Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana (BBBSCI) hosted its annual event, The Biggest Social, on Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at The Club at Crosspoint. BBBSCI invited community members interested in getting involved with the program to attend. At the event, BBBSCI honored the second class of Changemaker Award winners, recognized the 2024 Matches of the Year, and celebrated National Mentoring Month alongside the agency’s volunteers and supporters.
The Changemaker Awards began in 2023 and honor three corporations or organizations that have gone above and beyond to catalyze transformational change and better BBBSCI’s programming for the central Indiana community. This year, BBBSCI recognized AES Indiana as a top corporate partner for presenting the Big Futures: Career & College Readiness program and sponsoring various other events; the Indianapolis Colts as a top community partner for opening the door to new opportunities for the agency and our matches; and Eli Lilly and Company as a top volunteer partner for having the most Bigs as employees and coordinating their Lilly Global Day of Service for the past nine years to benefit BBBSCI.
Brandi Davis-Handy, Chief Customer Officer at AES U.S. Utilities and Board President for BBBSCI, shared, “AES Indiana is honored to be recognized as a Changemaker, and even more, we are honored to support the game-changing mentorship and programs that BBBSCI provides for our community.”
Ande Sadtler, Director of Community Impact for the Indianapolis Colts, said, “The Colts have loved engaging with BBBSCI deeper throughout our current three-year partnership. Our staff, players, coaches, and entire organization truly believe in the impact a mentor has on kids – standing alongside them as they develop into exceptional young people.”
During the night, BBBSCI also recognized our 2024 class of Matches of the Year – Bigs and Littles who have built an exceptional mentoring relationship with each other that has positively impacted each other’s lives. Darcey Palmer-Shultz, CEO of BBBSCI, shared, “BBBSCI is excited to celebrate the young people, volunteers, and partners who bring our mission to life and share the rippling impact they have in our community through their involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters. If you’ve been thinking about doing something meaningful in 2024, we hope you’ll attend and consider getting involved.”
Click here to view all stories of our ten 2024 Matches of the Year.
Being a mentor, or “Big,” through BBBSCI requires a one-year commitment to be matched with a mentee, or “Little.” Bigs and Littles meet 4-6 hours per month, and together, they enjoy activities provided by BBBSCI and their partners or find activities within their community. To learn more about becoming a Big, visit www.bebigforkids.org/volunteer.
