What Big Brothers Big Sisters Is Thankful For

With the changing of the seasons we reflect upon the change we make in our community.  None of which would be possible without you!   Each time a person donates their time or money to Big Brothers Big Sisters they Start Something BIG in the life of a child.  This Thanksgiving, we're thankful for you - helping us Start Something for children in our community!

With the help of your time and support, our Littles have improved in the following areas:
*72% in academic performance
*84% showed more self-confidence
*63% improved their attitudes toward school

THANK YOU for your contribution to brighter futures and a stronger community for all.  Safe travels and Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Cold Outside...Now What?

A question was brought up today about what to do with your Little now that winter is around the corner.  The colder weather can be difficult to plan around so we have gathered up some great ideas and hope you find this winter season to be full of good times and laughter with your Little.  Stay warm and enjoy!

• Bake holiday goodies

• Create holiday cards

• Volunteer with your Little - several matches volunteer at the Humane Society

        *visit www.vccv.org for more information on volunteer opportunities in the Cedar Valley

• Make a calendar for the new year

• Talk about New Year’s Resolutions and create your own

• Visit the library and take turns reading to one another

• Build a snowman or snow sculpture

• Start a journal together for the New Year

• Drive around and look at all the holiday lights and decorations

• Play a board game – a variety of games are available at the Big Brothers Big Sisters office

• Drink hot chocolate

• Go to a sporting event at your Little’s school

• Celebrate National Mentoring Month with Big Brothers Big Sisters - invitations to follow

• Snowshoe at Harman Reserve

• Use your Big Card Discounts

• Go bowling – first game is free at either Maple Lanes or Valley Park Lanes when you use your Big Card

• Window shop

• Visit the Big Brothers Big Sisters Resource Room

• Paint your nails at your home

• Watch football and include your Little in your fantasy football team

• Visit local museums – use your Key Card for FREE admission

• Check out the Big Brothers Big Sisters website with your Little – www.iowabigs.org

• Visit the library and research what happened on the day and year you were born

• Go sledding

• Talk about the future and research different colleges and job opportunities

• Paint the snow with water and food coloring

• Visit the library and research different holidays for all cultures

• Go to the W on the Wartburg Campus in Waverly

• Ice Skate

• Write letters to the servicemen and women abroad

• Attend Wartburg athletic events free of charge – tickets available at the Waverly office

• Scoop your neighbor’s driveway

• Learn something new, for example, Crazy Girl Yarn Shop on Main Street in Cedar Falls provides free knitting lessons

• Contact the local nursing homes and senior living centers to volunteer and play cards with the residents

 Have any ideas you would like to add to this list - please comment below!

Wordless Wednesday : Spooks and Spokes

Big Brothers Big Sisters first ever Halloween bike ride took place on Oct 15th.  Spooks and Spokes was a great success and we thank all of you who supported this spooktacular event. 

To find out more information about how you can support Big Brothers Big Sisters visit www.iowabigs.org

Q and A Big Panel Discussion

The last three questions are listed below from our Big Panel Discussion.  Have another question or topic you would like to discuss with our panel?  Please comment below...

Question 7:  How do you handle situations when your Little asks you to go out to eat or asks you to buy him/her things? What is your response?

BB – Erick:  I joke about it with him and tell him he has to wait until Christmas/birthday.  Sometimes I do bring him stuff anyway when he doesn’t expect it.

BS – Jen:  When we hang out it is usually supper time, so sometimes we get a sub or something.  My Little doesn’t ask me to buy things for her.  I try not to spend much money on her, sometimes we will get a treat but other times we just hang out.

BS – Mary:  The first day we met, my Little asked if we could go out to eat.  While we do not go out to eat often, we will occasionally depending on when we get together.  I try to spend time with her outside of meal times and will let her mom know if I’ll have her back for dinner or if she’ll need to eat at home before we get together.  We actually went shopping a few weeks ago to pick up a few items for a recipe we were making together.  While driving to the store I asked my Little to help make a list of the things we needed.  I wasn’t sure how our time would go in the store and felt the list really helped.  My Little asked me to buy her things several times in the store and each time I would ask her if it was on our list.  She would look and then say no, and we would go on our way.  I’m not sure if this will work every time, but I think it helped keep her focus. 

There will also be times when she will ask to do certain activities that might be more than I would like to spend at the time and I tell her that her idea is a good one and that activity is something we can think about doing for a special day/occasion.  My Little will usually say “I don’t care” when I ask her what we should do together so when I give her options I make sure the options are low cost or even free activities we can do together to help with this as well.

Question 8:  Have you used the resources provided by BBBS, such as the resource room, activity totes at schools, BIG Card, and Key Card?  If so, what do you like about them?

BB – Erick:  No, we have not

BS – Jen: We have used the BIG card at a couple of places.  Most recently, we went to Texas Roadhouse and my Little’s meal was free!  Yahoo!!  I have not used the resource room but I am grateful for the BIG card – love having those discounts!

BS – Mary:  YES – we love the resource room and check out items whenever we can.  For my Little, this really helps her decide what we should do together and helps keep the money spending to a minimum for me.  We have used the BIG card and plan to use the Key Card more this winter to visit museums and attend plays.  We enjoy the activities hosted by BBBS as well and attend as many as we can.

Question 9:  Any other words of advice for Bigs?

BB – Erick:  Stick with it!  It does take some time to develop the friendship, trust and open communication.

BS – Mary:  I would say keep the time you spend together simple and have fun!  Focus on spending quality time with your Little.  You can incorporate your Little into your daily life/errands as well.  For example, this summer I had a few wedding gifts to purchase and I thought my Little might be interested in coming along.  She had never seen a registry before or the idea behind it and we ended up making a game out of it; who could find the aisle first or the item first, etc.  My Little even gave her input on what gift would be best to purchase and got a lesson in math all at the same time.  So something as simple as running an errand can turn into an afternoon of fun.  Just keep up the consistency and contact BBBS if you ever run into a problem – they have been very helpful in my match so far!