Bigs and Littles “Take Flight”

BBBS Big Brother and Little Brother matches recently visited Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy – a local non-profit that aims to develop student interest in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) using aviation and technology.

The day started off with a powerful message from Phoenix Arising’s CEO and Program Director. They both shared their own personal stories of former mentors in their lives.

 
The Bigs and Littles then moved on to their first team building exercise – building 3D airplanes!  The first Big and Little who completed the exercise were awarded the honor of being the first in the flight simulator.

 
 
As “Pilots” and “Co-Pilots” they all had the chance to learn to fly in various capacities, including standard single engine planes, WWII missions, drone flights, and more!

    

Thank you to Phoenix Arising Aviation Academy as well as our supporters for providing our Littles opportunities like these!

Matches Enjoy a Spring Day at the Ranch

This Earth Day we wanted to share some highlights and photos from a recent event where our Bigs and Littles had an awesome day exploring the great outdoors – Ranch Day 2015!

For many years now our good friends at Flying S Ranch have invited our matches out each spring to enjoy the many activities their ranch has to offer.  The Bigs and Littles enjoy a day of feeding and grooming miniature ponies, riding horses, a scavenger hunt, playing games and making arts and crafts!

A special highlight from this year was a sweet baby bunny that the Littles were able to help release back into the wild!

All in all it was a wonderful day, and a great way for our Bigs and Littles to enjoy springtime in Texas.  Happy Earth Day everyone!

National Volunteer Week

As we celebrate National Volunteer Week here at BBBS, we’d like to say THANK YOU to our supporters who make it all possible.

Whether you’re a volunteer who commits your time to personally changing a child’s life through mentoring, a donor who provides the critical funding for our programs, or an advocate who lends your invaluable voice to further our cause, you are making a difference for BBBS kids.

                         

Littles Learn Sign Language with Raleigh the Dog

It’s no secret that dogs hold a special place in the hearts of Austinites, so it came as no surprise that our Littles LOVED our latest event – Signing with Raleigh the Dog!

Raleigh is an amazingly sweet pup who was born completely deaf, but he doesn’t let that get him down!  This incredible guy serves as a therapy dog and understands sign language.

Our Bigs and Littles recently joined Raleigh and his owner, Libby, at the park to learn vital lessons on dog ownership, training and communication.  Not only that, but they also learned 5 basic signs to use with deaf dogs like Raleigh!

All who attended left with a better understanding of the importance of therapy dogs, and how to care for animals in general.  Many thanks to our supporters for providing our Littles with opportunities like this, and to Raleigh and Libby for such invaluable lessons!