Sunday, June 14th from 3 – 4 pm
Sunday, July 12th from 7:30 – 8:30 pm
To register, please contact Camille Brugh at cbrugh@bbbsci.org.
To ensure we hear from everyone, we will host 15 people at each and additional dates will be added based on interest.
To the Parents and Guardians of Littles,
As a mother, I worry daily about the wellbeing of my children – how they feel, if they are safe, what they are learning, if they are healthy, and the list goes on and on. Alongside the silly moments, celebration of firsts, sense of pride, and overwhelming love, worrying is part of the deal in parenthood. One of my privileges is that I don’t worry about my children being harmed or undervalued because of the color of their skin. No parent should have to carry that worry, but many do. Further, no child should have to learn that they may be harmed or undervalued because of the color of their skin, but many do – as a necessary life lesson aimed at keeping them safe. This is true for many of the youth and families we serve as 80% are people of color.
Over the last few weeks, the world learned the names and stories of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Dreasjon Reed, and Breonna Taylor. This list is neither the beginning nor the end of those lost due to racialized violence or police brutality. We grieve for their lives, and we think of what it means for young people to grapple with the reality that this keeps happening. We are encouraged by the action of people across our country and beyond to demand change and declare that Black lives matter. We must continue working to dismantle systems that perpetuate racism, oppression, and injustice. We must be boldly anti-racist and challenge ourselves, our policies, our laws, our systems, and our culture to be deliberately anti-racist. We have a long way to go.
At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we believe in the inherent potential of young people and the power of relationships. We have an opportunity to connect people (youth, volunteers, and parents) who will learn and grow from these relationships. We offer people who may have otherwise never met and who may be different from each other in a number of ways a supported space to know, care for, and encourage each other – to be part of each other’s lives – to be friends. We understand the significance and impact of relationships and advocacy. We see the results in the success of every young person we serve, and we hear story after story from volunteers sharing how much they have learned and grown. We believe this matters as we work toward bigger change.
Still, Big Brothers Big Sisters has more work to do to fully emanate our values and act accordingly. To make sure we are taking steps that are first and foremost informed by the parents, young people, and volunteers at the core of our mission, our first step is to listen and hear from you. With that in mind, we will host conversations to listen and learn how we can best support you and your children and how we can fight against the injustices that impact Black and Brown communities. You are also always welcome to contact us by sending any comments or recommendations to Amy Pomeranz Essley, Chief Program Officer, at aessley@bbbsci.org.
Please know that we consider it an honor that you have chosen Big Brothers Big Sisters to be part of your lives. We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with you to defend, ignite, and empower the potential of your children. We are by your side, and we look forward to listening.
Sincerely,
Darcey Palmer-Shultz
Chief Executive Officer
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana