September/October Newsletter - Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry

theBIGConnection—A Newsletter from Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County— September—October
Dates to Remember
September 16th
September 26th
September 28th
October 7th & 8th
October 12th & 13th
November 15th
December 12th
BIGS Mixer at Nick’s Pizza & Pub in Crystal Lake
Big Buck$ Raffle Drawing Party at Nick’s Pizza & Pub
Match Anniversary Celebration
Jersey Mike’s and yumz fundraiser
Fall Diddley Craft Show
Fall Gala
Annual Match Christmas Party
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September - October
2013
Office Information
4318-B W. Crystal Lake Rd.
McHenry, IL 60050
Open:
www.bbbsmchenry.org
Mon-Fri
9:00am - 5:00pm
Weekends and Evenings
By Appointment
Phone: 815-385-3855
Fax: 815-385-3852
Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County
4318-B W. Crystal Lake Road
See details on page 2
McHenry, IL 60050
In this Issue:

Upcoming Events

Volunteers Needed

Big Buck$ Raffle
… And More!
A BIG Success at Camp Old Navy!
Thank You to Old Navy in McHenry for
hosting Camp Old Navy again this year!
Our Little Brothers and Little Sisters had a
wonderful time finding out just how fun
it is to work in an Old Navy store! They
learned many things including inventory,
cashiering, stocking and tagging clothes.
Thanks to the wonderful employees who
made this experience a BIG success!
theBIGConnection—A Newsletter from Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County— September—October
Upcoming Events
BIGS Mixer
Please join us for our next BIGS MIXER. This will be for
BIGS only! It’s a GREAT opportunity for Bigs to get to know
each other, ask questions, discuss ideas for activities, get
peer input for any challenges, etc.
This time we will start with a few structured topics
including:

