Storm Creek is proud to partner with local non-profit Big Brothers Big Sisters—Twin Cities. It’s one of the 501(c)3s we love to support.
This organization does incredible work helping to build a strong local community by matching adults (called “Bigs”) with youth (called “Littles”) for friendship, education and career exploration. These pairs of Bigs and Littles are called “matches.” (We’ll tell you more about how it all works in a bit…)
How Storm Creek Partners with BBBS—Twin Cities
We have been partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters—Twin Cities since 2020 in ways like these:
Career Explore Night: We hosted Bigs and Littles at our headquarters for a career workshop. The students got a peek behind the scenes at what makes Storm Creek run, and what the various department teams do to make us a successful sustainable clothing brand.
They could ask questions about our fabric sourcing, how we turn plastic bottles into clothes, how an order is picked, graphic design and marketing—whatever came to their mind while going from department to department. It’s these kinds of hands-on experiences that give kids excitement and ideas of where they might want to go on their own career path.
Winter Carnival: We donated over $10,000 in outerwear to the BBBS Winter Carnival last December 2022. Matches could do their holiday shopping for free while they enjoyed the Carnival's other events. Matches got to pick from insulated jackets and vests to lightweight quarter zips- there was something for everyone on their list.
Team Jason & Alexis: We recently partnered with Team Jason & Alexis for a matching campaign in support of BBBS-TC for their myTalk 107.1 radio show Project Down & Dirty: Pickleball. Here’s a short testimonial from an interview they had with BBBS—TC’s CEO Pat about that fundraiser:
“A huge shoutout to Storm Creek…Last year they donated a bunch of clothes to us so we could open a free store so our matches could come in and get apparel. I did all of my holiday shopping there last year. And this year, everyone I gave a gift to is coming with me to the sale, they loved it so much! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Storm Creek!”
VIP tickets in 2022 and 2023: For our twice-annual VIP Warehouse Sale events, the $20 ticket price we charge goes straight to BBBS—Twin Cities, along with 10% of total sales. These VIP ticket holders are excited not just to grab the best deals, but also to be part of this significant donation in a personal way. Some intentionally attend the VIP pre-sale event because of this built-in $20-per-person donation to a meaningful local cause.
BBBS—TC was our first partner for B2B (business-to-business) giving. This program gives our Minnesota-based promotional products distributors the option to donate 10% of their Q4 Storm Creek sales to BBBS-TC. What a fantastic way for these businesses to join us in making a big impact on youth and communities in our region.
About Big Brother Big Sister Programs
One-to-One Mentoring
One-to-one mentoring is what Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) is most known for. They match youth (Littles) ages 8-13 with caring adults (Bigs). The goal is simply for these matched pairs to spend time together doing activities they both enjoy.
That area of mentoring is now called Community Mentoring. They also have Site-Based Mentoring when adult mentors meet with youth at the same time and place throughout the school year. This can be as individuals or through an employer or college.
The third type of mentoring program is Graduation Coaches. These adult volunteers help high school students work on academics, study habits, and healthy relationships with their peers while planning for post-high school education and employment.
Free Arts
The Free Arts program offers arts of various genres and forms to youth experiencing poverty, homelessness, abuse or mental illness. The kids work with both volunteers ages 16+ and paid adult artists-in-residence. The program offers artistic mentorship on a weekly basis for these kids.
Free Arts partners with many local organizations including social services and community groups. It’s funded by a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board.
College and Career Readiness
The third program offered by BBBS—Twin Cities is College and Career Readiness. Youth in their middle and high school years (and alumni) can get support with high school graduation, college readiness and career skills.
Help includes exploring careers, finding scholarships and financial aid, and preparing for college entrance exams. It offers tours of local businesses, career counseling and employment skills workshops to get these young people ready for the workforce.
Learn more about all of BBBS—Twin Cities programs on their website.
BBBS—Twin Cities Successes
The BBBS website has an entire page dedicated to Match Profiles. It doesn’t take long to get a glimpse of the impact BBBS has had on Twin Cities youth and their mentors.
In story after story, the adult Bigs testify of their lives being impacted as much as those of the Littles. While mentorship commitment is just a year long, many mentors stay with their matched Little for several years.
One inspiring profile describes the 28-year relationship of Pat and Derrick. Not only did their mentoring relationship turn into a lifelong friendship as Derrick grew up, Pat ended up on the BBBS—Twin Cities Board of Directors after several years. Today he’s their CEO. That’s quite an impact!
Another meaningful match is Courtney and Peyton. They’re part of a sub-program called Girls Rise Up that matches girls 8-18 with an adult mentor, both of whom have lost their mother. This kind of trauma-informed program helps these young girls know they’re not alone through an especially hard time of loss.
Besides doing a variety of fun activities together throughout the year, the two attend the program’s annual Mother’s Day Brunch. This gives them a safe space to honor their moms and share their life experiences.