Two hundred and thirteen Abilene children have been removed from the Big Brothers Big Sisters waiting list thanks to Communities of Abilene Federal Credit Union and their record-breaking, five-year fundraising campaign.
The campaign raised about $150,000 through their organized annual “Skip-A-Loan” program.
“Our members are so supportive and look forward to the annual Skip-a-Payment program so they can donate, even if they don’t have a loan to skip,” said Pauline Reese, CoAFCU Vice President in a press release. “It gives all of us here at the credit union a great feeling of accomplishment that over the last five years we have been able to mentor 213 children. We look forward to many more years of partnering with BBBS.”
The “Skip-A-Loan” program allows CoAFCU members to skip a loan payment during Nov. and Dec. by making a $10 donation to BBBS.
“Communities of Abilene Federal Credit Union is an exceptional corporate partner for the agency and we are grateful for their generous donations,” Reese said. “Their continued support is paramount to the success of mentoring youth in Abilene and the surrounding area.”
Summer Thompson, sophomore speech pathology major from Austin, has been a part of BBBS in Abilene for a year.
“I heard about Big Brothers Big Sisters at the ‘Welcome to Abilene’ event,” Thompson said. “They had a booth set up and they reeled me in.BBBS sounded like a good way to get involved in the community and to get plugged in at ACU.”
Thompson said she has learned a great deal from the program and was excited to hear the news.
“That partnership will bring needed growth and benefit many children in the Abilene area,” she said. “From participating in BBBS, I learned what it meant to be a mentor. I learned to connect with kids by having fun and interacting with them in a different context. I benefited more from the experience than I would have ever thought.”
Chandler Matlock, engineering major from Pocahontas, Ark., has been a part of the program since September.
“I, personally, am a huge fan of the corporate partnership for the simple reason that the biggest issue with BBBS is that we have a huge demand by kids, but a huge deficit of college students and adults to volunteer,”Matlock said. “If the financial burden can be taken from the volunteers and handled by BBBS I feel like the program would be more attractive to volunteer for.”
Being part of the BBBS program will not only help others in the community and count for volunteer hours, but it is also a great personal learning experience.
“I highly recommend that people sign up to be a Big Brother or Big Sister,” said Thompson. “It was a rewarding experience for me and got me involved in the greater Abilene community. Do it.”
