Big Brothers Big Sisters Honors Top Partners and Dedicated Supporters
Lifetime Achievement Award Goes to National Board Member
Tampa, Fla. (July 17, 2018) – Each year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America honors the top corporate partners and individual leaders who make significant contributions to help the organization serve children by matching them in impactful mentoring relationships with caring adult volunteers. During the 2018 National Conference Awards Gala presented by Comcast NBCUniversal and held on June 28, BBBSA honored Alan J. Bernon, Gary Moore, the Federated Insurance Companies, and the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation.
"Each of these award winners has contributed significantly to our Network and our National Office, helping us increase our impact on communities," said Pam Iorio, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America.
Charles G. Berwind Lifetime Achievement Award
As a member of the National Board, the Board of Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Boston, and as a longtime supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, Alan Bernon has been a consistent ambassador and supporter for Big Brothers Big Sisters for decades. He has provided crucial support for the National Office, building it into a thriving organization.
"I have had the honor and pleasure to serve on numerous nonprofit boards over the past three decades, probably two dozen, but none have meant more to me than the privilege of being part of this organization," Bernon said.
Community Impact Award
Federated Insurance began the Federated Challenge in 2004. Through the annual event, which includes a black tie gala, an auction, and a golf tournament, Federated Insurance raises over $2.5 million per year for the three Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies in Minnesota and has raised more than $32 million for Big Brothers Big Sisters in total, now including funds for the National Office.
"We have chosen, as a company, to pay 100 percent of all the expenses of the [Federated Challenge] gala, the golf, the prizes, so that every single dollar raised in the auction and every single dollar given by our corporate sponsors goes to the three Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies," said Jeff Fetters, Chairman and CEO of Federated Insurance. In June, Fetters joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America National Board of Directors.
The highest partner honor of the night went to the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation for its partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Not only did they provide the funding for Big Brothers Big Sisters' strategic planning process, the product of which was the five-year strategic plan, Bigger Impact 2022, but they also invested $2.725 million in various strategic initiatives from technology to training.
The S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation envisions children and youth developing the knowledge, skills, and character to explore and understand the world around them, growing into caring, informed, and productive adults. "We have a National Character Initiative, and Big Brothers Big Sisters of America is one of 13 organizations that we have invested in," said Arron Jiron, the S.D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation Associate Program Director for Education, who accepted the award on behalf of the Foundation.
Common Good Award
Gary Moore of the law firm Moore Strickland, who has worked with Big Brothers Big Sisters for more than a decade and provides invaluable service as national coordinating legal counsel in child protection matters, received the Common Good Award. Moore Strickland has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters of America by providing pro bono legal counsel of the highest quality to our youth protection and leadership teams.
"I come away from this experience with a feeling—of all of the clients I have represented, of all of the great legal experiences I have had, nothing has given me more pride and more feeling of good faith, around the country," Moore said. "You don't build walls, you open doors in the minds of children."
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong, enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters ensures that the children in its program achieve measurable outcomes, including educational success, avoidance of risky behaviors, higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships. This mission has been the cornerstone of the organization's 114-year history. With over 270 affiliates across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served nearly 2 million children ("Littles") in the past 10 years. Learn more at www.bigbrothersbigsisters.org.