In 1997 in Philadelphia, Presidents Clinton, Bush, Carter and Ford, with Nancy Reagan representing President Reagan, gathered at the Presidents Summit and challenged America to make children and youth a national priority. They made five promises to the children. The number one promise was to provide children with “caring adults”.
The Alliance for Youth reported in 2005 “More than 2/3 of our children and youth-34 million Americans between ages 6 and 17-are not receiving sufficient developmental resources that put them on a path to success in adulthood."
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast our mission is:
“To provide successful mentoring relationships for all children who need them, promoting a brighter future, better schools, and stronger communities”.
At Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Seacoast we are a small group of staff supported by a large number of volunteers striving to deliver this promise and fulfill our mission. Each week in towns throughout Rockingham and Strafford counties hundreds of Big Brothers and Sisters spend one on one time with local children to this end.
Since 1977, Seacoast Big Brothers Big Sisters has served young people between the ages of 6 and 17 who need an older role model in their lives. One-to-one mentoring is proven to be the single most effective program serving youth today. Our program has focused on providing that mentor in the life of a deserving Seacoast youth for 30 years.
Big Brothers Big Sisters recruits and trains the volunteer mentors. Once they are matched with a "Little" brother or sister, our professional staff provides ongoing support for the relationship. The agency serves young people from many towns throughout Rockingham and Strafford Counties.
The need for our services continues to expand. Big Brothers Big Sisters of America estimates that there are approximately 74,000 youth in our service area. They further estimate that some 14,000 of these can be classified as being "at-risk". Our goal nationally is to serve 10% of this "at-risk" population by 2010. BBBSGS has served over 600 children in 2006-2007 and seeks to serve 1000 children by 2010.
Meet our Staff...
Deb Anthony, Interim Executive Director
Please contact Deb at 603.430.1140 or email her.
Joan Barretto, School Program Coordinator
Please contact Joan at 603.516.2227 or email her.
Lauren Bradshaw, Enrollment & Matching Specialist
Lauren has been with BBBSGS for one year. Lauren is a graduate of UNH who majored in Sociology with a minor in Family Studies. She is planning on getting a Masters Degree in a related field in the future. Lauren has always loved working with families and children and finds her job very rewarding. She enjoys going to the beach, going out to lunch, and spending time with her family, friends, and pets. Please contact Lauren at 603.430.1140 X302 or email her.
Corianne (Corey) Woodard, Match Support Specialist
Corey has been with BBBSGS for one year. She graduated from UNH with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and is attending graduate school for counseling. Corey has always enjoyed working with children and adolescents and finds her work at BBBSGS to be exciting and rewarding. Corey loves sewing and anything chocolate! Please contact Corey at 603.430.1140 X305 or email her.
Jen Jarvis, Match Support Specialist
Jen has been interning at BBBSGS since January and is now a part of our staff. Jen has just recently graduated from UNH, she majored in Psychology with a minor in Mathematics. She is planning on getting a Masters Degree in the next couple years and then eventually earning her Doctorate in Counseling. She enjoys going to the beach, spending time with friends and traveling. Please contact Jen at 603.430.1140 X305 or email her.
