San Diego County CA— Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County (BBBS of SDC) announced its 2016 Corporate Partner of the Year, LPL Financial, and its 2016 Community Partner of the Year, The Ken Blanchard Companies®. BBBS of SDC is pleased to recognize these outstanding partners who have made a significant impact in the lives of San Diego youth and in the promotion and support of the San Diego mentoring movement.
LPL and the LPL Financial Foundation are committed to supporting quality youth development programs in the San Diego community and in the other communities where its employees live and work. Through LPL’s generous financial support and invaluable donations of time through board representation and employee volunteer efforts, it is one of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County’s most committed and valued corporate partners. LPL Financial truly stood out during the past year as a leading donor, and as a corporate host of the Big Brothers Big Sisters workplace mentoring program, Beyond School Walls. LPL employee volunteers hosted local middle school students at the firm’s office twice a month for this workplace mentorship program, creating opportunities for employees to give back in a meaningful way providing students an experience within the work environment to drive their aspirations.
“LPL and Big Brothers Big Sisters share the goal of empowering youth to be able to reach their life’s aspirations. We are proud to be able to provide mentorship and support that can help to propel students forward, while also being able to demonstrate our corporate commitment to supporting the needs of our local communities. We recognize that through our participation in the Beyond School Walls Program, we have created real value for our employees and our communities alike,” said Bill Morrissey, LPL Financial Managing Director and Divisional President.
The Ken Blanchard Companies is BBBS of SDC’s Community Partner of the Year for their significant investment in the lives of 15 young girls through its Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Beyond School Walls – Sister 2 Sister program. Margie and Ken Blanchard led the way to open up their company to middle school girls who needed and wanted mentors in their lives. They were not alone in choosing to sponsor 15 girls at their site every two weeks for the past two school years. It was a staff driven decision made by those who agreed to become Big Sisters and session leaders. The Blanchard volunteers have served as tremendous role models for young women often struggling with challenges that could negatively impact their lives for years to come.
“Sponsoring a Big Brothers Big Sisters Beyond School Walls program has been a win-win for The Ken Blanchard Companies. Pairing our associates with middle school girls in our community became an uplifting cross-generational mentoring experience. Not only did the program empower the Littles to begin planning positive futures, it also inspired our Bigs to share their wisdom and see the world from a fresh perspective,” said Ken Blanchard Co-founder of The Ken Blanchard Companies.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County:
Big Brothers Big Sisters has provided children facing adversity, often those of single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military, with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better. For 55 years locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has served children ages 7-18 through six distinct programs: Amachi (a program for children with an incarcerated parent), High School Bigs (after school 1:1 mentoring), Community Mentoring (the traditional 1:1 mentoring program), Operation Bigs (a program serving children whose parent(s) are active duty, retired, wounded or Gold star military), Beyond School Walls (workplace mentoring) and Healthy Futures (a sports and active lifestyle mentoring program).
Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life, donate or volunteer today at www.SDBigs.org, or call (858) 536-4900.