PRESS RELEASE
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado (BBBSC) announced its aim to transform mentorship in Colorado communities with an unprecedented gift of $3.6 million- the largest single contribution in BBBSC’s 106-year history. The gift, from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott, supports the organization in furthering its mission to ensure youth have access to powerful mentoring experiences all through a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) lens.
“We are honored to be one of only 38 out of 232 Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies across the country to receive a gift from Ms. Scott,” says Elycia Cook, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Colorado. “We also want to thank all our supporters for their dedication to our mission, for without their commitment we would not be here today.”
In partnership with the Board and Community Leaders, BBBSC intends to use the $3.6 million for key strategic initiatives to dramatically expand the number of communities and youth we support all through a Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) lens. Ms. Scott recognized BBBSC’s commitment to JEDI as outlined in a Brave Path to a Big Future 2022-2025 Strategic Plan which aligns with her philanthropic intentions.
This donation comes at a critical time. BBBSC currently serves 1,100 youth and has over 330 waiting for a mentor. We know this is only a fraction of those that we could help, and the need is much greater with over 370,000 children who qualify for free or reduced-price school lunch. Youth are facing unprecedented challenges with the unintended consequences of the COVID 19 Pandemic. They have fallen behind educationally and families are dealing with disruptive economic challenges. Violent crimes are on the rise and Colorado had the highest increase in the teen suicide rate in the U.S. since 2016.
BBBSC is deeply grateful for this generous grant. It is a start towards our ambitious $10 million goal to achieve our ‘Big Futures’ plan to serve Colorado youth who would benefit from life changing mentoring. Ms. Scott’s investment will allow us to double the youth we serve and accelerate our long-term plan of supporting over 5,000 youth in concert with other investors to meet the demand to make meaningful change in our community.
“The needs for youth are greater now than during any point in our 106-year history,” Cook shares. “This donation comes at a critical time. Ms. Scott’s investment will allow us to both deepen and expand our programming to reach even more youth in the communities who need us most. Thank you to Ms. Scott and her team for recognizing the value of BBBSC, mentoring for youth, the tremendous need in Colorado and in our communities. We look forward to bringing hope and healing to young people who need us most.”