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BBBS Mercer’s Leaders of TomorrowFor the past two years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has been involved in an innovative program funded by the United Way of Mercer County. In collaboration with three other non-pro�ts, we created the Leaders of Tomorrow (LOT) program at Trenton Central High School. The program was designed to reduce drop out and delinquency rates at the high school.

In September 2008, 80 academically successful juniors became mentors for 80 incoming freshmen in a peer mentoring program. The mentors were responsible for helping their mentee succeed at TCHS. The mentors and mentees met regularly and received additional support from Leadership Trenton, Princeton-Blairstown Center, and Princeton Center for Leadership Training with programs designed to foster leadership and develop strategies for success.

The results have been impressive. The mentors have helped their mentees improve their grades, become active in athletics and extra-curricular activities, develop positive friendships and avoid dropping out. Of the original group of 160 students who began the program only one student dropped out of high school. In fact, LOT mentees are now counted among the members of the National Honor Society, have participated in Princeton University Preparatory Program (PUPP), and are represented in many clubs and sports teams on the TCHS campuses.

This June our �rst class of LOT mentors will graduate from TCHS as their mentees move on to 11th grade. We are very proud to say that the valedictorian of TCHS main campus is a LOT mentor. Franchesca Saraison will be attending Rutgers University. Other graduating LOT mentors will be continuing their education at several schools including University of the Arts in Philadelphia, The College of New Jersey, Rider University, Westminster College, Delaware State University, Michigan State University, and Lincoln Tech.

BBBS Mercer congratulates the LOT mentors on their academic success and thanks them for the wonderful job they did building friendships, being great role models, and inspiring their mentees to follow in their footsteps.

Ambassador Circle With the help and advice of Board member, John Buschman, BBBS Mercer is forming an Ambassador Circle to act as an advisory and support committee to our Board of Directors. The �rst meeting will be held in June and several former Board members are joining the committee and looking for prominent members of the Mercer community to invite to be a part of the Circle. We hope involved members of the community who would like to be a part of the continued growth and success of BBBS-Mercer, but cannot make the commitment required to be on our Board, will consider getting involved. We are especially interested in having our original founders join the committee. Their hard work and dedication to the youth of our county made BBBS-Mercer a reality in 1973 and we can bene�t from their wisdom and experience.

One Simple Wish provided our LOT students will a special day at Six Flags.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County Summer 2010 Newsletter

Congratulations to our 2009 Ra�e WinnersJohn and Barbara Lettiere of Titusville won a 2010 Lexus SUV in the fall drawing. John has been buying tickets to our ra�e for over �fteen years, ever since meeting and being impressed by a Big and Little Brother at a Notre Dame football game.

Our Holiday 50/50 Cash Ra�e was won by Nina Hewittson. Her father, Lance, is a long-time BBBS Mercer supporter who purchased the ticket for her. Lucky Nina won $15,000 in the December drawing.

Thanks again, Notre Dame High School Kudos again to the students and faculty of Notre Dame High School in Lawrenceville for hosting the annual BBBS Mercer holiday parties for our Big and Little Brothers and Sisters. Spooky games, crafts, and music delighted the costumed attendees at our Halloween Party in October and in December Board member, Jim Yadlon, arrived in full beard and red suit

Parents as PartnersResearch show that the most e�ective mentoring happens when parents, volunteers mentors, and BBBS sta� work as partners. At BBBS Mercer, we meet wonderful parents and guardians every day who work hard to provide for their family’s needs. They come to us because they want to provide their child with every opportunity for success. In addition to �nding a mentor for their child and working with families to support the mentoring relationship, we o�er resources to parents and guardians to help them deal with the issues of child rearing.

We are sending out four parent newsletters this year with important information and ideas for parents and guardians. We are also hosting several programs throughout the year on child safety, gang awareness, and other child development topics. We invite all our parents to take part in these programs and to reach out to keep in close contact with our case managers to ensure the best possible mentoring experience for your child.

BIG Story: Maryanne & JennyAt only seven years of age, Jenny had been let down many times by adults in her life. Her mom recalls that Jenny was troubled and unhappy. Jenny’s mom reached out to Big Brothers Big Sisters and we provided help by �nding Jenny a Big Sister, Maryanne Bush.

Maryanne was a successful business woman, wife, and mother who had overcome her own di�cult childhood. With consistency, understanding, and kindness, Maryanne provided Jenny with the support she needed. In good times, like watching Jenny doing cheerleading routines with her squad, and in bad times, when dealing with bullies at school or the death of her beloved grandmother, Maryanne has been there for her Little Sister. Jenny went from hating school to thinking about where she will go to college and what she will be able to do for her family when she earns her degree.

Maryanne and Jenny have a wonderful friendship and see each other regularly. Jenny’s mom says Maryanne is a blessing and praises her for the positive changes she has seen in her daughter over the past two years. Jenny says, “Maryanne is a great Big Sister. She wants me to be the best I can be”.

