The Christensen Realty Group has chosen Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County to be our charity partner for the 2023 Movie in the Park specifically for their mission and vision to nurture mentoring relationships that help young people thrive in life. Across San Diego, youth and families are challenged by a myriad of circumstances that may contribute to loneliness, risky behavior, and poor school performance. In fact, there are 46 active matches of Big/Littles within the Poway Unified School District.

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How we are asking you to support our partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County:

• Bring a gift card to Movie in the Park to donate to BBBS. $5, $10, $20 any amount, that Bigs (Mentors) can use for a planned outing with their Little
  • A restaurant, a movie or shopping gift card
  • Admission or passes to any ticketed event like movies, a museum, zoo, sports event, etc.
• Purchase opportunity tickets for a drawing at the Movie in the Park to win a brand-new TRAEGER Wood Fire Grill donated by Mission Pest Control, (value $568). 
  • $1, $5, $10 for 12, $20 for 25
• Link to our fundraising campaign and to donate if you can’t make it to the movie night:

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We want to introduce you to our friend and colleague: Caroline Hornblower. If you ask someone who knows Caroline to describe her, you are likely to hear things like… incredible smile, approachable, capable professional, smart, likes to have fun, a person you would like to have as a friend. We would add… someone who young people would like to be like and like to be around.

Caroline is the person who introduced the Christensen Realty Group to the mission and work of Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. We asked Caroline to describe how she became a mentor and what it means to her:

I became a Big Sister in 2009- I was looking for a local charity that worked with children and loved the mission statement for BBBS “to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.” I heard about them from a friend and wanted to learn more. I went to an intro session and decided this was going to be the charity I would get involved with. I was matched with my first “Little” Lizette when she was 12, and I stayed her big sister until she was 18 (but you never stop being involved TBH). Lizette is now in her late 20s and lives in Atlanta- she is doing great!

My 2nd match was with Megan, who was also 12- we stayed together until she moved to the east coast when she was 16. She just turned 21 and is also doing well. (Instagram is the way I stay in touch these days with them 😂) My current Little, Alexis and I have been together for 4 years. She just turned 16 and we see each other at least 2 times a month. Some of our favorite activities are painting pottery, movies, trying out new fun food spots and going to Padres Games.

The last few years have shown me that I only want to do what brings me joy- this cause does that. The need for more Bigs and people to become mentors is strong since the pandemic- kids need extra love, support, and mentorship more than ever. I encourage you to learn about their mission and consider how you will participate, donate, and support such a wonderful cause that gives back directly to our San Diego kiddos.

As US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek H. Murthy notes (Full Report here), “Loneliness is far more than just a bad feeling—it harms both individual and societal health. It is associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular disease, dementia, stroke, depression, anxiety, and premature death. The mortality impact of being socially disconnected is like that caused by smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day and even greater than that associated with obesity and physical inactivity.” However, healthy relationships are a protective factor for our brains, there is a direct correlation between good, close relationships, that are good for health both physically and mentally.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County is striving to consistently address the individual needs of our youth by creating and supporting healthy mentoring connections. Mentoring is proven to have a BIG impact on our Littles and the statistics are here to show it. Did you know that in 2022…

• 93% of Littles maintained or improved in Social Competence. Poor social competence in childhood is associated with poor mental health, low academic achievement and other school difficulties, poor employment history, and poor adult relationships.
• 84% of Littles maintained or improved in School Connectedness which is linked to high school graduation rates.
• 72% of the Littles maintained or improved Family/Parent Connectedness, which is linked to decreased risky behavior and improved school performance.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth.

The Big Brothers Big Sisters Vision is for all youth to achieve their full potential.

Big Brothers Big Sisters Accountability: By partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers, and others in the community we are accountable for each child in our program achieving:

-Higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships
-Avoidance of risky behaviors
-Educational success

National research has shown that positive relationships between Littles and their Bigs have a direct and measurable impact on children’s lives. By participating in our programs, Little Brothers and Sisters are:

-more confident in their schoolwork performance
-able to get along better with their families
-46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs
-27% less likely to begin using alcohol
-52% less likely to skip school.¹

Stop by the Big Brothers Big Sisters canopy at the Movie in the Park and learn more about their mission, how they lend support to families and youth and how you can participate.

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