Community event honors Big Brothers Big Sisters Month and the region’s young people waiting for a mentor
 
QUAD CITIES — Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley (BBBSMV) is inviting Quad Cities businesses, homes, and community members to “Light the Town Green” on Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27, in celebration of Big Brothers Big Sisters Month.
 
Businesses and homeowners throughout the Quad Cities are asked to switch on green lights or display green decor on September 26 and 27 as a visible show of community support. The centerpiece of the celebration will be the I-74 bridge itself, which will be lit green for the occasion.
 
On Sunday, September 27, BBBSMV staff, board members, volunteers, Bigs & Littles matches, families, and community supporters will gather at 6:45 p.m. on the Bettendorf side of the river at 15th Street Landing for a community walk across the green-lit I-74 bridge. The event will conclude with a group photo of all in attendance and is expected to last about an hour. Participants are encouraged to wear green in a show of solidarity for BBBS Month.
 
The Need for Mentoring in the Quad Cities
Nationally, one in three young people grow up without a positive, sustained adult mentor in their life, according to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Research on BBBS mentoring shows the impact of closing that gap: mentored youth are 55% more likely to enroll in college, 54% less likely to have been arrested, and 41% less likely to engage in substance use than their peers without a mentor.
 
The need is close to home. BBBSMV currently has more than 150 children on its waiting list for a mentor across its 17-county service area in eastern Iowa and western Illinois, with boys waiting significantly longer than girls. Roughly 70% of the children BBBSMV serves are growing up in poverty, and about 69% are raised by a single parent or non-parent relative.
 
"Our region has hundreds of kids waiting right now for a caring adult to walk alongside them, and the research is clear that a mentor can change the entire trajectory of a young person's life,” said Daniel Gleason, President/CEO of BBBSMV. “Walk on 74 for Mentoring is our way of asking the whole Quad Cities community, businesses and neighbors alike, to help us close that gap. When this community lights up green and walks with us, we're showing every Little on our waiting list that they matter to this community, and that a mentor is worth the wait."
 
Media are invited to attend the walk on Sunday, September 27, beginning at 6:45 p.m. at 15th Street Landing on the Bettendorf riverfront.
 
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley
Founded in 1987, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Mississippi Valley provides one-to-one youth mentoring across 13 Illinois counties and 4 Iowa counties. BBBSMV’s mission is to enrich the lives of children by providing positive role models in a one-to-one mentoring relationship to promote self-confidence and performance for the betterment of children, their families, and the community. Learn more at bbbsmv.org.
###