Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of GA announced the award of a $500,000 Mentoring for Change grant from the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention. The funds, administered over a three-year period, will support the ongoing mentoring programs managed by the agency that has served local youth for more than 65 years. Last year, BBBS of the Heart of GA recruited 290 new mentors and served 442 at risk children in 15 Central Georgia counties.
 
“In our community, we know that youth are facing numerous challenges. This can help us serve more children in Central Georgia and recruit more volunteers,” said BBBS President Dianna Glymph. “We must start with our younger youth, guiding them along the right path, away from violence such as we have witnessed between our teens recently.”  
 
After 19 years of dedicated service to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of GA, President/CEO Dianna Glymph announced her upcoming retirement from the agency, effective June 30, 2019. Glymph will leave the organization in the capable hands of veteran arts administrator, Betsy Fitzgerald, a seasoned nonprofit leader of social service and arts organizations in the United States and Japan. Previously, Fitzgerald held senior positions with organizations including The Grand Opera House and United Way of Central Georgia in Macon, RiverCenter for the Performing Arts in Columbus, and the Virginia Chorale.
 
“There is an urgent need for the programs that Big Brothers Big Sisters provides our community’s youth. I fiercely defend our children’s potential and believe in their future.
I am honored to continue Dianna’s legacy and to empower the potential of the youth of Central Georgia,” stated Betsy Fitzgerald following her selection in the BBBS leadership role.
 
A passionate community advocate and Macon resident, Fitzgerald has served on numerous boards at the local, state, national, and international levels including the Georgia Arts Network, Goucher Alumni Board of Directors, and the USA International Harp Competition. Fitzgerald’s dedication to youth and the arts inspired numerous accolades including Woman of the Year on Yokota Air Base and a Cultural Award from the Macon Arts Alliance. Fitzgerald holds a Master’s Degree in Arts Administration from Goucher College and earned a Bachelor of Music in Harp Performance from the Eastman School of Music. An accomplished harpist, the new BBBS leader will also serve as Professor of Harp at Wesleyan College, in addition to performing regularly.
 
Fitzgerald encourages “…community members to consider joining me as a volunteer and supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters. There is no greater investment than with our community’s youth. Each one of us can make a significant impact in the future of a child and help our community thrive.”
 
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of GA along with more than 270 Big Brother Big Sisters affiliates across the country, recently unveiled a new, modern look and brand repositioning with a goal of recruiting more diverse volunteers. Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Heart of GA will continue the brand transition with a new, modern, nationwide technology system, participation in new training, and repositioning efforts to recruit local volunteers.