I have great news — I’ve completed the draft of the article on our corporate partnership, and it’s gone over really well with my colleagues at BBBSCM! The only thing I’m waiting for now is official permission to publish quotes with names. Here are some parts that I’ve been working on.
When Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass/Metrowest (BBBS of CM/MW) was contacted in the Fall of 2013 by Avidia Bank, the agency was immediately excited about the opportunity to partner with them. Avidia Bank, a well-established, mutual community bank with offices all over Central Massachusetts and Metrowest, wanted to get involved but wasn’t quite sure how. After meeting with BBBS of CM/MW Chief Executive Officer Jeff Chin to hear more about the agency’s mission and various mentoring programs, Avidia Bank and BBBS of CM/MW began the new year with a partnership of six volunteer staff members from the bank to be matched with local at-risk children who would be their mentees (“Littles”).
This is the introductory paragraph to the article. I basically just began chronologically—answering the who, what, when, where, hows of the partnership coming about. Something that Jeff helped me with was making this part a bit more “outsider friendly”, in other words, getting rid of some of the BBBS-specific jargon that makes sense to us, but may not make sense to others. Jeff made sure to define “Littles” by adding “local at-risk children who would be their mentees (‘Littles’).” I also think this section is particularly important to lead in with because while most people know BBBS partners with many colleges, it is lesser known that BBBS also partners with local companies and communities as a whole.
Perhaps Avidia Bank’s dedication originates from their belief in the power of mentoring and their own personal connections to the cause.
The work of BBBS of CM/MW struck a chord with [Name], [Position] for Avidia Bank. She describes her own turbulent childhood…one all too familiar for many of our Littles:
“I grew up very fast in life, having my mom abandon me at the age of 6 years old with my two brothers. My dad […] was a heavy drinker, [but we did] have our step mom since I was six years old. […] She was always there for us, but I always felt [like] a burden to her. […] It was difficult at times.” So [Name] thought, “What better way to deal with it than to be a role model for a Little Sister. […] I believe a positive role model in a child’s young life is extremely important for a good base to become a successful adult.”
I really like this paragraph, I think I was really lucky to get such an intimate story from one of the staff member volunteers at Avidia Bank. I love this quote and I think it could be very persuasive for some of the 4,000 people that get our e-newsletter to maybe get their own company involved with BBBS—perhaps they have a similar story and never considered that BBBS could be a great way to give back.
Here’s hoping I get permission from the bank to use full names and quotes! I’m really excited about posting this article, my first article, on both our blog and in our e-newsletter!
I'M A MKTG INTERN! 