FORMER LITTLE TURNS DONOR Page 2

“ALL-IN” POKER Page 4

Winter 2017 bbbsli.org

WINTER 2017

IN T

HIS

IS

SU

E

Big Sister Carla and Little Sister Crystal have been matched for nearly six years. When first matched, Crystal was a 12 year old girl who felt unclear about her future and today she is a young woman preparing to head to college in the fall. Carla shared, “When we were first matched, Crystal was lost on what her future held for her based on what she had witnessed by those surrounding her life. Now she is motivated to forge her own path in life and sees the opportunities she has”. One of the things Carla has instilled in Crystal which has had a profound impact on her life is the importance of setting goals. Crystal said, “Carla has made such a huge impact on my life. She has helped me become so much more focused and driven to achieve the things that I want in life. She has instilled in me how important it is to set goals and taught me how to create a plan of smaller goals in order to achieve the big ones. There were many times when I’d feel like I wanted to just give-up and Carla has always helped motivate me and reminded me of what I had to do to change my life situation”.

RECEIVED GRANTS Page 2

MATCH SPOTLIGHT:

Throughout their match, Carla has been blown away by Crystal’s maturity. Carla said, “Crystal is wise beyond her years which allows us to converse on a deeper level. She has helped me see the beauty of resilience and that even when life is really tough, with persistence, difficult circumstances can be overcome”. In addition to helping her set goals, Carla has also had a positive impact on Crystal’s self-esteem. “I’m definitely more confident because of Carla. There were times when I would feel negatively about myself and Carla would always tell me that I am an amazing, strong, beautiful, intelligent person”, shared Crystal. Carla and Crystal have recorded many of their favorite memories together in a scrap book. Over the years, they have filled the pages with stories and photos. Crystal remised about some of their memories saying, “Carla has exposed me to many new things. One of my favorite outings was when we went to Westbury Gardens. This one outing opened my eyes to how amazing nature is. Before I never was able to stand and admire the beauty of trees and flowers”. When asking Carla what advice she would give to someone considering becoming a Big she said, “Just spending a few hours together is what means so much and you don’t have to do anything extravagant. You can even incorporate your Little into things you would be doing anyway. Also, there is so much help from the BBBSLI program in terms of support and activities”. Carla is very proud of Crystal for working hard to achieve her goal to attend college. Crystal shared, “As I’m getting ready to go to college in the fall, I know it will be easier with Carla by my side. We have made the promise to stick together and stay close no matter what. Carla truly is my family”.

BACKPACK GIVEAWAY Page 3

18TH ANNUAL PRESIDENTIAL GALA Page 5

Crystal & Carla photographed at various BBBSLI events throughout

their nearly six year match

MATCH ACTIVITIES Page 3

Do you have a few hours a month to make a difference in the life of a child?

Apply to become a Big or refer someone you know at BBBSLI.ORG.

WE NEED BIG BROTHERS

Meet Little Sister Crystal & Big Sister Carla

HOLIDAY FOR KIDS’ SAKE Page 4

CRUSIN FOR KIDS’ SAKE Page 5

Little Turns Big Turns Donation Center Donor Jason Sidelman grew up without a

father figure. When he was in 3rd

grade, his mother realized that

Jason needed a male influence in

his life so she signed him up for

the Big Brothers Big Sisters

program in Tucson AZ. With his

Big, he was able to do things that

his mother simply couldn’t. He

will never forget his Big or what

he taught him.

Jason’s family eventually moved

to NY. In his Senior year at

Hewlett High School, he

volunteered to mentor a younger

child who did not have a male

influence in his life. He had fun

mentoring and sharing the things

that he had learned from his Big

years ago.

Jason went on to become an entrepreneur. He is now sole owner

of Collectable County, a buyer and seller of rare books and

collectables. As part of Jason’s business, he purchases large lots

of goods. Many of the lots include clothing and household items

not needed for his business.

To support mentoring on Long Island, Jason donates all of the

clothing and household items to the Big Brothers Big Sisters

Donation Center. On average Jason donates over 3,000 pounds per

month, making him one of the largest individual donors to the

BBBSLI Donation Center. Jason shared, “I truly believe in the

power of mentoring and that what goes around comes around.

