A big thank you to all the local businesses who supported local mentoring

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe (BBBSNC) would like to thank all of the local businesses who generously donated raffle and silent auction items for our 27th annual Wine Tasting and Silent Auction fundraiser, Nov. 21 in Grass Valley.

BBBSNC's largest fundraiser of the year, the Wine Tasting event raised more than $20,000 to help support mentoring for at-risk youth in the Nevada County and North Lake Tahoe region.

This year we received generous support from the following local merchants, resorts and businesses in the North Lake Tahoe and Truckee region: Tahoe City Kayak, Sugar Bowl Resort, the Resort at Squaw Creek, Plumb Fabrication, Harrah's/Harveys Lake Tahoe, Harrah's Reno, The Bookshelf at the Boatworks Mall, Bridgetender Restaurant, Fine 'N Funky, Granlibakken Ski & Sledding Hill, Jake's on the Lake, James Harold Galleries, Kalifornia Jean Bar, Mountain Casuals, Mumbo's Mountain Outfitters, North Lake Tahoe Airport Express, Porters Tahoe, Rosie's Cafe Lake Tahoe, Ruth Schnabel - SnowFest!, Tahoe City Pharmacy, Tahoe Cross Country, Tahoe Rug Studio, Tahoe Tree Company Nursery & Gifts, Tahoe T-Shirtery, Tahoe Yacht Club Foundation, Inc., The Alpine Antiquer, The Store, Boreal Mountain Resort, Chris “Howdy” Fowler, Gioielli, Gratitudes of Lake Tahoe, Lil' Green Beans Daycare, Marilyn's Cat Walk, My Playground, Nikoletta Bersentes, Paul Raymore, Squeeze In, Tahoe Candle, Tahoe Donner Association, The Pour House, Truckee Variety Store, and the Wagon Train Coffee Shop.

This holiday season, give the gift of mentoring

As our thoughts turn to the fun and festivities of this holiday season, now is the perfect time to pledge to make a real difference in your local community and in the life of a local child in need of a mentor and friend by signing up to become a Big Brother or Big Sister.

We are always in need of caring adults to mentor youth in the Truckee and North Lake Tahoe area, and currently we have an immediate need for male mentors, especially Spanish speaking men!

The time commitment is more manageable that most people imagine, and can be extremely flexible to meet any schedule. And best of all, most mentors report getting as much our of their match as their Little.

If you would like to become a Big Brother or Big Sister, please get involved today. We currently have more than 30 children on our North Lake Tahoe and Truckee waiting list. Please call our Truckee office at 587-7717 for more information. Se habla espaņol.

Call for Christmas items

This year will be our first year doing a special holiday celebration for all of our Truckee and Tahoe Bigs and Littles. At this celebration, the community will pitch in to provide a gift for every Little Brother and Little Sister attending our holiday celebration, and we need your help! You can find a special tree at Ace Hardware on Donner Pass Road, Truckee filled with our Littles' wish lists for the holidays. Each Little has an ornament on the tree that lists three gifts they wish for (each valued at $25 or less). We ask you to please choose one of the Littles to sponsor and purchase only one of the gifts on their wish list. The instructions for how and where to turn in the gift is printed at Ace Hardware. We are hoping that we can fulfill a wish for every Little Brother and Sister this holiday season. Please make sure to turn in your gift, unwrapped and with ornament attached, by Wednesday Dec. 9.

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. For more information visit www.bigsofnc.org.