To read more about Maryanne and Jenny and learn what it means to be a Big, please visit our website and read Maryanne’s letter about their relationship and the impact Jenny has made on her life.

2009 Big Brother and Big Sister of the YearIn October, we honored our Greg Olsen Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year, Scott MacIntosh and Judy Algor, at our annual Autumn Culinaire food and wine tasting event. Judy and Scott received plaques of recognition from Dr. Olsen and were surprised when their ”Littles” appeared to tell the crowd of supporters about their wonderful “Bigs”. Each year BBBS-Mercer chooses two outstanding volunteers to receive this award named for Dr. Olsen, long-time Big Brother and valued BBBS-Mercer benefactor, advisor, and friend.

for Santa’s annual visit all the way from the North Pole. New Century Financial made a donation of toys and games in memory of Larry Oring. We thank them along with Ken Samu and Toys for Tots for generously providing gifts for the Littles. For more photos visit our website.

Scott MacIntosh and Judy Algor accept their awards from Dr. Olsen, and were accompanied by their Littles at Autumn Culinaire 2009.

In December, Bloomberg treated children on our waiting list to an evening of ice skating at Mercer County Park. The company provided the transportation, food, and ice skating and several employees attended. Each employee was a "Big for the Day" to one of the children, many of whom were on skates for the very �rst time. Thank you, Bloomberg, for providing everyone with such a great experience.

The Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton o�ered our Bigs and Littles a guided tour of its contemporary sculpture and landscape designs. A GFS docent escorted six of our matches and case manager, Nancy Cox, for a fun and informative afternoon. BBBS had a large waiting list for this event and we hope to repeat it in the fall for other interested Bigs and Littles.

Our friends at Miele hosted a tasty event for our Bigs in March. Twenty-four Bigs got together with the Miele sta� to prepare and enjoy a gourmet meal at Miele Gallery in Princeton. This was a nice opportunity for our Bigs to share a fun evening with fellow volunteers.

Frank Lucchesi and PSE&G recently treated our Bigs and Littles to a suite at the Trenton Devils game. Frank added to the fun by making arrangements for everyone to skate following the game.

The Young Lawyers Association of the Mercer County Bar chose BBBS as their Charity of the Year. On May 6th they hosted a night of bowling at Hamilton Lanes to bene�t our youth mentoring programs. Thanks to all the bowlers and the many local �rms and companies that sponsored the event. A special thanks to Bob Casey and Ann Marie Korchma for organizing a great evening.

The BBBS-Mercer sta� was delighted when NRG employees chose the agency as a bene�ciary of their generosity on NRG’s Global Giving Day. The employees spent many hours sorting, cleaning, and reorganizing the BBBS o�ce and storage facilities and presented the agency with a $2,000 check in honor of Global Giving Day.

Several Trenton police o�cers are Big Brothers and Big Sisters through BBBS Mercer to children in the Casa Start program. Last fall, they hosted

a special ceremony and reception to celebrate the start of the school year for their Little

Brothers and Sisters. The police o�cers provided pizza, presented certi�cates,and gave backpacks to the children.

Thank you to our Partners...

Strikes and Birdies This spring BBBS held two great fundraising events: our 28th Annual Bowl for Kids’ Sake in April and the Bodley Memorial Golf Classic in May. The events netted over $40,000 in support of our youth mentoring programs. Thank you to all the participants who raised funds, made donations, and served on the committees to make these two events great successes.

Looking AheadInformation about our annual will be in the mail soon. Mercedes Benz of

6 0 9 - 6 5 6 - 1 0 0 0 B B B S M E R C E R . O R G

You Can Change the Life of a Child Forever

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Mercer County535 East Franklin StreetTrenton, NJ 08610

A copy of this newsletter is available on our

website atwww.bbbsmercer.org

Special thanks to our Bodley Golf Classic sponsors: Event DVD sponsor20/20 Multimedia Group

Hole In One SponsorHamilton Honda

Lunch Sponsors Alyssa S. Bernstein, D.M.D. Ernst & Young

Johnson & JohnsonJM Huber Corporation The Olsen Foundation

Special thanks to our Bowl for Kids’ Sake sponsors: T-Shirt SponsorTyco

Printing of Materials Sponsor

Lane Sign SponsorJohnson & Johnson

Lunch for Bowlers SponsorsWithumBrown+Brown, PC

Contest Prizes SponsorNew Century Bank

Entertainment SponsorSovereign Bank, subsidiary of Santander

More photos and a full list of sponsors can be found on our website.

Princeton, Lawrence Lexus and Open Road BMW are once again

one of six models of cars. Tickets are $100. The drawing will be held on September 25th, 2010 at 9 pm at the Salt Creek Grille.

Mark your calendars for our 4th Annual Autumn Culinaire food and wine tasting event scheduled for October 21, 2010 from 6-9:30 pm at the Trenton Country Club. We are at a new location this year but we

Please visit our website event page for more information about these and other upcoming events.

promise the same wonderful evening with samplings of outstanding menu

along with tastings of select wines and international beers.

Autumn2010

Culinaire