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WHEREAS, Big Brother Big Sister of Greater Pittsburgh believes in the ability of every child to succeed and thrive in life, and works to achieve this goal through their mentoring network, that creates strong, enduring, and professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships; and
WHEREAS, making thoughtful matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”), age 6 through 18, in neighborhoods across our city, these relationships have a lasting impact on the lives of the young people involved; and
WHEREAS, national research has shown the positive impact these relationships have on the lives of participants, with reports showing Littles feel more confident in their schoolwork performance, are able to get along better with their families, are 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs, 27% less likely to begin using alcohol, and 52% less likely to skip school; and
WHEREAS, the PA Big Brother and Big Sister of the Year award recognizes Bigs who have shown dedication in their mentoring relationship, creating a lasting bond with their Little; and
WHEREAS, the PA Big Brother of the Year and Stanton Heights resident, Tom Duer, has been matched with his Little, Samir for the past four years, and describes this match as one of the best decisions of his life, and is amazed by how much Samir has grown and developed over the time they have known each other; and
WHEREAS, a resident of Highland Park and PA Big Sister of the Year, Lauren Schieb is a special education teacher and assistant track coach at Woodland Hills Junior/Senior High School and her Little of over six years, Shyae, is an 8th grade student at Pittsburgh Obama who also runs her own small business making earrings, bracelets, and necklaces; and
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby commend Tom Duer, Lauren Schieb, and Big Brother Big Sister of Greater Pittsburgh for their work to ensure that children in our region are provided the support they need to thrive; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, April 25th to be “Big Brother Big Sister of the Year Day” in the City of Pittsburgh.