MEMBER FOCUS: Athena Gould
“ALL CHILDREN ARE INCREDIBLE. IT IS OUR DUTY as a community to feed and support them,” states Athena Gould, the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Blue Ridge. BBBS, a nationwide non-profit, matches adult volunteer mentors (“Bigs”) with mentees (“Littles”) to facilitate meaningful relationships. Since the organization’s inception, mentorship has been conducted in-person, with Bigs and Littles meeting up once a week to see a movie, play a sport, or do homework. At the onset of COVID-19, as Athena explains, BBBS, like many other businesses, pivoted from face-to-face to virtual services.
“Some matches talk over Zoom, FaceTime, or FB Messenger. However, there have been barriers to incompatible technologies, so my team has had to work very hard to keep Bigs and Littles connected,” Athena notes. Especially for younger children, opening up over the phone or a video call has been challenging. Bigs, though, have come up with creative ways to keep Littles engaged, such as playing MadLibs, UNO, or charades. Some send letters, postcards, or care packages. Others enjoy doing TikTok dance videos together, like Liz and her 12-year-old Little, Samaria.
Beyond recreational activities, Bigs also provide Littles with remote reading and schoolwork assistance. With children’s academic lives being disrupted, Athena mentions how, “Bigs have really stepped up to be that additional support, as many of our kids are separated from their teachers and their peers.” Education and youth development have been the crux of Athena’s professional career. For fifteen years, she has worked for youth-centered nonprofits in New York and Nevada before moving to Charlottesville with her husband and four daughters. As Executive Director of BBBS, Athena has helped countless children and teens grow into their full potential. With opportunity gaps widening due to the pandemic, in the coming months, Athena and her team are expanding their educational outreach. Starting in April, they're launching a virtual mentoring program to give young people access to a range of invaluable tools and resources.
Currently, Athena is in talks with The Budgetnista, an award-winning agency that financially empowers women worldwide. The company’s founder, Tiffany Aliche (who led a virtual luncheon with BBBS last October) has helped over 800,000 women pay off debt and student loans, increase credit scores, and purchase homes. Tiffany and The Budgetnista have been featured on MSNBC, Good Morning America, the TODAY show, FORBES, The New York Times, WSJ, and many other syndicates. Hoping to utilize Tiffany’s expertise on the local level, Athena is chatting with her team to set up an online financial wellness program for middle and high schoolers to help young people lay the foundations to thrive.
As Athena describes, nonprofit collaboration has been critical to better serve families and the broader Charlottesville community. Earlier this spring, BBBS partnered with the Chris Long Foundation to deliver healthy meals that were prepared by local restaurants. The Grub4Good Project was created with a dual purpose in mind: (1) to provide revenue to dining institutions that have been hit hard by the pandemic and (2) offer food relief to folks who needed it most. Over the course of seven weeks, 21 staff members and a group of volunteers dropped off 2,260 meals. Inspired by their impact, 100 BWCMA joined in and donated 300 masks, as well as hand sanitizer.
Under Athena’s leadership, BBBS organized a free online conference series called Mentoring Matters for Adults. Over Zoom, a rotating panel of experts (including CACF’s Eboni Bugg and VA Career Work’s Tom Gillette) addressed pressing questions related to COVID, unemployment, food access, and grant programs. Funding, in particular, has been top of mind for many nonprofits, like BBBS, that have been impacted by the pandemic. With the help of generous donations, agencies can continue providing critical services to keep children and their families safe, fed, and supported during these times. As COVID continues to disrupt our daily lives, Athena is working incredibly hard to ensure that BBBS is sustainable for the future; “We are thankful for those who have supported us. If you’re interested in being a donor or a Big, we’d love to talk with you.”