EPP Spotlight: Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties
Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties creates and supports one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Their Passport to Literacy Program uses the mentoring between adults volunteers ("Bigs") and children ("Littles"), ages 4 to 18 to increase literacy skills in children who may struggle to be proficient readers.
By the end of the 2019-2020 school year,
- 96% of of pre-school children met or exceeded expectations in language/vocabulary,
- 96% met or exceeded expectations in phonological awareness,
- 96% improved in social-emotional development,
- 95% improved in one or more areas of reading literacy as documented in the iReady Assessment,
- 95% were promoted to the next grade level,
- 96% of "littles" showed improved behavior both in and out of school.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties is also a part of our Endowment Partners Program (EPP). The purpose of the EPP is to help local charities plan for their long-term sustainability by growing a permanent endowment fund. During a 12-month program, participants learn about endowments, planned giving, investment management and marketing solutions that inspire loyal donors to make planned gifts from their estates. The program is coordinated by IRCF team member Yamilet Cendejas.
To learn how to give outright contributions today or bequests and other planned gifts for future support, please see “Planned Giving: Leave a Legacy” under our “Giving” section or go to the Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River & Okeechobee Counties website.