Back to School Issues

Personal Hygiene

Selecting what your activities are

…whatever else you want to talk about!
MATCH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
We are starting Olympic Fever early with our MATCH ANNIVERSARY
CELEBRATION! We think ALL of our Matches are CHAMPIONS! Please
join us for this fun –filled, Olympic themed celebration!
DATE:
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 28
TIME:
10:00 a.m – 1:00 p.m.
PLACE: Prairie Ridge High School, 6000 Dvorak Road, Crystal Lake,
IL (please bring an ID and come to the main entrance)
Everything will be in fives for the five rings of the Olympics. We will
break everyone into 5 age groups (with cool t-shirts for the different
groups thanks to Comcast!) to compete in “Olympic style” games
concluding with a Bigs vs. Littles Tug of War. We will have food from
5 different countries – China, Greece, Italy, Mexico and the good ‘ol
USA! Then we will end where everyone receives medals at the Closing Ceremony recognizing how long they have been matched.
Family Picnic Recap
Well, it certainly didn’t feel like a “summer” family picnic, but a great time was had by all! Over 100
people came to Veterans Acres to enjoy a celebration of our Big Brothers Big Sisters family! The McHenry Kiwanis
Club donated a delicious lunch of burgers and hot dogs, and we saw the culinary talents of those involved in our
program, as people brought delicious desserts and side dishes to share. Next year, we might have a contest. The
day started with Social Bingo, where people were encouraged to get to know each other. Then, we moved on to
fun activities like noodle hockey, water balloon, relay races and more! Thanks to everyone who attended, and
next year, we hope to have an even larger attendance and a little warmer weather!
*Salvation Army is located at 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave in Crystal Lake
We NEED YOUR HELP!
DATE:
Monday, September 16th
TIME:
5:30-7:00 pm
LOCATION:
Nick’s Pizza & Pub in Crystal Lake,
856 Pyott Road
WHAT:
Conversation & discussion. The Agency
will pay for pizza and your first beverage.
Please RSVP by Sept. 12th to 815-385-3855
We want to identify 4 TORCH BEARERS!!!!!! We are asking for matches to submit a “torch” (sorry, NO real flames) by September 15th to the
Big Brothers Big Sisters office. The committee will select the Top 4
torches and contact the winners about being the torch bearers for the
event.
Also, we need PHOTOS of your Matches
Please RSVP and submit photos to Debbie Coates at 815-385-3855 or
[email protected] by September 15th!
BIG BUCK$ RAFFLE
Thanks to Big Brother, Shawn Tessmer, for being our Raffle Ambassador. We are still looking for Bigs and Littles to help sell
tickets. The Big and Little who sells the most will receive a Splash Pass for 4 to Key Lime Cove or a $50 gift card (your choice!)
CLB Charity Car show
Kicks for Kids
Over 1,000 children were
at Lippold Park August 17
& 18 for the Kicks 4 Kids
Tournament. We had
over 30 volunteers who came out to help make the
event a huge success. We also set-up a booth to
hand out information about our programs. Special
thanks to Dr. Derek and Big Brother, Kristian Rockall
for organizing this awesome event and to Board
Member, Dave Jones, for connecting us!
The 2nd Annual Car Show was held on Saturday, August
10th at Volo Auto Museum. The Bluesnik’s and Radio
Disney were on site providing entertainment. Several
Corvettes and other cool classic cars participated. Littles
were on hand to select the Little's Choice Award. Also
awarded were the Best by Class and Crowd
Favorite. Over $1,000 was raised for Big Brothers Big
Sisters. Special thanks to sponsors – Lake in the Hills
Rotary Club and Great Mortgage.
The BIG BUCK$ RAFFLE is back! This year’s prizes are:
GRAND PRIZEnd
$10,000 cash (less the taxes)
TWO 2 PLACE PRIZES –
Pair of tickets to the Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers game on Sun
day, December 29th at noon at Soldier Field
THREE 3rd PLACE PRIZES –
Pizza party for 10 at Nick’s Pizza & Pub (includes 4 thin crust pizzas, 2 munchies, 2 colossal
cookies and 10 drinks at either Nick’s location)
FOUR 4th PLACE PRIZES -
$100 Meijer gift cards
FIVE 5th PLACE PRIZES -
$20 cash back
Tickets are only $20 each or 6 for $100. You can buy them online at www.bbbsmchenry.org/
raffle. We would LOVE any help spreading the word and selling tickets!
RAFFLE DRAWING PARTY – Join us at Nick’s Pizza & Pub on Thursday, September 26th from 5 – 7:30p for the RAFFLE DRAWING CELEBRATION! Winners will be drawn at 7:15pm, but EVERYONE will be a winner. Everyone who attends can draw a
prize from Nick’s Pizza & Pub to use on their next visit! People will win things like a free soda, free munchies or free
pizza! Thanks to Nick and the entire team for being SO supportive of Big Brothers Big Sisters and the entire community! Oh,
and we receive 15% of all purchases that bring in our flyer between 4-10p (dine in OR take-out!)
JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS & YUMZ – FUNDRAISERS
Join us for lunch or dinner on Monday, October 7 (Crystal Lake) or Tuesday, October 8 (Lake in
