Coaches Corner J U L Y 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 2 I S S U E 7

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

Did you know that BBBSMV has accounts on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter?

Connect with us: @BBBSMV on Twitter, search for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley

on Facebook or BBBSMV1 on YouTube!

Beat the heat with us at Whitewater Junction on Sunday, July 8th from 6-8 pm!

Enjoy a wonderful summer evening at the pool with your Little! Light snacks will be provided.

RSVP to your match coach!

Whitewater Junction Match Activity!

Upcoming Match Activities Join us for the third and last Art Workshop,

Saturday, July 14th from 9:30-11:00 am. There are more things to draw with than pencils and

crayons! Learn techniques with oil pastels, chalk, blending stomps, watercolor pencils, and different types of paper. Bring an old shirt in case things get

messy! Workshop will take place at the BBBS office. RSVP to your match coach!

Save the Date for our Annual Summer Picnic. Plan on spending Sunday afternoon, August 5th with us at Scott County Park. You won’t want to

miss the food, games, and of course the water fight! More details soon!

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

J U L Y 2 0 1 2

Encourage your co-workers to become

MENTORS! We’d be happy to set up an

employee volunteer presentation at your

place of work.

Please contact Emily Jepsen at 563-323-8006

or ejepsen@bbbs-mv.org today!

Rachel Gustafson, Augustana College Students and parents (and Bigs!) are invited to attend Augustana College’s summer visit days on July 18, 19 and 20. These events offer a terrific opportunity to get an over-view of collegiate education. The day includes a campus tour, in-depth presentations from academic departments, information about campus activities, and basic admis-sions, scholarship, and finan-

cial aid information. The day runs from 10:00am-2:00pm. Each day offers specific academic departmental presentations and also a general academic session for students of any major or those not yet certain of their field of study.

July 18: Business, Education, Fine and Per-forming Arts

Accounting, Art, Art History, Business Administra-tion, Economics, Elementary Education, Graphic Design, International Business, Music, Secondary Education, Theatre, Choosing a Major.

July 19: Humanities, Languages, Literature, and Social Sciences

Africana Studies, Anthropology, Asian Studies, Chi-nese, Classics, Communication Sciences & Disor-ders, Communication Studies, Creative Writing,

English, French, German, History, Multimedia Jour-nalism, Neuroscience, Philosophy, Political Science, Pre-Law, Psychology, Religion, Scandinavian Stud-ies, Sociology, Spanish, Women and Gender Stud-ies, Choosing a Major. July 20: Computer Science, Math, Natural Sci-

ences, and pre-Health fields Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Engineering Physics, Environmental Studies, Geography, Geol-ogy, Mathematics, Physics, Pre-Dentistry, Pre-Medicine, Pre-Nursing, Pre-Occupational Therapy, Pre-Optometry, Pre-Pharmacy, Pre-Physical Ther-apy, Pre-Physician Assistant, Pre-Veterinary Medi-cine, Choosing a Major. Please visit http://www.augustana.edu/x8222.xml to register and to find out how to earn a scholarship of up to $1000 by attending one of these visits, or call admissions at 309-794-7341 for more informa-tion.

Augustana Visit Days—Great for High School Matches!

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

J U L Y 2 0 1 2

Healthy Eating! Courtney Tinoco, BBBSMV Summer is a great time for kids to relax, unwind, and chow down. Between the swimming, bike rid-ing, and rollerblading there is no wonder why kids are famished after a hard day at play. However, when kids think of summer treats they often think of ice cream, hot dogs, funnel cakes, and snow cones. Now, we’re not saying that kids shouldn’t have any of these treats; I mean, what fun would that be? But what we are asking you to do is consider some healthy alternatives; not to mention extremely fun and creative ideas. To help you and your Little become excited about food and most importantly healthy eating, we have

listed a few ideas: Take a field trip to a local farmers market. HENRY COUNTY Geneseo Farmers’ Market, City Park and Pearl Street; 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, June 16-late Octo-ber or early November. (309) 269-7409 ROCK ISLAND COUNTY East Moline Farmers’ Market, Skate City parking lot, 1112 42nd Ave.; 8 a.m.-noon Wednesdays and Sat-urdays, May 2-Oct. 31. (309) 936-7792 or (309) 944-7980 SCOTT COUNTY Bettendorf Farmers’ Market, parking lot at 2117 State St.; 2-6 p.m. Thursdays, through Oct. 27. (563) 332-5529 Davenport Farmers’ Market, parking lot of NorthPark Mall, Davenport; 8 a.m.-noon Wednesdays and Sat-urdays, through Oct. 29. (563) 332-5529

