Dear Friends of DSABC,

Happy Spring! After a very long and disruptive winter, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the spring edition of the DSABC newsletter. Despite the inclement weather these past few months, our volunteers have been very productive recruiting and matching new mentors, raising funds, expanding awareness of the DSABC mentor program, and providing learning opportunities.

Thanks to the continuous efforts of our partner companies, DSABC has placed 10 new mentors this quarter.  Our recruitment efforts vary from formal presentation events, the simple one-on-one ask, to bringing a friend to mentor for a session. Each tactic, large or small, yields great results for students in need of the support of a caring adult. And although a critical need remains for mentors at every grade level, DSABC is seeing an increase in referrals of middle and high school students in particular need of positive male role models. So, if you are a mentor, spread the word to your friends and colleagues, and if you aren't a mentor, please consider joining us in making a difference!

On March 7, 2014, DSABC participated in the first annual FC Gives 24-hour Giving Event, sponsored by Fairfield County Community Foundation and Bank of America. Thanks to the generosity of more than 97 donors, DSABC was able to raise over $5,000 in online donations. We also won a $1,000 incentive prize and will be the recipient of a $1,000 corporate matching gift resulting in a total of $7,000 raised. This will provide three students with DSABC Scholarships! Many thanks to Sarah Bollert of Cartus who developed the promotional plan for this event. Sarah put her marketing skills to work on our behalf by writing press releases, social media messaging, developing flyers for distribution and organizing a post-event gathering at Molly Darcy's. Not only was the meet & greet a lovely celebration, but it also provided an opportunity to promote DSABC and created a fun promotional video which you can view by clicking this link.   Cartus employees also got involved in promoting FC Gives by setting up a donation "hot spot" outside of their cafeteria. This was a great event with lots of energy and enthusiasm from all involved. DSABC is looking forward to participating again next year! 

DSABC provided learning opportunities for mentors as well as students this past quarter. Two workshops were presented for high school mentors/mentees at Danbury High School. On January 15, 2014, representatives from Wells Fargo Bank, Lucille Harriman, Cindy Mixcus, and Mike Yacavone, conducted a workshop on Financial Literacy. They provided an overview of basic money management, budgeting, use of credit cards and saving. The following month, February 19, 2014, human resource professionals Kerry O'Mahoney and Scott Robinson of United Technologies Aerospace presented information on effective resume writing and interviewing skills. Additionally, DSABC launched our first webinar for mentors on
March 11, 2014 with Carol Dores of Positive Discipline of Western Connecticut providing tips and strategies for mentors on ways to effectively develop positive relationships with mentees.  If you missed the webinar but are interested in the topic presented, click here to view.

All of these activities, and of course the countless hours of support mentors provide to students, are all provided through the generosity of volunteers giving up their time by sharing of themselves with others. April 6-12, 2014 is National Volunteer Week. This awareness campaign, sponsored by the Points of Light Foundation, is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It's about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals. So, I'd like to take this opportunity to THANK each and every one of our DSABC volunteers for all that you do to make a difference!!!