A SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION featuring Middle Georgia businesses that will help you live your best life in 2022. PHOTO BY JESSICA WHITLEY.

Betsy Fitzgerald
President & CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of Georgia

2770 Riverside Drive, Suite 123, Macon
478-745-3984
kids@BBBSHeartGA.org
BBBSHeartGA.org

What is your mission, and has it changed because of covid-19?

The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth. Our mission is more critical now than ever! Many of our kids already face adversity and have experienced trauma or violence. The pandemic exasperated their stress and has taken an even larger toll on their mental health. We protect them against harmful affects of adverse childhood experiences, support their mental health and are a lifeline to their families, connecting them with essential services.

How does your business serve our community with inclusivity in mind?

BBBS champions Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI). JEDI is not part of our work, it is our work. Through our founding more than a century ago as an alternative to the juvenile justice system, JEDI is embedded in our DNA and part of our origin story. JEDI is youth empowerment and equity work. It is about learning about differences, affirming their uniqueness and creating an environment where a young person feels that they belong.

How does your business improve lives?

Our evidence-based programs ignite the potential in youth. We empower them to achieve success in life and become productive members of the community.

What are you most excited about for 2022?

We are really excited to be launching the first Sports Buddies program in the state this January! This specialty program combines the effectiveness of our mentoring model with an innovative approach featuring participatory and spectator sports activities with the context of one-to-one mentoring relationships.

What challenges do you face, and how do you overcome them?

Our biggest challenge is recruiting mentors, but we overcome that through signature programs like our business partnership program Beyond School Walls and Bigs with Badges. We also partner with churches and smaller groups to give them professional support and training for their own mentoring programs.

What is a myth you wish people would get over?

That it’s too late to help a teen who has gone down the wrong path. No matter their age, a positive role model ignites the potential within each and every child.

What are you most proud of about your business?

I’m proud of my amazing staff and volunteers who are defenders of potential. They ensure the safety and success of hundreds of our community’s youth.

How do you define “living well?”

Living well is not just about taking are of yourself by being active, making good food choices and establishing a work/life balance. Living well means you are also playing a role in helping your community live well by volunteering, being an advocate or doing simple acts of kindness.

When you’re not working, how do you relax and spend your time?

My ideal place to relax is by the water, preferably at the ocean, with a great book, a cold drink and music.

Who are your inspirations for a life well lived?

One of my favorite quotes is from Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.”

What needs to happen to help our community live happier and healthier lives?

We need to be more kind to ourselves and to each other. We also need to put our words into action.

You might be surprised to know:We have served the community for over 68 years.