May Matches and June Anniversaries

Big Brothers Big Sisters would like to WELCOME the following new matches made in May:

William Burt and Ka'marious


CONGRATS to the following matches reaching their anniversary during the month of June:

Three Years:
McKenzie Bruch and Haylee
Dana McDougall and De'Vontay

Four Years:
Jonathan Wangler and Kelondis

Five Years:
Dave Kane and Elliott

Six Years:
Christy & Dietrich Tice and Joseph

June Match Spotlight: Quinton and Steve

Big Brother, Steve Schmitt and Little Brother, Quinton have been matched for over three years in the School Based program. Steve originally got involved with BBBS in the 70s and has had several Littles over the years. When Steve’s match with Quinton first started, Quinton was in third grade at Lincoln Elementary. Quinton was enrolled in the program to aid with his frustration and anger issues.

Over the years, Steve has helped Quinton with these issues by providing him with techniques to use when he gets upset. During their time at Lincoln, Quinton spent time showing Steve how to do origami and make duct tape flower pens. The match also enjoyed playing games together.

This school year Quinton began middle school at George Washington Carver Academy which opened up new opportunities to the match. During their first visit in the fall, the match took a tour of Quinton’s new school. This exploration led the match to find the school’s greenhouse and Quinton was very intrigued by it. The match ended up helping the teacher with tasks in the greenhouse nearly every week. Each week the match was given jobs to do (spraying, measuring, potting, etc.) and worked for the entire hour together. The school really appreciated the help and Quinton really took a strong interest in it. The match rarely missed a week of meeting this school year due to Steve’s dedication to the program and Quinton’s commitment to school.

Although Steve admits that gardening is not his strong suit, he enjoys doing whatever is of interest to Quinton. Steve says he has learned a lot from Quinton over the course of their match. In a note to Steve earlier this year for National Mentoring month, Quinton wrote: "thank you for getting me through some struggles and giving me laughter and joy. I appreciate what you have done for me."

It's Time For You To Soar!

We would like to congratulate the following Little Brothers and Little Sisters who graduated high school this year!  We are so proud of all of you and wish you the best of luck in your future ahead!

We would also like to take special time out to thank the Big Brothers and Big Sisters who stood by their Littles along the way.  You have all been a great inspiration to your Littles and we have enjoyed being a part of your journey.

Little Sister:    Adrianna
Big Sister:      Maggie Burger
Match Date:    March 2006
Adrianna plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa in the fall to pursue a degree in Interior Design.

Little Brother:  DeAngelo
Big Brother:    Jim Brown
Match Date:    July 2009
DeAngelo plans to pursue his career options in the Cedar Valley.

Little Sister:  Nashalet
Big Sister:    Ellen Vanderloo
Match Date:  November 2007
Nashalet plans to pursue a degree in Culinary Arts.

Little Brother:  Craig
Big Sister:       Amy Hunzelman
Match Date:     September 2005
Craig plans to pursue a degree in Recording Engineering to further his music career.

Little Brother:  Malik
Big Brother:    Dave Buck
Match Date:    December 2006
Malik is interested in studying law and continuing his passion for boxing.

Little Sister:   Tru
Big Sister:   Sherry Etringer
Match Date:   December 2005
Tru plans to attend the University of Northern Iowa in the fall to pursue a degree in education.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Announces New Executive Director

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa has recently announced the hiring of Katie Orlando to serve as Executive Director of the nonprofit agency. Katie will oversee day-to-day operations of the organization with a focus on fund development and donor stewardship. She will also work toward carrying out the mission and Strategic Plan of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa.

Katie comes to Iowa with over 4 years of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) experience and 15 years of nonprofit and higher education experience in the Northeast, recently serving as the Executive Director of BBBS of Greater Manchester (NH) and Vice President of Development of BBBS New Hampshire following a statewide BBBS agency merger.

Katie is looking forward to getting back to leading a local Big Brothers Big Sisters agency and making a difference in the lives of many youth. “I am honored to be selected to lead such a strong agency in a community that cares so much about its youth and their future.  I am excited to meet agency supporters and program participants so we can work together to make an even bigger impact in our community.”

This week Katie will be traveling to Philadelphia to attend the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America National Conference to accept a prestigious Quality Award.  This award is only given to select agencies nationwide who excel in the service they provide to their community as evidenced by the impact achieved in the youth they serve.  This will be Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa’s second consecutive year receiving this award, an extremely rare feat only achieved by a handful of other agencies nationwide.   In 2014, the average length of each Big/Little match relationship in Northeast Iowa was over 3 years and the quality of support professional BBBS staff gave to program participants was among the top in the country out of all other BBBS agencies.

Katie is a graduate of Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, PA with a degree in History, Political Science and Latin American Studies. Five generations ago her family originated from Iowa and Katie now resides in Waterloo.  Katie has also served as a Kiwanian for 12 years and recently joined the Kiwanis Club of Waterloo to carry on this tradition of giving back to her local community.

For more information or to get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Iowa, call 319-235-9397 or visit www.iowabigs.org.