C’mon, Dude. Be a Bro!

By John Mangan

In June, we pay tribute to our dads by celebrating Father’s Day. We can observe the day by flipping burgers with dad, gifting him the loudest tie we can find, and having a discussion about how surprising the Braves have been this season. While these are all great things to do on Father’s Day, we’d like to suggest another way you can honor the role your dad has played in your life.

What better way to honor the wisdom, advice, and quality time given to you by your father, or other male role models you’ve had, than by passing those things along to a child facing adversity?

This summer, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Atlanta is focusing on matching boys on our waiting list with Big Brothers. We’re calling it our “Be A Bro” campaign. We’re kicking off the campaign by hosting “Brews For Bigs,” a social mixer and information session at the very cool Monday Night Garage on the Beltline on June 25th.

At this event you can meet with other like-minded people interested in making an impact in their community, hear from speakers about the power of one-to-one mentoring, and start down the path towards becoming a Big. You can also enjoy some of Monday Night Brewing’s delicious craft beers! One of our goals for this campaign is to recruit 50 men for orientations in June, and your attendance at Brews For Bigs counts towards this goal, guys!

We’ll also be hosting orientations, volunteer opportunities, and information sessions throughout the summer all over Metro Atlanta, with the goal of bringing in more Big Brothers to reduce and eliminate our waiting list.

By becoming a Big Brother to a child in your community, you’re using the perspective you’ve gained throughout your life to help a child see their world in a different way. Our program really works! Last year we served nearly 2,000 Metro Atlanta children paired with mentors. 98% of the kids in our program were promoted to the next grade. 98% of high school seniors graduated on time. Nearly 90% pursued post-secondary education opportunities, and 99% avoided the juvenile justice system. For the children in our program, facing the type of adversity that can be impossible to overcome, these numbers are very meaningful. To our Big Brothers and Big Sisters, these numbers represent the most rewarding experience of their lives.

So, what can you do? Get involved. Come to an event of ours to learn more. Share our stuff on Social Media. Tell your friends! Spread the word: we’re looking for some Big Bros!

#BeABroATL