That is why it is important to me to give back to an organization

like Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island”.

Pictured above: Jason Sidelman, at his

company Collectable County

BBBSLI is grateful for the 2016 support of the following organizations and foundations:

Antun Foundation

Atlantic Auto Mall

Bethpage FCU

Claire Freidlander Family Foundation

CoreNet Global, Inc.

Darby Dental Supply, LLC

Estee Lauder

Fridolin Charitable Trust

Geico Philanthropic Foundation

The Harold & Helen Gottlieb Charitable Foundation

Ike Molly & Steven Elias Foundation

Investors Foundation

Kohl's

LI Imagine Awards (Cerini & Associates)

Long Island Community Foundation

Lostritto Family Foundation

Louis Feinberg Foundation

Macy’s

Morey Family Foundation

People's United Community Foundation

Principal Payments

Ridgewood Savings Bank

Seventh District Association, Inc.

Simon & Eve Colin Foundation

Soros Fund Charitable Foundation

Target

We Care- Nassau County Bar Association

Winter 2017 bbbsli.org p2

Youth Organized Clothing Drives Supporting Mentoring on L.I.

GRANTS

Suffolk County Daisy Girl Scout Troop 328 for collecting clothing,

household items and toys for their campaign called "BBBSLI Kids

Helping Kids". The campaign earned them their Rose petal: "Make the

World a Better Place".

5th Grade "Leadership" of Dickinson Avenue Elementary

School in East Northport completed a very successful clothing drive in support of mentoring on Long Island.

For information on organizing a clothing drive please contact Joanne Kassebaum at:

516-731-7880 X115 or jkassebaum@bbbsli.org

Getting Our Littles Ready for School Every child deserves the school supplies they need to succeed academically. Thanks to the generous donations we received, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) was able to distribute 225 brand new backpacks filled with the required school supplies to children in need. In addition, 30 of our Littles were taken on a back-to-school shopping trip at Walmart, allowing them to purchase various gear and necessities for school, sports and activities. BBBSLI would like to express its heartfelt gratitude for these donations - allowing us to provide hundreds of kids with the supplies they needed to start the school year off right!

“Hip-Hop Dance Class” - led by a professional dance instructor. Everyone learned sets of 8-count dance moves that came together in great routine for the group to perform.

“Holiday Cards & Cupcakes” - matches came together to create holiday cards and decorate cupcakes. Two designs, created by Little’s, were chosen to be featured as BBBSLI’s 2016 Holiday card.

“Halloween Crafts & Snacks” - lot’s of fun making slime, pumpkin stress balls and decorating delicious Halloween cupcakes.

Match Activities

Winter 2017 bbbsli.org p3

Winter 2017 bbbsli.org p4

Holiday For Kids’ Sake 2016

Thanks to the generosity of more than 80 individuals, families,

friends, and companies Holiday for Kids’ Sake created MAGIC

for more than 300 children across Long Island. This year, 100% of

the children received EVERY item from their special wish list

along with many other gifts based on their age and interests!

51 volunteer drivers (many who were accompanied by their

children & family members) delivered more than 1,000 Gifts &

more than 3,000 lbs. of food to the doorsteps of all those families!

Thank you to everyone who made Holiday for Kids’ Sake 2016 a

success! Your generosity has created magical memories for children and families in need across Long Island!

Our 2017 Poker & Networking Series kicks-off with Poker Night on March 14th at The Main Event in Farmingdale.

For event details, sponsorship opportunities or to register visit: bbbsli.org/event/poker-night-2017/

On Tuesday, November 15th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) presented its annual 'All-In’ Poker Tournament as part of its Poker & Networking event series. 100 players competed in the event, sponsored by Steve Madden, held at The Main Event Restaurant & Sports Bar in Farmingdale. The event raised nearly $25,000 in support of quality mentoring on Long Island. Evan Pfeffer revealed the championship hand at the coveted final table.

Tim Foley and David Finkel finished in 2nd and 3rd Place, respectively.

