Thank You To Our Supporters
Tasha Werry, Executive Director
What a year 2020 has been. Difficult to explain and even harder to put in words how we have all been impacted by the various things life has thrown at us this year. However, in the face of all of this people are still stepping up to support our mission. We foster student, business, and civic relationships to inspire career choices through experience, entrepreneurship, and education. The key word in this mission: relationships.
When students begin to think about the career choices available to them, they start with those closest to them. As they learn more about themselves and experience different occupations they need more information from a variety of sources. BB2C builds relationships so that students get connected to all of the people necessary for them to choose a path to follow, and ultimately to be successful at the end of that path - even if they have to change paths halfway through.
We are so thankful for the willingness of others to build relationships with us because of the way those relationships impact our students. Career mentors are still giving a lot of time to guide middle school students through decision making, and they are having to figure out how to do it virtually. Local businesses and organizations are still doing job shadow and internship placements, some are virtual. Teachers are working diligently to incorporate career resources in their classes and to encourage students to participate in Discover Days and Students Solving Problems activities - virtually. Across southeast Ohio, whole groups of people are still working to build community and career connected learning programs so they can help their young people - a lot of this work is being done virtually. It’s tough right now and it’s tedious, but it is absolutely necessary if we expect to have successful students, strong business, and prosperous communities.
Support comes in many different forms. Through relationships we build programs that impact students, but we also have to have structure in order to sustain this work. Through relationships we have built a governing board that works behind the scenes to keep BB2C going. Our relationships have led to donations and funding sources, and connected us to other people that are doing this work. As we near Thanksgiving, we want all of the people that are willing to enter a relationship with us to know that we are very, very thankful for you. Your willingness leads to a better future for an awful lot of kids.
We are so glad to enter into this Thanksgiving season on the heels of a successful Toy Drive led by one of our many partners, the Marietta Community Foundation. What a great way to increase the number of toys that children will receive and to engage with those that we have relationships with in a new way. Thank you to all that donated toys or money for toys and helped the Salvation Army keep Christmas special for a large number of families.