• Norma Wright named Outstanding Volunteer on National Philanthropy Day

• Letisia Alvarado Named California High School Big Sister of the Year for 2006
• Norma Wright, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program volunteer, has been named California Big Sister of the Year - 2005
• CBBBS volunteer Named 2004 State of California Big Brother of the Year
• CBBBS Volunteer Honored as Big for the Year 2003 for the State of California
• Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters Receives Mentoring Award At Second Annual California Mentor Summit
• Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters Receives Outstanding Volunteer Organization Award
• CBBBS Volunteer Honored as National Big Brother of the Year

Norma Wright named Outstanding Volunteer on National Philanthropy Day Los Angeles 2006

On November 15 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, CBBBS Big Sister Norma Wright was recognized as the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year for National Philanthropy Day.

Volunteer mentors are an integral component of the work of Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS). Their contributions to our agency and the youth in our communities are immeasurable.  A shining example of this dedication is Norma Wright, who was named the 2005 California Big Sister of the Year, in addition to being recognized with a Daily Points of Light Award the same year.  Norma is a Big Sister in the CBBBS award winning Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Program, which has been providing services to deaf and hard-of-hearing children, as well as kids of deaf adults (KODA), since 1982.

Norma earned a degree in business management and had careers with the Los Angeles County Central Library and the Department of Water and Power. The mother of three children and five grandchildren, Norma was motivated to “give back” after her retirement and the death of her beloved husband. She felt especially compelled to reach out to the deaf community. Her journey started in the church and based in her faith, she became fluent in American Sign Language (ASL), and received a degree in Interpreting in 2001.

Norma has been matched with her “Little Sister” Ashley, who is profoundly deaf, for over six years.  During this time, this relationship has grown significantly through their inter-racial, inter-cultural and inter-faith match.  Because of their special relationship and consistent time together, Norma has been able to enhance Ashley’s exposure to the  Deaf community in addition to bringing Ashley’s communication skills with ASL to a high level.  With Norma’s support, Ashley has learned how to interact with hearing and deaf  individuals of various  backgrounds.  Says Ashley about her Big Sister, “I enjoy Norma because she remembers my birthday and she takes me  to  deaf church and swimming during the summer.  She makes me feel good about being deaf, and about my life.”

Not only has their relationship benefited Ashley, but it has also impacted Norma’s life too.  “The past six years have been an amazing time of growth and discovery for both my little sister and me,” Norma acknowledges.  “I’m not sure which one of us has learned more about Deaf culture as, together, we’ve participated in and attended so many different functions.  I am happy to be a witness to her language development, one of the goals of this mentoring experience.  But I also think she has grown to trust me and value my input and advice, so that to me is the best product of our relationship:  the fact that she knows she has a supportive, non-threatening sounding board for her feelings, hopes and dreams.”

Letisia Alvarado named California High School Big Sister of the Year for 2006

Jefferson High School Senior Letisia Alvarado has been selected as “Big Sister of the Year” by the California State Association of Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies.  She is the first high school mentor in the state and in the nation to receive this award. 

Letisia has participated in the High School Bigs Mentoring Program of Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters (CBBBS) for the past two years. For this program, CBBBS staff recruit, train and match qualified high school students with at-risk children in after-school programs at nearby elementary schools.  As an after-school mentor at Ascot Elementary School, Letisia is Big Sister to fifth grader Little Sister Adriana.

Homework is completed first by both “Big” and “Little,” followed by kickball or another fun activity.  In a recent presentation to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Little Sister Adriana boasted of her relationship with Letisia and shared that she had always dreamed of having a Big Sister.  She added that when she becomes a Jefferson High School student, she too, will become a Big Sister like Letisia.

At Jefferson High School, California’s 2006 Big Sister of the Year has been part of the Career Based Outreach Program (CBOP), Architecture Construction Engineering Program (ACE), a program that allows students interested in the careers of architecture, construction, engineering to become exposed to those fields. She is the president of the Demos Future Teachers Club, a math tutor, a Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) volunteer, the president for the Advanced Placement (AP) Society and is currently taking several AP classes. She was recently accepted at the California State Universities and UCLA. For three consecutive years, Letisia has been an Honor Roll student, earning a 4.0 GPA.  In her junior year, she was awarded the Advanced Placement Scholar for passing three out of four AP exams.

Norma Wright named Big Sister of the Year for 2005

Norma Wright, Deaf/Hard of Hearing Program volunteer, has been named California Big Sister of the Year 2005.  In conjunction with this special honor, Norma is currently being considered as National Big Sister of the Year.   Norma, who is hearing, but fluent in America Sign language, has been matched with her little sister, who is profoundly deaf, for the past five years.  CBBBS has been providing services to deaf, hard of hearing, and children of deaf adults (CODA) since 1982.