the Hills) at Jersey Mike’s and then plan to head over to yumz for dessert…sounds like a great meal for a great
cause! This will be honored at either the Crystal Lake location on October 7th or Lake in the Hills location on October 8. For
Jersey Mike’s you will need to request a coupon card – we only have 250 cards, so we REALLY want to make sure every card is
used, so please only request one if you can redeem it, so we can receive our maximum $500. You MUST redeem this card. The
card if for a $2 sub (that is a DEAL!) and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters! For yumz, 10% of
each day’s sales will be donated back to Big Brothers Big Sisters. We hope you will have a BIG appetite on these days. See you
at Jersey Mike’s and/or yumz! OCTOBER 7th—CRYSTAL LAKE—5006 Northwest Hwy, Crystal Lake –OR– OCTOBER 8th—LAKE IN
THE HILLS—277 & 285 N Randall Rd, Lake In The Hills
theBIGConnection—A Newsletter from Big Brothers Big Sisters of McHenry County— September—October
New Matches
Volunteers Needed!
LS Amara & BS Kirsten Hoklas
LB Dakota & BB Timothy Boivin
Volunteers are needed to help at the Fall Diddley Craft Show hosted
by the McHenry County Mental Health Resource League. A BIG supporter of our agency! This is a great community service opportunity
for Bigs & Littles! Time slots with flexibility are available:
LB Jamicko & BB Gerald Draffkorn
Saturday, October 12th:
LS Morgan & BS Tonya Hutchins
5:30 - 8:00 am
LS Grace & BS Jamie Carter
8:30 - 11:30 am
LS Destiny & BS Michelle Sulek
11:30 am - 2:30 pm
Match Anniversaries
2:30 - 5:30 pm
1 Year Anniversary
Sunday:, October 13th
LB Austyn & BB Dan Delahanty
6:30 - 8:30 am
LB Hunter & BB Adam Varrassi
8:30 - 11:30 am
LB Tyler & David Swetz
11:30 am - 2:30 pm
LB Zachary & Mitch Keck
2:30 - 5:30 pm
LB Thomas & BB Frank Musial
LB Donovan & BB Jeremy Recklein
Location:
Boone County
Fairgrounds
Belvidere, IL
Contact the office by October 1st to
sign up:
815-385-3855 (or email)
[email protected]
LB Jeremy & BB John Niven
LB Chase & BB Chris Heinhold
2 Year Anniversary
LB Tyler & BB Mark Marin
LB Brandon & BB Peter Scholl
LS Alexis & BS Sarah Brewer
LB Tommy & BB Ryan Coffey
Tractors for Charity
Tractors for Charity was organized through local business people, family, friends and collectors from all over Illinois and Wisconsin, to promote the Antique Tractor, Truck and Construction Equipment hobby,
while at the same time, giving back to the local community by providing
a show that raises funds for local charities.
FALL GALA – the Magic of Mentoring
The Fall Gala will be held on Friday, November 15th at Boulder Ridge
Country Club. BMO Harris Bank is the presenting sponsor. The Gala is
an elegant evening emceed by Val Warner, host of ABC7’s Windy City
LIVE! There will be a silent and live auction, dinner and entertainment by
Big Brother and renowned magician, Rich Ferguson. We also award our
Match Spotlight(s) of the Year.
NEEDED: We are looking for Bigs &/or Littles who know magic
tricks and/or are willing to learn a few to help us for the Fall Gala
on Friday, November 15th. Please let your Case Manager know
by October 1st if you are interested in helping out.
*Salvation Army is located at 290 W. Crystal Lake Ave in Crystal Lake
Calling All BIGS
Swing for Kids’ Sake was a
HUGE success!
We raised over $61,000 to support our Matches!
Special thanks to Big Sister Katie Kaszniak and
Little Sister, Courtney for working the Lemonade
Stand. Also special thanks to all of our Golfers
and Sponsors such as: Crystal Lake Chrysler Jeep
Dodge Ram, BMO Harris Bank, Snelten, Inc. and
SO many more!
Date: September 7th and 8th, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
We are in the process of putting
together a new committee made up of
Bigs who can help us recruit more
Bigs, especially MEN!
This is a great opportunity to spread
the word about how much fun it is to
be a BIG and share your personal
stories of success! To find out more
about how you can continue to make
an impact, please contact Dana
Briscoe @ 815-385-3855 or email her
at [email protected]
LB Christian & BB Nick Rodriguez
3 Year Anniversary
LB Tristan & BB George Arakawa
LS Kirah & BS Ashly Bauer
4 Year Anniversary
LS Robin & BS Peggy Kiefer
LS Isabella & BS Sandy Mui
5 Year Anniversary
LB Lucas & BB Vince Foglia
New Faces at the Agency!
VISTA is the national service program designed specifically to
fight poverty. Authorized in 1964 and founded as Volunteers in
Service to America in 1965, VISTA was incorporated into the
AmeriCorps network of programs in 1993. VISTA has been on
the front lines in the fight against poverty in America for 45
years.
LS Devin & BS Danielle Carpenter
Our agency is honored to have 2 VISTAs work with our agency
this year:
8 Year Anniversary
Brittney Brown – Brittney is assisting with our Volunteer recruitment efforts.
LS Madeline & BS Sandra Peterson
Katie McBride – Katie is working with our Site-based programs.
Need a Bike?
We have several bikes of all sizes that have been
donated by Millennium Labs!
They have all been fixed up by Lucky Brake Bicycles. We are going to ask that anyone who takes
them is able to pick them up and commits to
wearing a helmet while on the bike. Contact
your case manager for more details.