Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut Raises Over $70,000 at Inaugural Great Wines, Greater Futures Event

From Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Connecticut:

NEW HAVEN, CT — On June 4, more than 60 people gathered at The Estate in New Haven for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut’s inaugural Great Wines, Greater Futures event, a wine tasting in support of Connecticut youth.

The event raised over $70,000 to help Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut create more life-changing mentoring relationships for young people across the state. Funds raised will directly support the organization’s mission to ignite the
power and promise of youth through one-to-one mentoring relationships that help young people build confidence, achieve educational success, and realize their full potential.

Sponsors, including Eversource, Haugland Group, Stanley Black & Decker, PeoplesBank, and Stacy Bone of Bank of America Private Bank, and committee members, including Selia Berbic, Lauren Cutro Berry, and Committee Chairs Adrian
Selby and Martin Brayboy, helped make the event possible through their generous support and commitment to empowering Connecticut youth through mentorship.

World-renowned sommelier and wine educator Kevin Zraly kicked off the evening by guiding guests through a wine tasting featuring selections from Germany, California, and Oregon. Zraly is best known as the author of Windows on the World Complete Wine Course, the top-selling wine book in the United States.

One of the evening’s most inspiring moments came when Big Brother Alex Beck and his Little Brother, Mekhi McCorter of New Haven, shared their 13-year mentoring journey.

BBBSCT’s staff matched them in 2013, when Mekhi was just 8 years old. Alex shared how mentors played a critical role in shaping his life growing up and inspired him to become a source of guidance and support for his Little Brother

“Kids are people too, and everybody deserves a voice,” said Little Brother Mekhi McCorter. “Meeting Alex changed the way I saw myself and my future. He helped me stop doubting myself and start believing I could become whoever I wanted to be.”

“Mentoring has the power to transform lives, not only for the young people we serve, but for entire communities,” said Andy Fleischmann, President & CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Connecticut. “Events like this allow us to bring people
together around a shared purpose, ensuring more young people have access to caring mentors who can help them navigate challenges and reach their full potential.”

BBBSCT hosts events across the state to engage communities, raise awareness of the importance of mentoring, and inspire more people to get involved. BBBSCT’s next major event will be the Mentors’ Classic Golf Tournament on September 14 th at Burning Tree Country Club in Greenwich.

There are currently more young people seeking mentors than adults who have volunteered to be a Big, and BBBSCT invites community members to close this mentoring gap and create more life-changing connections for Connecticut youth.

To learn more, visit ctbigs.org/be-a-big-new-2/. To donate, visit
classy.org/give/399292/#!/donation/checkout