WHITESIDE COUNTY Twin City Market, 106 Ave. A, Sterling; 8 a.m.-noon Saturdays, year-round. (815) 626-8610 or tcmar-ket.org Morrison Farmers’ Market, 202 E. Lincolnway (Route 30) behind the Heritage Museum, Morrison; 8-11 a.m. Saturdays, June 2 - Sept 29. (815) 772-2018, www.morrisonfarmersmarket.com Start a garden with your Little. Creating a salsa garden is an easy and fun way to plant all of the ingredients to a delicious and healthy treat ; to get started you will need tomato seeds, pepper seeds, and onion bulbs. Instead of ordering a pizza, try making your own! Using wheat English Muffins, topped with low-fat mozzarella and your favorite tomato sauce you are able to make a delicious and healthy alternative. Feel free to add color to your pizza by sprinkling some pineapple, onion, spinach, or cooked turkey sausage! Cook your individual sized pizza at 350 degrees for 10 minutes and wham, you’re a chef! Try making a combo fruit and cheese kabob! Pick your favorite fruits and cheeses, cube them and put them on a skewer. These kabobs are easy, col-orful, and very healthy!

Create a taste test. Have a taste test using fruits and vegetables that you or your Little may have never tried before. Cre-ate a score card for each fruit and vegetable; calcu-late your totals and see where your Little’s and your taste buds fall! Some uncommon fruits and veggies would be: Papaya, Pomegranate, Eggplant, Kum-quat, Radish, Star fruit, and Edamame. You won’t know if you like it until you try it!

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

J U L Y 2 0 1 2

HAPPY MATCH ANNIVERSARY TO OUR MATCHES

7 Mia Carol Wilkinson 4 Sandra Candice Shamsie 4 Clarrissa Alice Novak 4 Dannyelle Felicia Bialobreski

2 Domingo Mike Erdmann

2 Chasity Christine Walker 2 Madison Therese Dockery-Jackson 1 Cierra Chelsey McKee 1 Shauntrice Linaka Kain 1 Brittney Heather Schildwachter 1 Marissa Susan Denecke 1 Jodie Molly Price 1 Shaniah Lindsey Rives 1 Alexandria Dawn Marner 1 Dayshia Kelly Quick

Year(s) Big’s First Name Big’s Last Name Little’s First Name

Kelly Anthony, BBBSMV Dear Match Coach,

I am so busy over the summer with sports, parties and vacation. I am having trouble finding ways to keep in contact with my Little in the commu-nity based program when I am not able to visit as often as usual. Do you have any ideas on how I can keep in contact over the busy summer months?

The warm summer weather always brings lots of activities. We understand that you and your Lit-tle’s schedule can be packed during the summer months. If you are finding it difficult to schedule visits, there are a few easy ways to keep in con-tact or make visits easier: Call your Little on the phone. A few minutes on the phone catching up allows them to know that you are still thinking about your match rela-tionship even when both of you are busy.

Write your Little a letter or send them a post card. You or your Little might be out of town at some point during the summer. A short letter or postcard to your Little will show that you are still reaching out to them while out of town. Set up a visiting schedule in advance. Find a day once a week or every other week that you and your Little have a free time. It does not have to be a whole day; it could be an hour or two to get lunch and catch up. This will show your Little that you are consistent even when you do not have a lot of time to offer. Involve your Little in your family activities. If you have developed a strong relationship with your Little or you feel comfortable including them, invite them to your family gatherings. This is a great way to balance being with your own family and spending time with your Little. Many children in our program are not exposed to positive family interactions so this is a great opportunity to once again be a role model while having fun at the same time! You can teach them your family tradi-tions and inside jokes while they also learn about healthy family dynamics. We hope this helps with making visits more con-venient during a busy time of year. If you need more suggestions your match coach is a great resource.

