Big Brothers Big Sisters receives grant

The Thomas R Little Memorial Fund awarded a grant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio in the amount of $2,000 to support the mentoring program at Newcomerstown West Elementary.

The Thomas R. Little Memorial Fund is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable corporation providing donors of varied interests a vehicle for charitable giving to the Newcomerstown community by providing responsible stewardship for funds donated.

Jill Little, president of the Thomas R Little Memorial Fund, delivered the funds to the Big Brothers Big Sisters office on Aug. 11 for immediate use to support programming. The Newcomerstown West Elementary school-based mentoring program is the largest school-based program facilitated by the local agency. The program serves 35 matches weekly throughout the school year.

Students at West Elementary are matched with a high school or Kent State student and build a relationship through structured weekly activities based around social-emotional learning competencies such as self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, goal-directed behavior, personal responsibility, decision-making and optimistic thinking.

These funds will directly support these matches and the continued partnership between the Newcomerstown School District and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Central Ohio.