The latest news—big and littleWhether we’re making an impact, or making headlines, there’s always something newsworthy going on at Big Brothers Big Sisters.
Media Contact
Judi Nation
Resource Development and Marketing Coordinator
918-576-6404 judi.nation@bbbsok.org
Oklahoma Press Releases
Governor Mary Fallin and BBBSOK Honor Speaker Kris Steele at the Capitol
OKLAHOMA CITY – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma (BBBSOK) and Governor Mary Fallin presented the first-ever Big Brothers Big Sisters Governor’s Award to House Speaker Kris Steele during an event Wednesday, Oct. 12 at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Steele has served as a Big in the organization since 2010 and is a major supporter of the BBBSOK Amachi program, which provides mentoring to children of incarcerated parents.
BBBSOK announces Champion of the Year, Big Brother of the Year, Big Sister of the Year, and Big Couple of the Year
TULSA, Okla. – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma (BBBSOK) has named Byrona Maule as the inaugural “Champion of the Year” for 2011. Involved with BBBSOK for more than 20 years, Maule has been a Big Sister and has served in virtually every position on the BBBS Oklahoma City Resource Board. Her leadership, experience and service on the board helped earn her the recognition.
BBBSOK recently received confirmation that due to federal cuts to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget, HHS eliminated all funding for its Mentoring Children of Prisoners Program. Therefore, funding for the first year (through 9/30/11) of the $1.6M “Amachi” program grant awarded to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma (BBBSOK) last fall is secure, but funding for years two and three (10/1/11-9/30/13) is no longer available.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma receives more than $1.6 million in grants to support children of incarcerated parents
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma (BBBSOK) recently announced it has received a $1.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support the Amachi program. Amachi is designed to break the intergenerational cycle of crime and incarceration by mentoring children of incarcerated parents.
Tuesday, October 25--Bartlesville Examiner Enterprise publishes story about Governor Fallin's award to Speaker Steele for his mentorship. Download Article.
Wednesday, October 19--Collinsville News features Speaker Steele for his support of Amachi in Oklahoma. Download Article.
Wednesday, October 19--Urban Tulsa Weekly publishes "Stepping Up" featuring the impact of BBBSOK mentoring programs on Amachi Littles and the press conference held at the Oklahoma State Capitol. Read article.
Saturday, October 15--Shawnee News Star mentions Governor's Award to Speaker Kris Steele.Read full article.
Wednesday, October 12--Oklahoma House Speaker honored for work with children.Read more online.
Tuesday, September 20--New Sam's Club location in Tulsa shows support for BBBSOK Amachi Program.Read article.
Friday, August 12--Writer Marilyn Bradford shares her experience as a Big Sister and tells the story of Big Couple Mike and Judy Harrell. Read full article.
For more than 100 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Most children served by Big Brothers Big Sisters live in single-parent and low-income families, or households where a parent is incarcerated. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”). Providing a system of ongoing evaluation and support, Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven by independent studies to help families by improving the odds that Littles will perform better in school and avoid violence and illegal activities, and have stronger relationships with their parents and others. Headquartered in Philadelphia with a network of nearly 400 agencies across the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves a quarter million children annually.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of 