Dear Match Coach

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

J U L Y 2 0 1 2

Non-Profit Offers Free Instruments to Qualified Applicants Shannon Riley Farley, BBBSMV Music education helps children learn better reading comprehension, coordination and general learning skills that will help them in other academic areas, such as math and science. Music is also a great, life-long way to safely express one’s emotions and crea-tivity. Unfortunately, instruments are an expensive and often out of reach commodity for many children in our community. Scott Rubins, a former BBBSMV board member, has started a non-profit organization called Let’s Band Together that provides used instruments to students in need. An application can be found at http://www.letsbandtogether.org/index.html. If you know of a student who could benefit from instrumental music education but cannot afford their own instru-

ment, this may be the perfect resource to get them started on the path to a musical future! If you have any questions, please contact the organization at letsband2gether@gmail.com.

Getting Your Little Ready for School Meredith Price, BBBSMV

It’s never too early to start preparing your child or Little for the start of a new school semester. Going back to school can be exciting and at the same time disconcerting. In particular, after a long and relaxing summer the concept of hitting the books and being put in front of a teacher can be simply jarring. Here are some great ways that Bigs and parents can help kids make the most out of school and make an easy transition from summer to fall. Here are some of the things that kids can really get excited about! Making Friends - Going back to school lets children see the friends that they largely haven't seen for the whole summer! Also, new classes with new faces also provides a great opportunity for kids to start new friendships. Creating healthy, long-lasting friendships are great for an ultimately rewarding

school experience. Joining Sports - After school programs like school sports (or just intramural sports) provide kids with

an opportunity to let out all of their loose energy. After listening to teachers and having to wait pa-tiently in lines, sports give kids a chance to scream and yell to their hearts content. Participating in Clubs -School lets children partici-pate in activities or clubs that focus on their educa-tional interests. If a Little has a passion for writing, maybe they should join the newspaper. Or if the Little loves being outside, they could join the envi-ronmental club. It really depends on their passions and their educational pursuits. While there are some things to really get excited about when it comes to school, there can also be some concerns. Bullying - Bullying can be a problem for many kids. A good way to help your Little if they are being bul-lied is to let them know that they can come to you or a parent at any time to discuss the problems their having at school. Let the Little know that if they feel more comfortable talking to a teacher, they can do that as well. New School - Sometimes going to a new school can be really scary. The best way to handle this fear is to get a tour of the school with your Little so that they have an idea of when and where their classes are. By touring the school before school starts, Lit-tles won't face that moment of panic when the bell rings and have no idea where to go. With these helpful guidelines and tips, your Little will be ready to get into the swing of school and get off on the right start to having a wonderful school year!

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

These area business sponsors have provided a high level of support for the Big Brother Big Sister programs. Without their support it would be very difficult to provide the programming we do in our region.

THANKS TO THESE GREAT SPONSORS

J U LY 2 0 1 2

Match Highlight: Julie and Kristina Becca Leathers, BBBSMV Big Sister, Julie and Little Sister, Kristina have been matched together since 2010. Kristina started out as a very shy Little Sister and was hard to get to know, but through Julie’s consistency, creativity, and kindness, the two of them have become quite close. Julie not only has made a strong connection with Kristina, but she has also gone above and be-yond to help her in other ways as well. She knows that Kristina has struggled with her school work quite a bit, as well as with a low self esteem. Therefore Julie has tried hard to help her in those areas. At the beginning of their match, Kris-tina was completely against any reading activity and only wanted to play games. Julie really wanted to change her opinion of reading and therefore came up with an enticing deal for Kristina. She asked Kristina to read just a little each time they met, and in return Julie would present her with a new Justin Beiber t-shirt at the end of the school year. Because Julie had taken the time to get to know Kristina, she knew that the bribe of a Justin Beieber t-shirt would seal the deal. Kristina accepted the deal and each week Julie encouraged and complemented Kristina on how great she was doing. Julie reported that

