Birthday bash set for Bigs and Littles

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri celebrates five years of service in area.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri will celebrate five years of service in Cape Girardeau County beginning with a guest appearance of the organization's float in the Southeast Missouri District Fair parade Monday. The float's theme, "Be A Role Model," will feature current Big Brother and Big Sister volunteers and their Little Brothers and Little Sisters participating in the parade.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a youth mentoring organization that matches children with adult volunteers in fun and rewarding relationships. Founded nationally in 1904, it is the oldest and largest organization in the United States of its kind. Locally founded in St. Louis in 1914, the Eastern Missouri affiliate is 12th largest in size among the 470 affiliates across the country.

A birthday celebration is planned for Bigs and their families, Littles and their families, donors, board members, agency friends and all past and present matches from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27, at Capaha Park. Celebrity guests including Rowdy, Southeast Missouri State University's mascot; the Notre Dame Regional High School cheerleaders and the agency's four-legged friends from the Humane Society will also join the party.

A celebration happy-hour mixer for volunteers will be held at 6:30 p.m Sept. 29, at Buckner Brewing Co., 132 N. Main St., Cape Girardeau. The public is invited to join agency volunteers, donors, board members and other friends to learn more about the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and opportunities to get involved with the agency.

In 2004, the organization served more than 250,000 youths, ages 5 to 18, in 5,000 communities across the country in one-to-one relationships. In 2003, Forbes placed Big Brothers Big Sisters on its Gold-Star list of the top 10 charities for its excellence in efficiency and effectiveness.