Big Blog

As we gear up for another school year, we extend our heartfelt gratitude to the generous businesses and individuals who have made our back-to-school supply drive a tremendous success.

July 24th is International Self-Care Day! Self-care is crucial to living a healthy life, and it can be as simple as setting aside time for yourself amidst a busy schedule. Check out some activities that you can use to practice self-care, both for yourself and within your current mentor/mentee relationship in this week's Big Blog!

February is Black History Month! Join us as we honor, celebrate and commemorate the achievements and contributions of African American people throughout U.S. history.

Kaylee, a former Little Sister, talks about her experience being enrolled in our Community-Based Mentoring program and how her Big Sister impacted her.

BBBSM has the best mentors! They take time out of their busy lives to connect and create strong, lasting relationships with youth here in our community. Thank you to the hundreds of dedicated and caring mentors who make a big impact every day.

We want to give a special shout-out to those mentors who helped grow the BBBS mission beyond their match. Our mentors step up in many ways throughout the year. Whether posing for professional photos or speaking at an event, we couldn’t be more grateful for your help in the success of our mission.

A little over a year ago, I decided to become a Big for BBBS Lincoln (a decision that I consider to be one of the best of my life). I signed up for the program and within a month I was matched with Jeremiah, an 11-year-old who was in the program because he was on diversion for stealing a bike with his friend.

My name is Kaylee, and I am a Big to a fifth grader named Payton! We have been matched for about two and half years now. Payton and I like to do a lot of fun things together! Some of our favorite things include baking, going to the movies, having picnics at Holmes Lake, and going to get ice cream!

"Kids may or may not be the product of their environment. But they are most definitely the product of their expectations."

As I arrived at Zion’s front door per our regular routine, I wasn’t surprised to see his tablet in his hands. He’s always playing with his iPod or pulling something up on his school tablet. I would normally chat with Charlene, his grandmother, for a moment, but she was in bed, so I waited outside as he shut the front door followed me out to the car with the tablet. He said, “here… read this.” 

My name is Max Wesely and I am Big to Sylas through Big Brothers Big Sisters Lincoln. My entire life I have lived in Lincoln, Nebraska and currently work for Nanonation and have been a member of the BBBSL Board of Directors for close to 4 years now. BBBSL has always been a part of my life starting from my mom being a Big to Bobby when she was in college to me being a Little to Jim years ago when I was in grade school.

"For almost half of my 20 years being employed with the BBBS Lincoln program, I was matched with Erica. We were matched from October 2006 to June 2016. We started when Erica was at the end of elementary school and continued on until she graduated high school.

During this fall of 2022, the LUX Center for the Arts has kindly provided free and engaging art classes to matches at BBBS Lincoln. These matches dove into various artistic mediums, including sculpting, painting, and more!

He ensures our program runs smoothly and supports our fantastic team! This Team Highlight shares more about our Executive Director, Shawn Ryba!

Big Brothers Big Sisters has many working parts behind the scenes, and she's here to learn about it all! This Team Highlight is happy to introduce our Program Intern, Madilynn Piro!

When it comes to BBBSA's Standards of Practice, someone has to make sure our program is in tip-top shape! Check out this Team Highlight to learn about Laura Matthias, BBBS Lincoln's Program Director.

Bigs and Littles have to start somewhere! Jalin Gerdes tells us about herself and her role as Enrollment and Match Coordinator.

What is Match Support? Melissa Neater gives us the lowdown on her role as Match Support Specialist and shares a bit about herself too!

Here is a highlight of Kyle Bishop, BBBSL's Recruitment and Event Coordinator!