New York Field Division Runs/Walks in "Race For The Kids"

OCT 2 -- On September 29, 2007 108 representatives of the New York Field Division participated in the Big Brothers Big Sisters of New York City Race for the Kids. This race was to benefit the mentoring program that Big Brothers Big Sisters installs in organizations throughout New York City.

At the end of the race, Special Agent in Charge John P. Gilbride stated, “Today was a fun day. Not only did we get to spend some time with our little brothers and sisters, but we were able to share this experience with so many of the NYFD’s family and friends. The Big Brothers and Big Sisters program allows us to reach out to our community and help make a difference in a youth’s life.”

DEA employees, family and friends all gathered early on Saturday morning to walk or run the 5 kilometer race route, followed by a picnic and games for the kids. Currently there are 11 DEA Agents and Intel Analysts in the New York Field Division who mentor a little sister or little brother. Last year, the DEA won an award for having the most team members in the race. There was a lot of pressure and competition this year but DEA won the award for the second year in a row. DEA’s monetary goal was to raise $2,500 for the organization but the NYFD surpassed that amount and raised $6,265.

The Big Brothers and Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring Program is an educational, vocational, and cultural activity program that matches volunteers from an organization with youth aged 10-17 from a local school or community center. The program is based on the highly successful “one-to-one” model used in the core program of the Big Brothers/Sisters organization. The successes of the Workplace Program at other corporations have shown that the “one-to-one” relationship can increase students' self-esteem and improve school performance. The program uses a set curriculum of nine topics, which an organization Program Manager uses to design activities for each organization based on the company’s culture, the children’s interests and needs, and the interests of the volunteers.