December 2010 Archives

"I have learned that there isn't anything better than a good friend who loves you and helps guide you into the right pathway in life," says Little Sister Charelle. To find the right pathway in life surrounded by supportive people who care about you is pretty much all that we can hope for. This has become Big Brothers, Big Sisters mission.

How does Big Brothers, Big Sisters help?
"For a lot of kids seeing their Big Brother or Sister is the highlight of their week. It is something special just for them." Marika Taylor, School-Based Match Coordinator, thinks so. Having a Big Brother or Sister gives children time to talk and to connect to an adult in a way that teachers are unable to. Bigs provide their Littles with one-on-one attention. "Bigs help build self-confidence for all their Little's but especially Littles that are shy." This serves Littles through their entire life by giving them the skills to create lasting relationship with their peers and adults.
According to a Survey performed by Harris Interactive these are some of the quantifiable (and amazing) results...
• 90% of adult Littles say their Big provided stability when they needed it.
• 81% believe their Big changed their perspective on what they thought was possible in life.
• 77% set higher goals than they would have on their own because of their Big.
• 84% learned the importance of helping others from their Big.
• 77% did better in school because of their Big.
• 74% believe their Big helped a lot in making better choices during childhood.
• There is no shortage of Littles but Big Brothers, Big Sisters Twin Cities needs more Bigs.

Making the community more aware of Big Brothers, Big Sisters will help get the waiting list down. The benefits of being a Big are endless as explained above. So here is a call for attention. Bigs tell your friends how great being matched with a Little is. Tell them about the fun activities you do! Tell them how spending time with a child brings a joy back to your life that you had long forgotten about since growing up. Anyone reading this go online and get started right now! Big Brothers, Big Sisters will do their very best to match you with a Little who shares your same interests and that you are compatible with. For more information on Big Brothers, Big Sisters go online to www.bigstwincities.org.

Disclaimer: All information for this pieces was gathered from www.bigstwincities.org.

Have you ever watched the news and wondered what goes on behind the scenes? I got the chance on Dec. 1 to get a birds eye view of how it works thanks to Joe Mazan. Here are a couple of subjects we got to talk about during the interview...

Why Joe wanted to be a reporter
One of Joe's favorite parts of being a reporter is getting to meet all different kinds of people. One of his more notable stories he remembers is an interview with Hugh Heffner. Joe was working in Champagne, Ill. at the time and was on the search for a famous University of Illinois alumnus. "I sent his agent some of my work and he said Hugh liked it and would do the interview." Joe got to go all the way to the Playboy Mansion and meet Hugh who he calls a pleasant guy. Joe does admit that covering a story like this is a rare occasion.

What kind of relationships do reporters have with PR practitioners?
Joe told me that he doesn't use pitches from PR practitioners very often when he does though they provide good stories about the community. Joe says that in bigger markets it is almost more helpful to build a relationship with the producer because they have the ultimate say in what gets covered. He also described the importance of not giving up. He said to not take it personally and not to be discouraged if you don't hear back from someone you contacted.

These are just a couple of the interesting things I learned during my morning at KSTP. I must say that I have a much better understanding of how reporters and TV news stations work.
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