Think BIG!

We change gears this week as Chris Childers takes over the mic and brings along good friend Christine Morton. While already a familiar face around the Ozarks, Christine has embarked on a new path and is the founder and owner of Morton Marketing 417. Specializing in online and social media tactics to build your business, Chris and Christine sit down to discuss various strategies that both for-profit and nonprofit organizations alike can engage in in order to build their online footprints!  Be sure to check Christine out online at www.mortonmarketing417.com. For more information on becoming a BIG with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, check us out at www.bigbro.com!

Do we even really need to make any other statements?   Ok, we will!  Ozarks Beerfest is back! Join Lizzie and Brian as we talk all things beer and brewing as we make our preparations for the Ozarks' LARGEST beer festival! As an added bonus, Brian gets Lizzie to read off a dad joke from the Dad-Joke-A-Day calendar!   So join us as Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks celebrates our 40th Anniversary all year long with a radical 1980s theme!  For sponsorship opportunities, event tickets and prices and volunteer opportunities (to get that FREE admission ticket), check our event website at ozarksbeerfest.com or you can send Lizzie an email at lvigneaux@bigbro.com.  

It's the 1980s all year at Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks as we celebrate our BIG 40th anniversary this year! Join 80s babies Brian "The Brain" Way and Chris "Chris C." Childers as we walk through some of our favorite memories of the most electric and neon decades in history! We discuss the toys, trends, movies, music in the season premier of the Think BIG! podcast as a kickoff for what will be our BIGGEST year ever!  This season's show will be broadcasting from "Big Brothers Big Sisters Radio" and each show will feature the unique sounds of a 1980s radio broadcast, complete with vintage commercial breaks and some of the most radical music of the decade!  Join us each and every month as we hear about the tubular and far out things going on at Think BIG! and Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks! Don't forget, we want to hear from YOU! Send us and electronic email to bway@bigbro.com if you want to be on the show, or if you have music requests or want to dish! 

In this very special episode, we meet Big couple Dorothy and Mark Harsen and their Little, Deldrick Jackson, also known now to us as "Deldrick J". This match has been together for the past nine years and have made some terrific memories together. Laughter was plenty in this episode with lots of stories, so don't wait to get in on this opportunity to hear what the Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks experience is all about! 

In an episode that is WAY behind schedule, we finally get our listening on and get a female perspective on the hardworking initiatives going on over at the Think Big Foundation.  Ashley Lairomatis is one of the key components of the success of Think Big and we sat down in November with her to hear how she fits into the operations for Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks!  If we are lucky, we may end up hearing more stories soon from both Jake and Ashley of what they hear and find during the Christmas rush!

After taking a couple of weeks away from the mic and production booth for Taste of the Ozarks, we are back with a Double-Feature Thanksgiving Week episode! In this week's show, we hear from Carl Baker and Jeff Hays, two Bigs with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks.  Working with us to help mentor the future generations, we have a great conversation with both Bigs as we hear their experiences in being a mentor for local children as both a Match and Lunch Buddy.  Join us for Episode 6 of the Think Big podcast! If you are interested in becoming a Big or a Lunch Buddy, give us a call at 417-889-9136. All programs are free to join and participate!

Trailer: Double-duty Day as Chris and I sit down and chat with two local Bigs, Carl Baker and Jeff Hays!

In this episode, we meet Chiyierrja Grant, Match Support Specialist for BBBS of the Ozarks.  Chiyierrja walks us through the exciting benefits of matching (pairing of kids and adult mentors) and gives us insight into what she does on a daily basis and the emotional and long-lasting benefits provided to both the Bigs and Littles who are matched.  We also look into who we are looking for to help with our waiting list of Littles here locally.   So don't miss us for Episode 5 of the ThinkBIG! podcast! 

Coming up on Episode 5: Meeting Match Support Specialist Chiyierrja Grant!

Join us this week in the ThinkBIG! studio for this week's episode of Think BIG! as we finally get a seat with our super busy, super awesome, super CEO Susan Mellentine (that's with a hard "I", like "valentine" in case you're curious.)  Susan joins us to gives a rundown of operations at BBBSO including matching of Bigs and Littles, the fun Lunch Buddy program, how to join and the interview process to become a Big or Little.   For more information on how to join us, go to Become a Big Brother or Big Sister - Volunteering in Springfield, MO or give us a call at 417-889-9136. Be sure to share our episode and help us spread the word! Join us as we work to #DefendPotential of children all throughout Southwest Missouri! 

In the biggest swerve-episode yet, we meet the man behind the name of our very own podcast, Jake Pemberton, Vice President of Operations and our very own importing-exporting il Duce at the Think BIG Foundation in Springfield.  As a sister organization with BBBSO, Jake is in charge of significant organization that works to benefits local Littles, BBSO, reduce the impact of our local landfills and promote the global economy.  PLUS, he and his crew also find some...interesting items... donated to their BIG purple bins around the Ozarks. Have you ever thought about having your name represented every time our podcast is published across the world? Now you can! Send us a message to discuss the perks of being an Impact Partner and get your name recognized online with the Think BIG! podcast! Email me at bway@bigbro.com or call me at 417-889-9136! So, join us for Episode 3 of the Think BIG! podcast on Anchor.fm, or everywhere you get your favorite podcasts! 

In Episode 2 of the Think BIG! podcast, we join Lizzie, Brian and newcomer to the studio Paige Alexander as we discuss the wrapping up of the 2022 Bowl For Kids' Sake season, we talk about the high point scorers, highest fundraising companies along with the success and excitement of seeing another outstanding fundraiser come to a close.  As we shut the door on our summer event, we look ahead at our signature event, Taste of the Ozarks and the anticipation of our 1920s-themed tasting evening! So, join us as we work together to help our local Littles by #defendingpotential! 

Thanks for joining us for Episode 1 of the Think Big! podcast, a product of Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks!  We look forward to joining our great partners and staff at BBBSO as we take a look at in inner workings of mentoring and empowering our Littles throughout Southwest Missouri.   For our first episode, we are joined by regular hosts Chris Childers, Lizzie Vigneaux and Brian Way as we work through the audio kinks and get our first bit of information out about upcoming local BBBS events including giving everyone a chance at winning $20,000!