Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Dallas (BBBS) recently received a $100,000 grant from the Allstate Foundation’s Good Starts Young® program. This funding will help pair children in the Greater Dallas community with a positive role model to defend their potential and help them reach their biggest possible future. Through Allstate’s Good Starts Young® initiative, the Allstate Foundation supports BBBS Greater Dallas’ mentor2.0 program The program is designed to help students reach their biggest potential through post-secondary success and utilizes technology by centering the matches around weekly emails, making it more convenient for mentors and students to connect with each other anytime.
High school students across the metroplex have embraced the advanced online mentoring program. “What I noticed immediately was Aimee’s energy, it was a positive, motivating force that I lacked and desperately needed,” says Odalis, a recent mentor2.0 graduate. The two Sisters set a goal at their very first meeting for Odalis to make straight A’s and with Aimee’s help and the support of her mentor2.0 Partnership Specialist, Odalis made straight A’s for the next three years. Throughout her high school career, Odalis was constantly encouraged by Aimee to keep studying and was even inspired by her to run for Student Council President.
There are currently 400 students participating in the mentor2.0 program. In 2018, mentor2.0 students achieved the following: · 95% improved or maintained their grades · 92% improved their scholastic competence · 89% improved attitudes towards risky behaviors · 92% improved or maintained their parental trust 97.5% of students we surveyed, who were part of a BBBS mentoring program when they graduated, are either enrolled in college, enlisted in the military, or employed in their first year after high school. The support of The Allstate Foundation’s Good Starts Young® initiative is critical to continuing success of North Texas youth and students, like Odalis.
The Allstate Foundation Good Starts Young® initiative empowers youth to reach their fullest potential and achieve their dreams by providing youth empowerment-focused organizations with grants. Good Starts Young is designed not only to help children thrive as students, but to develop as future leaders, entrepreneurs and citizens. It challenges barriers more than ever before and empowers youth to serve causes greater than themselves as a way of improving the world around them. “At Allstate, we firmly believe that good starts young and our goal is to inspire the next generation of leaders to reach their full potential,” said Roberto DeLeon, Allstate Corporate Relations Senior Manager in Texas.“We’re proud to partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters to provide a brighter future for youth in North Texas.” To provide ongoing awareness of mentoring in the community, Allstate has also partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters for National Mentoring Month. Launched in 2002 by The National Mentoring Partnership (MENTOR) and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, National Mentoring Month is all about communities coming together to increase the number of mentors and ensure positive outcomes for youth. This campaign celebrates the lasting effects mentoring has on youth and encourages adults to learn about mentoring and how to get involved. To learn more about how you can become a mentor, and ensure youth are placed in the lives of caring mentors, visit https://www.bbbstx.org/dallas/
