Newsletter 2nd Quarter 2011         Honoring Congressman Tim Griffin  Tickets and tables are currently available for the 37th Annual Toast & Roast presented by Stephens, Inc. and set for Thursday, August 25, at Doubletree Hotel located in downtown Little Rock.  Windstream is proud to be this year's reception sponsor.  Co-chairs Kristi Dannelley and Liza Wright are working hard to make this  event a success.  For details on the event or how to purchase tables/tickets please contact Lakethia Glenn at lglenn@bbbsca.org or 374-6661. This year's roasters include Curt Bradbury, chief operating officer and director of Stephens, Inc.; Bill Vickery, Republican political consultant and president of Gordon Partners; Kevin Crass, partner at Friday Eldredge, & Clark; and Rex Nelson, president of Arkansas' Independent Colleges and Universities.  Get your table and tickets before this event sells out as a way to support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. Travelers Host Clothing Drive for Big Brothers Big Sisters Donation Center We want to thank the Travelers for hosting a clothing drive at one of their games in June.  We are looking for more businesses, churches, and civic groups to host a clothing drive as a way to support Big Brothers Big Sisters.  Donation Center Staff with Shelly  We partner with Savers and items collected through our donation center are used to generate funding to support the hundreds of volunteers and children participating in our programs.  This unlimited source of funding is critical to our organization as we are affected by funding cuts now and in the future.  Through this partnership, we are able to serve hundreds of children in Arkansas and provide a positive role model and mentor in their lives.   Call 375-4483 for more details.  You can now click here to schedule a personal pick-up and be directly entered into our scheduling system.  Become a fan of our donation Facebook page! 2010 Destination Raffle Winner Last year, Sherwood resident Dedra Smith's ticket was drawn as the winner in our first destination raffle and she won a vacation to Hawaii for four people with her hotel and airfare paid.  All because she decided to support Big Brothers Big Sisters through this great way to raise money for our organization. The 2011 Destination Raffle is the winner's choice of five nights in London for (2) or seven nights in Hawaii for (2). The cost is $50 per ticket.  The raffle will take place July 18 - August 25. The winner will be drawn at our 2011 Toast & Roast fundraiser on August 25. Click here for details and black out dates.  Little Rock Fashion Week Partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters July 11 - 16 Founder and producer of Little Rock Fashion Week, Brandon Campbell, is giving back by partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters to increase awareness about its programs among the hundreds of people who will attend this event to support local fashion designers. Campbell, a former Little Brother in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, is excited to include Big Brothers Big Sisters in this year's event. Check out details by visiting www.littlerockfashionweek.com/shop.php or calling 240-7004. Thank you for Supporting the 2011 Rockin' Singles in the City Event We want to thank everyone who came out and supported this fun party to raise money for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. The event raised $13,500 to support our mentoring programs and ensure that hundreds of children can have a caring and supportive mentor in their lives. This event could not have happened without the support of AY Magazine, Big League, DataPath Administrative Services, Don's Supply, Golden Eagle, KARK's Mallory Hardin & Bakari Savage, Billy Hartnedy from Blackmon's Auctioneers, the businesses who donated outings, and all the singles who participated in the event.

Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Awards Grant to Focus on Literacy Program for Bigs & Littles This grant will allow a reading nook to be created at the BBBS office and provide literacy-related events for Bigs and Littles.  Research shows children who are not reading on level by grade three have a higher risk of dropping out of high school. Congratulations to Our Graduating Littles Ladonni Banks Shinice Davenport Brina Fulton Shermil Hunt Brandon McElroy Arion Parker Dylan Purifoy Littles Success Stories Robert is a Little Brother in our program and has always been a straight A student. He is also an awesome tennis player and ranked in the state among the 12-year- old boys league.  Gwyneth is a Little Sister in our program and has recently given her life to Christ. Her Big Sister is excited about sharing this with us. If there are exciting things happening with your Little, share them with your match support specialist so we can highlight them in our e-newsletters. Upcoming Events   Toast & Roast   Thursday, August 25 Tickets on sale now    Bid for Kids' Sake Online Auction   August 26 - September 2  Wild River Country Saturday, August 6 Time: TBD  RSVP Now  Pottery Making Activity September 3   (tentative date) Time:TBD Pulaski Heights Kiwanis & Hall High  Key Club Donate Bookshelves for  Reception Area We want to thank these two civic groups for allowing our guests to have access to fabulous books and magazines when visiting our office. Littles Receive Golf Lessons @ First Tee of  Central AR First Tee is offering free golf lessons with character-building messages to our active and ready to be matched Littles.  Free memberships and access to their classes throughout the year are available.  Call our office at 374-6661 and speak to Christel to get more details for your Little or child.  Click here for more information on First Tee of Central AR. To discuss newletter articles contact Christel @ ccater@bbbsca.org.