Under this grant proposal big brothers big sisters of tampa BAY (BBBSTB) will replicate in hernando county, florida our very successful rsvp mentoring program in sumter county, florida utilizing (I)…

The Corporation for National and Community Service Office of Grants Management awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay, Inc. a $305,341 Project Grant under the AmeriCorps Seniors Retired and Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) 94.002 to replicate its successful RSVP mentoring program in Hernando County, Florida. Under the award, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay will engage volunteers aged 55 and older in one-on-one mentoring of economically disadvantaged youth in either community- or school-based settings. At minimum, seventy-five youth will be served over three years to improve academic engagement, with volunteers committing 15 months or one year depending on the program type. The RSVP program supports volunteers aged 55 and older serving in activities that meet community needs and national performance measures.

Under this grant proposal big brothers big sisters of tampa BAY (BBBSTB) will replicate in hernando county, florida our very successful rsvp mentoring program in sumter county, florida utilizing (I) volunteers who are 55 years of age and older and (II) agency staff who will be dedicated to this project in hernando county. All volunteers under this grant proposal will engage in one-to-one mentoring in either a community- or site/school-based setting, in adherence with the high standards of big brothers big sisters of america. Volunteers who are 55 years of age or older will make a commitment of at least 15-months for our community-based mentoring program and one year for our site/school-based mentoring program, though on average most of our volunteers currently stay engaged with their ?little? For three years or more in our community based mentoring program and two years in our site/school-based mentoring program. Site/school-based volunteers will serve at one of the two schools already partnering with US in hernando county (volunteer stations), and BBBSTB will serve as the station for community-based mentoring. The primary focus area of this project is education, specifically serving economically disadvantaged youth. At the end of this three-year grant, a minimum of seventy-five youth will have been served in one of our mentoring programs by rsvp volunteers, working toward improved academic engagement as our key outcome. Our mission as an agency is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. We achieve this by partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers, donors and other member of the community and by holding ourselves accountable for each child in our program achieving: (I) higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships, (II) avoidance of risky behaviors, and (III) educational success. BBBSTB has been providing one-to-one mentoring services since 1964, and strengthening our communities through these high-quality, life-enriching, one-to-one relationships for youth, by pairing them with caring, screened, trained, and professionally supported adult volunteers. Our mentoring programs are evidence-based, and outcome driven, and we are proud of the way our programs have helped youth achieve their full potential!