sometimes Kristina would enjoy a story so much, she would even read past what Julie asked her to. At the end of the year, Julie was able to reward Kristina, but better than the reward, she was able to give Kristina a gift that will keep on giving, the enjoyment of reading! We just checked in with Julie again, and found out she is continuing to reach out to Kristina this sum-mer. She shared that she and Kristina have been exchanging letters throughout the summer, and that she has been sending a few items along with her letters as well. She had some books she came across while cleaning and clearing out, and decided to send one to Kristina each week. She also sends stickers, silly bands, math problems, etc. Julie knows that Kristina is getting tutored this summer and encouraged her to work hard with her math tutor, so she could feel great about improving in her multiplication and division when she returned to school. Julie is genuinely involved with Kristina and cares greatly about her well being, which is what being a great Big Brother/Big Sister is all about. Thank you Julie for going to such great lengths! Bigs like you are the reason BBBS is such a successful program!

We Need More Raves!

Have you seen your Little overcome a challenge, try something new, or ac-complish something really special? We want to hear about it! Please e-

mail your match coach with a great “rave about your Little” story that can be shared in our monthly newsletter!

Coaches Corner

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

J U L Y 2 0 1 2

July 25, 2012 9:00am-1:00pm

Spend the morning at your workplace, sharing your career with your Little. Teach them about the work you do, how you interact with your peers and boss, how you dress for work, good interview tips, or how your job helps others. Afterwards, meet with other matches to discuss and share you and your Little’s experiences over lunch. RSVP to Jodi Buresh at jburesh@bbbs-mv.org.

Take Your Little to Work Day!

Impact Circles are Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley's (BBBSMV) newest fundraiser. Thanks to your fundraising efforts, more Bigs and Littles can be paired up, more friendships can be created and improved outlooks on life can be started. Impact Circles will harness the power of individual groups in order to raise funds to help sup-port BBBSMV's programs. You already participate in activities alone or in a group, so why not use one of your favorite activities as a way to help raise money and awareness for children in your community?

Your Circle will decide on an activity to participate in (the possibilities are endless!), with each individual

member being responsible for getting sponsorships from their friends and family for each milestone the Circle reaches. For example, if your Circle plans to run 10 miles and you get pledges from 10 people for $1 per mile that you run, each sponsor will pay $10 - leaving you with a total donation of $100 for a Circle of one, or $1,000 for a Circle of ten! Impact Circles are a fun and easy way to positively impact the lives of chil-dren in your community! Still not sure how this all works or need some ideas for potential Circles? For more information, please visit http://www.bbbsmv.org/impactcircles!

What is an Impact Circle?

Coaches Corner J U L Y 2 0 1 2 V O L U M E 2 I S S U E 7

BIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS of the Mississippi Valley

1 2 3 Red, White & Boom

4 Independence Day

5 6 7

8 Whitewater Junction activ-ity

9 John Deere Classic begins

10

11

12

13 14 Art Workshop

15 16 17 18 Augustana Visit Days begin

19 20 21

22 23 24 25 Take Your Lit-tle to Work Day

26 27 Davenport Street Fest

28 Davenport Street Fest

29 30 31 Mississippi Val-ley Fair begins

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

JULY 2012

July Community Activities Red, White, and Boom: Rock Island/Davenport annual celebration on July 3rd- Mississippi River-front; Call 309-788-6311 for more information. Bettendorf 4th of July Celebration kicks off with a parade in downtown Bettendorf at 10:00 am on Wednesday, July 4 and continues at Cumberland Square with many family activities throughout the day. Fireworks and parachute team at night! Call 563-344-4033 to learn more. Backwater Gamblers Waterski Show on Wednesday, July 4 from 6:30-7:30 pm. For de-

tails, call 309-732-7275. John Deere Classic PGA Tour Event, at TPC Deere Run, July 9-12. Visit www.johndeereclassic.com or call 1-800-336-4655. Downtown Davenport Street Fest, July 27-28 in conjunction with the Bix 7 Run. Call 563-322-1706 to learn more. The Great Mississippi Valley Fair begins July 31 at the Fairgrounds. Call 563-326-5338 for informa-tion on what to expect this year at the fair!

Photo Gallery: BBBSMV Partners with LULAC