CEO Message of Thanksgiving

As the holiday season begins and our lives start getting hectic, I want to pause and share my gratitude. Looking back on the past year, Big Brothers Big Sisters has a lot to be thankful for. Events, partnerships, and relationships that are helping our kids succeed. Moments and matches made possible by your steadfast support. Friendships that truly make a difference.

Your involvement and support were on full display at the 20th anniversary of our 2024 Ice Ball Gala. It was a wonderful night as we celebrated this event’s humble beginnings and its current status as one of the premier galas in town.

We also created partnerships with many new friends, including the Circuit of the Americas. COTA hosted our annual match holiday party last year and provided our kids with the opportunity to ride around their track in actual race cars. COTA was also a Platinum sponsor for this year’s Ice Ball Gala. We also built a strong partnership with The Kindness Campaign, which offered songwriting workshops for our kids and gave our high school mentees the opportunity to participate in leadership training. Plus, we’ve established connections with The Austin Spurs who have committed to supporting BBBS for years to come. Essential relationships for which we are grateful.

This year, we also launched new initiatives focused on recruiting both Bigs and Littles. We initiated Lunch & Learn sessions for businesses throughout the community, and hosted mixers and networking events for Bigs and potential Bigs, all with the aim of sharing our mission and serving more kids,

Current Littles also benefited from our first-ever career fair – Future Forward, where they had the opportunity to meet with college representatives, trade schools, and potential employers and to attend workshops on resume writing, interviewing for jobs, and more.

And these are just a few of our recent accomplishments.

None of these things could have happened without your support and that of an excellent Executive Board and staff, to which we have added a new Chief Impact Officer and a new Chief Development Officer.

The future is bright, and the possibilities are endless as we work to help kids in our community achieve their biggest possible futures. I am thankful for the opportunity to work alongside you as we take BBBS’ mission and impact to even greater heights in 2025.

Best wishes for a happy holiday season and an even happier new year.

With gratitude,

Kedrick Jeffries
CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas