in the community”.
Big Brothers Big Sisters serves children aged 6-18 who are in need of a positive role model. Many of the kids we serve come from low-income, single parent/guardian households. BBBSCO staff and mentors are able to help Redefine Possible for children in our community. Big Brothers Big Sisters has been serving children in Central Oregon since 1994. We are donor funded and all funds stay local to help Central Oregon children in need.
Mentoring a child has proven to make a significant impact in their wellbeing. Studies show that children with a regular mentor have:
-Higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships;
-Avoidance of risky behaviors; and
-Educational Success.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Oregon
http://bbbsco.org
