The need for men to volunteer is BIG: there are currently over 550 boys waiting for a Big Brother in Southern Nevada.

LAS VEGAS – June 19th, 2015 – If you met 12 year old Ryan, he might be a little quiet at first, but once you get to know him he is funny, talkative and outgoing. He loves basketball, hiking, playing hide and seek with his younger sister Alexia and their two dogs, Zach and Zoey. Ryan has been waiting for a Big Brother for almost 15 months. “I want a guy I can look forward to hanging out with and maybe learn a new sport with,” Ryan tells the program staff at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada (BBBSN) when his mother enrolled him in the beginning of 2014. “Ryan’s father left us when he was an infant. I know Ryan would benefit from having a Big Brother mentor to take him to a baseball game or a super hero movie. At this point in his life, I don’t think I am making the same impact as a guy could,” Ryan’s mother tells BBBSN.

BBBSN has hundreds of boys just like Ryan that are waiting for men to step up to the plate and become Big Brothers. “We took a look at our recruiting efforts and determined that we need to place a greater emphasis on targeting men and appealing to their personalities,” said Athena Gould, Chief Program Officer for BBBSN, “All it takes is 4 hours per month and an 18 month commitment to our program to mentor one of our boys waiting and give them the extra push they may need to succeed in life.”

This is where Men in Mentoring comes into play. New community partners to BBBSN including Tuff-N-Uff, a local amateur MMA organization, Vegas Lions and Vegas Outlaws Football teams, Alston Business Consulting, Office Depot, Never Give Up Foundation and the Gianniosis Realty Group have joined forces to highlight guy-centric athletic and cultural events that will ultimately focus on male volunteer recruitment efforts.

The inaugural event will be held in conjunction with Tuff-N-Uff’s annual “Future Stars of MMA Pack the Mack” night at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, June 27th. “We are proud to host the first Men in Mentoring group at our organization’s largest event of the year,” said Jeff Meyer, CEO of Tuff-N-Uff, “Fans will receive a special meet & greet with our fighters beginning at 5PM and will have the opportunity to sit in a VIP section when the fights start at 6PM. We hope to encourage our fans and fighters to serve their community as mentors.” Anyone interested in joining the Men in Mentoring group at their first outing must RSVP to Kyle Dunlap (kdunlap@bbbsn.org / 774-571-0291) in order to attend the meet & greet and sit in the VIP section reserved for BBBSN.

Men in the Las Vegas community are encouraged to participate in future Men in Mentoring events throughout 2015 as well. Future outings include, but are not limited to: behind the scenes with the players of the Vegas Lions football team; train with local MMA fighters at local gyms; and hiking at Red Rock Canyon. Kyle Dunlap, Community Relations Manager and Big Brother with BBBSN, is looking to add more unique and exciting, guy-centric events to the Men in Mentoring roster. Please get in touch with Kyle to inquire about participating in the program, hosting an outing for a group of 20-30 individuals, or about signing up to be a mentor. Individuals looking to start the Big Brother application process may also visit: www.mentorvegas.com 

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Nevada:

BBBSN, the region’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes such as educational success, higher aspirations, greater confidence, better relationships and avoidance of risky behaviors. Youth mentored with BBBSN are over 75% more likely to graduate than their peers. Since 1973, BBBSN has provided over 20,000 mentors to local youth. It is the goal of BBBSN to serve 300 additional local youth in 2015. The non-profit’s mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.

For more information about how to donate or volunteer, please visit their website at http://www.bbbsn.org, or call (702) 222-9000. Connect with BBBSN at www.facebook.com/BBBSSN, www.linkedin.com/company/big-brothers-big-sisters-of-southern-nevada and www.twitter.com/BBBSSN