Community Report: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe

Connecting High School mentors with Middle School protégés

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe is proud to be kicking off a new school year with the Friday Night Live mentoring program.

With an objective of easing the transition from middle to high school for youth in the Truckee and North Tahoe community, as well as discouraging drug and alcohol use, the Friday Night Live program pairs middle school “protégés” at Alder Creek Middle School with high school mentors from Truckee High School.

Slated to start near the end of October and run through the holiday break, with another eight-week session scheduled for spring, this year's Friday Night Live program features five returning mentors from last year — including one match returning for their fourth semester as a match — most of whom will get the chance to attend a state-wide mentor training session in Sacramento put on by the California Office of Education.

This year's program, which new Friday Night Live Coordinator Matt Martin hopes will attract between 10 and 15 matches this year, will start with a couple of “shadow days” in which the middle school students get to shadow their high school mentors for half a day, and vice versa.

“Anytime you see a high schooler hanging out with a middle school kid, the other kids go, ‘What's that? How do I get involved in it?'” Martin said.

For more information about the Friday Night Live mentoring program or how to get involved, please call the Truckee office of Big Brothers Big Sisters at (530) 587-7717.

Next Big Night Out scheduled for Oct. 8

Get ready to eat out to support local mentoring again! On Thursday, Oct. 8, Sandy's Pub in the Resort at Squaw Creek will be hosting the next Big Night Out, with 15 percent of all dinner proceeds going to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe. Featuring several high-definition plasma TVs and an 8x6 foot big-screen TV, Sandy's Pub is a traditional sports bar offering pub-style appetizers, salads and burgers, and a selection of microbrews, wine and specialty drinks. Open for dinner from 5 to 10 p.m., Sandy's is located downstairs in the Resort at Squaw Creek, 400 Squaw Creek Road, Olympic Valley. Call 583-6300 for more information.

We need mentors! Learn what it takes Oct. 14

In an effort to raise awareness in the community about our agency and the importance of mentoring, we invite you to come to a one-hour Magic Moments Information Session. This session gives people a chance to meet the visionary people who work hard behind the scenes to make mentoring happen for so many youth. No one will be asked to make a financial contribution or to become a volunteer; we simply welcome people's advice and feedback.

Magic Moments Information Session will be Wednesday, Oct. 14, from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Truckee Court House, 10075 Levon Ave., Truckee. This will be an hour well spent and one you won't soon forget! Please RSVP by calling 587-7717 or emailing peggy@bigsofnc.org. Tell your friends. You're welcome to bring a guest, indicate that when you RSVP.

Meet the new Friday Night Live coordinator

Name: Matt Martin

Age: 32

Other job: Camp Director at Lahontan Golf Club

Hometown: Truckee, Calif. Originally from the Bay Area.

What Matt's looking forward to this year: “One of the things I'm really looking forward to is giving the teen mentors the ability to develop their leadership skills and their involvement in the community. And getting to see the protégés grow from seventh to eighth grade, and then hopefully get involved in the program once they get to high school. Hopefully just building a cycle of kids involved in the program.”

A Big thank you to Hardy Bullock

All of us at Big Brothers Big Sisters would like to thank local resident and businessman, Hardy Bullock, for his inspirational support of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County. The weekend of Sept. 12-13, Hardy cycled in the Everest Challenge, a two-day cycling race and ride in the Eastern Sierras that covers 209 miles, with the equivalent elevation gain of Mt. Everest. Not only did Hardy take on this incredible challenge, but he did it for the local children of Nevada County and North Tahoe. Through sponsorships, Hardy raised more than $3,000 in funding and plans to do the ride as an annual fundraiser for BBBSNC. What an inspiration! 

New hours for Truckee office

Weekends: Closed

Monday: 2 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Tuesday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Wednesday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Thursday: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Friday: 2 p.m. – 5 p.m.

The Truckee office is located upstairs in the Nevada County Court House Building, 10075 Levon Ave. Truckee. Call 587-7717.

For more information

If you or someone you know would be interested in supporting our programs in the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe region by becoming a Big, participating on our Board of Directors, serving on our Truckee-Tahoe Fundraising Committee, or making a financial contribution, have them contact Executive Director Dena Valin at (530) 273-2227 or director@bigsofnc.org. Visit www.bigsofnc.org.

Connect on Facebook

Are you a Facebook addict? Join the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County cause on Facebook and get program updates and show your support in the Tahoe-Truckee area. Go to http://apps.facebook.com/causes/ and search for “Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County.”