Girls Giving Back Grants $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters

Tags: Queen of Hearts Women's Fund, Youth Development

Girls Giving Back (GGB), the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund youth philanthropy program for girls age 12 to 18, awarded their first annual grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The $2,500 grant will help fund the Bigs in Blue program that partners with the Town of Truckee’s Police Department to recruit police officers and other public works officers into reliable Big Brothers.

The GGB members submitted a grant proposal to the Queen of Hearts to match any dollars they fundraised through events and donations.

“I watched the girls go through the process of picking an organization they felt strongly about.  I was amazed at their ability to focus on important points, frame their criteria, evaluate the proposals, and select a program that they felt would make their community better,” said Nancy Gisko, Chair of the Queen of Hearts Women’s Fund.

Together, the girls learned that research indicates that lack of a stable home life, or positive adult role models, puts kids at a higher risk of developing aggressive and violent behaviors.  This is especially true for boys who often account for a far greater portion of juvenile misdemeanor and felony charges.

California Big Brother Big Sisters programs experience difficulty recruiting male mentors. In the rural region of North Tahoe-Truckee, kids feel isolated which compounds difficult life circumstances.  The Bigs in Blue program seeks to fill that void with the goal to engage ten public works officers in the program.

Paul Raymore, board member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Truckee Police Officer and Big Brother Brad Beers accepted the grant at the May 31^st Mother-Daughter Gathering.

They spoke to the young philanthropists of the impact the grant dollars will have for young members of our community who don’t have a father figure in their homes.  To GGB members, the opportunity to speak with the recipients brought the entire process to a poignant close.

GGB’s second year begins this summer with recruiting parties, fundraiser meetings and the second annual grant cycle.  If you are between the ages of 12 and 18 years old and would like to participate, contact Alison Elder at Tahoe@alisonelder.com or queenofhearts@ttcf.net.

This article first appeared in the June 17, 2015, Give Back Tahoe page in Sierra Sun.  This initiative is part of TTCF’s Give Back Tahoe philanthropy program, which as part of its mission seeks to draw greater awareness to local nonprofits.