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters Receives Mentoring Award At Second Annual California Mentor Summit

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters received the California Mentor Initiative's "Spirit of Mentoring Award" recognizing exemplary performance in the mentoring field at the second annual California Mentor Summit on October 12, 1999 at the Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim. Hosted by California first Lady Sharon Davis, the event brought together over 1,000 leaders from community-based organizations, corporations and schools to raise awareness about the state's need for mentors and celebrate the success of mentoring programs across California.

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters was chosen for its 75-year history of matching fatherless youth with caring adult volunteer role models as well as its innovative school-based and work-site mentoring programs. Since 1998, the organization has opened a Mentoring Center in Pasadena's Villa Parke Community Center, developed a Triangle Mentoring Program involving adult and public high school student mentors and elementary school mentees in several locations throughout the county, and joined the Archdiocese Youth Employment Program in developing a corporate mentoring program.

Most recently, Los Angeles County's Probation Department has contracted Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters to work with first-time offenders under the age of 15 released on probation. The four-year contract supports full-time mentors in an effort to reduce recidivism, increase public safety and develop essential life skills among juvenile offenders.

Studies demonstrate that children enrolled in programs like Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters are 46 percent less likely to begin using drugs, 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol, 53 percent less likely to skip school, and interact more positively with their families and friends.

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Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters Receives Outstanding Volunteer Organization Award

Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters received the Outstanding Volunteer Organization Award at the citywide National Philanthropy Day celebration on November 19, 1999 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The gathering of more than 1,100 corporate and non for profit leaders recognized CBBBS for its 75-year history of mentoring excellence and its innovative mentoring programs that have greatly increased the number of children served. Specifically highlighted were the agency’s Mentoring Center in Pasadena's Villa Parke Community Center, its Triangle Mentoring Program involving adult and public high school student mentors and elementary school mentees, its corporate mentoring program in collaboration with the Archdiocese Youth Employment Program and most recently, its mentoring program for first-time juvenile offenders on probation in collaboration with the Los Angeles County's Probation Department.

CBBBS Volunteer Honored as 2000 National Big Brother of the Year

Michael Bowler, a Catholic Big Brother Big Sister volunteer since 1983 in the Deaf and Hard of Hearing one-to-one mentoring program, has been named the 2000 National Big Brother of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). Mike, who is a special education teacher in Hawthorne and resident of Chatsworth also received the Caring Hands Gold Award from Valvoline, a BBBSA corporate partner.

Selected from more than 500 nominating affiliates and 130,000 volunteers across the country, Mike was honored Friday, June 30 at Big Brothers Big Sisters of America's National Conference in Washington, D.C., where he and his three “Littles” also had the opportunity to meet President Clinton.

In recognition of his accomplishments as a youth mentor in the Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters' Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing Program,Vaseline also sent Mike and his Little Brother David on an all-expense paid trip to Australia for the Sydney Olympics in September 2000. The trip included admission to several Olympic events and the Opening Ceremonies.

Mike has always had a string of kids looking to him for support and encouragement. Over his years of service he has had seven Little Brothers with Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters, and has counseled countless others during his weekly visits to incarcerated youth in the Los Angeles juvenile detention system.

Part of Mike’s appeal is that Bowler is such a kid at heart. He's an avid movie fan, including writing, directing and producing his own low-budget horror films. He's a body-builder with a 420-pound bench press. And because he is hard of hearing, he's able to understand the difficulties of the boys he mentors.

David, a 17-year-old who has been matched as Mike’s Little Brother for more than seven years, states: "His hearing problem hasn't stopped him from being a great man. He has two masters degrees, he's a teacher, a movie director - there's nothing he can't do."

Matthew, another "Little" who recently graduated from the program, admits he's trying to follow in Bowler's footsteps. "I've started volunteering at the YMCA and counseling at a camp so that I can get more involved with kids," said Matthew. "Everything I do is because of Mike's influence in my life."

Mike holds an M.A. in special education from Cal State Dominguez Hills, an M.A. in film and television production from Loyola Marymount University, and a B.A. in theatre arts from Santa Clara University. In 1989, he was named Probation Volunteer of the Year by the County of Los Angeles. More recently, Bowler was honored for his volunteer activities by National Philanthropy Day in Los Angeles, where he was named Outstanding Volunteer for 1998; by the Volunteer Center of Los Angeles, which honored him with its 1998 Service Award; and by the Points of Light Foundation with the July 15, 1999 Daily Point of Light Award. In 1999, Catholic Big Brothers Big Sisters named him its Big Brother of the Year.