{"id":95681,"date":"2019-09-28T11:37:49","date_gmt":"2019-09-28T15:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=95681"},"modified":"2019-09-28T11:37:49","modified_gmt":"2019-09-28T15:37:49","slug":"lehigh-valley-companies-encouraged-to-lead-big-through-new-big-brothers-big-sisters-membership-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=95681","title":{"rendered":"Lehigh Valley Companies Encouraged to LEAD BIG Through New Big Brothers Big Sisters Membership Program"},"content":{"rendered":"

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ALLENTOWN, PA \u2013 September 26, 2019 \u2013 Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley is showing local companies how an investment in their community grows into an investment in the future workforce when they help to close the mentoring gap for local children.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s through the new \u201cLEAD BIG: The Partnership for Potential\u201d corporate membership club, which directly aligns the business sector with BBBSLV\u2019s powerful mission and Big & Little (mentor\/mentee) mentoring programs. One-to-one mentoring has been proven to help change the trajectory of a child\u2019s life by providing them with the support they need, improving their grades and relationships with peers, and increasing high school graduation rates.<\/p>\n

Each 1-to-1 mentoring match costs the nonprofit organization $1,200 annually to create and professionally-support during the span of their relationship. More than 270 local children are waiting to be matched with a Big Brother or Big Sister mentor, resulting in the mentoring gap. The program\u2019s goal is to support 50 Big and Little matches over the course of the next year through direct sponsorships by corporate partners. To drive volunteerism, LEAD BIG members are asked to share information regarding BBBSLV youth mentoring programs with their employees.<\/p>\n

LEAD BIG membership tiers include Visionary at $12,000; Pioneer at $6,000; Partner at $3,600; and Match Maker at $1,200. Kicking off the new program as inaugural LEAD BIG members are the following corporate partners:<\/p>\n