The top prize was a $2,500 Traveler’s Choice Voucher. Second prize was a

Hotel Indigo East End getaway & Crème de la Mer package for two and the

third place winner received a twosome to BBBSLI’s 2017 Golf Tournament

at Muttontown.

“ALL-IN” Poker

Winter 2017 bbbsli.org p5

On September 17th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) raised more than $15,000 at its 5th Annual Cruisin’ for Kids’ Sake event! 20 supporters on their motorcycles came together and hit the road to promote BBBSLI and our mission to provide one-to-one mentoring to at-risk youth across Long Island. The funds raised at this year’s ride will allow BBBSLI to provide mentors to children who have been waiting for a Big Brother or Big Sister to call their own. With the sun shining, riders arrived to the E. David Woycik, Jr. Building in Levittown for breakfast, where they each received a pair of custom fit Harley Davidson sunglasses, before heading east for a scenic ride to Greenport, NY where they enjoyed lunch at Claudio’s Restaurant.

On Thursday, October 6th, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI) hosted its 18th Annual Presidential Gala at the Crest Hollow Country Club in Woodbury, NY. As the mentoring agency’s premiere fundraising event of the year, the Gala drew 340 guests and raised $225,000 for BBBSLI to continue providing quality mentoring and support services to Long Island’s youth. This year’s Gala honored “Man of the Year” Rich Grossi, Executive Vice President - Product and Engineering, OpenLink and “Couple of the Year” The Honorable Scott Horowitz, President, Shore Line Insurance & Pamela Horowitz, Business & Mathematics Teacher, Westhampton Beach H.S. The highlight of the evening was hearing from Big Brother Barry and Little Brother Phil who spoke about their close bond and the impact being matched has had on their lives. Phil talked about how Barry’s wisdom has shown him a new way of thinking that has had an immense positive effect on his life. Guests listened intently as Phil shared a story about an especially profound moment when Barry took a quarter out of his pocket and explained that whether the coin lands on heads or tails it has the same exact worth. He used it as an analogy to instill the life lesson in Phil that he is always worth the same amount whether it was his best of days or worst of days. Phil explained how this one moment with Barry helped change his entire mindset in a positive way. Not only did this life lesson help him personally, but Phil explained how he was able to pay it forward when he helped a suffering friend by remembering what Barry taught him with the quarter analogy. In addition to Phil and Barry, a dozen more Littles and their Big Brothers & Sisters joined us at this year’s event.

18th Annual Presidential Gala

5th Annual Cruisin’ for Kids’ Sake Motorcycle Ride

CEO Mark Cox

Director of Finance Helen Liriano

Director of Development

Jamison Skala

Director of Services Nancy Farrell Travers

Director of Human Resources Carmelina Vassallo

Senior Manager of Marketing & PR Amy Sledz-Sarin

Manager of Site Based Programs Rachelle Ayala

Quality Assurance Manager Josephine Todisco

Special Events Manager

Deanna Tropeano

Senior Enrollment Specialist

Kelly McGowan

Case Managers Sara Braverman

Natesha Bull-Ofoegbu

Alana Falco Ashley Hinds

Jennifer Simmons

Enrollment Specialist

Jacqueline Volpicella

Intake Specialist

Gabriella Ramirez

Program Assistant Maureen Araneo

Brick Crumbley

Newsletter Editor Amy Sledz-Sarin

Contact Us:

Nassau 516.731.7880

Suffolk 631.273.1469

Donation Center 631.234.0000

Web www.bbbsli.org

For Registration & Event Details Visit: http://bbbsli.org/upcoming-events/

For the Latest BBBSLI News, Updates, Photos & Event Details:

February 15, 2017

Governor's Comedy Club, Levittown, NY

June 5, 2017

The Muttontown Club,

East Norwich, NY

May 18, 2017

The Inn at New Hyde Park,

New Hyde Park, NY

June 10, 2017

Heckscher State Park, East Islip, NY

March 14, 2017

The Main Event, Farmindale, NY

March 14, 2017

The Main Event, Farmindale, NY