Courtesy photos.
VENTURA COUNTY — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC) is thrilled to announce that it is a recipient of the Pinnacle Award for 2022 – a designation given by Big Brothers Big Sisters of America to network agencies who demonstrate exemplary programmatic success and fiscal responsibility. BBSVC was one of only eight agencies across the United States selected to receive the award and accept it on the BBBS of America National Conference main stage on June 29th in Anaheim.
In addition to earning the Pinnacle Award, BBSVC had a strong presence at the Conference: CEO Danica Selvaggio co-presented an educational session with program partner Bank of America – represented by Mary Noor (Market Executive) and Danielle Curtin (Product Manager and BBSVC mentor) – on the success that BBSVC’s Professional Mentoring Program has delivered for youth across Ventura County for the last three years. “The Professional Mentoring Program is one that I’ve been excited to watch grow,” says Selvaggio. “We’ve been fortunate to have a partner like Bank of America who has supported the program’s evolution year-over-year to meet the changing needs of the community and deliver a top-tier mentoring opportunity for volunteers and youth alike.”
On the final night of the event, Kobe – BBSVC’s Youth Leadership Council President for Fillmore and a high school mentor to an elementary school student – was invited to not only interview the event’s emcee, television host Rocsi Diaz, he was also invited to introduce her on the main stage to over a thousand conference attendees.
“Originally, youth were invited to make introductions in English,” says Selvaggio. “But we advocated with the BBBS of America Conference organizers and emphasized how so many of the youth, families, and volunteers we serve are bilingual. They were excited to have Kobe represent our Hispanic and Latine communities by kicking the night off with a Spanish-language introduction! This was his first time presenting on-stage, and he was a natural. We’re so proud of him.”
After an invigorating week of learning, the BBSVC team is back in Ventura County to kick off an exciting program year: in addition to implementing National Conference education, BBSVC is also opening a brand new Youth Room in Ventura and preparing the first cohort of its Mentor Academy – a program that expands on the success of the agency’s Professional Mentoring Program with Bank of America to offer more opportunities for career exploration through mentorship.
Community members interested in getting involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County for another exemplary year as a youth, parent/guardian, volunteer mentor, or supporter may contact the agency’s main office at 805.484.2282 or visit https://www.bbsvc.org
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County — Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County (BBSVC) has been connecting Bigs and Littles in professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships in Ventura County and neighboring communities since 1970. Supporting over 1,000 youth annually between community or school-based volunteers and youth ages 6-21 years old, BBSVC is committed to bringing their life-changing program to every child in Ventura County who needs it. BBSVC is an independent 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that depends on private donors for 75% of its funding.