Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western Upper Peninsula has partnered with the Copper Shores Giving Tuesday campaign for all 10 years of its run, and the support has helped the nonprofit rebuild its mentoring programs after the pandemic.
Growing up can be scary for anyone at any age. Learning about your place in the world and community becomes easier with a friend or mentor. For years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Western Upper Peninsula has helped children in the region find mentors, including mentors close to their own age.
Maggie Munch, director of programs for the western U.P. Big Brothers Big Sisters, said the organization’s mentoring programs are guided. Professional staff guide mentors and volunteers through the process and support families and children along the way.
“And our mentoring programs are guided mentoring. They’re supported through professional staff that guide our mentors and volunteers through this process, support families and children in this process. And everything we do is about time. Not only are volunteers spending time with kids, but time that we invest in supporting these matches,” Munch said.
Munch said Giving Tuesday funds were a lifeline during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, many Big Brothers Big Sisters chapters have struggled to find new mentors and to make sure children know about the program. The Western Upper Peninsula has stood out for rebuilding its connections, even earning national recognition from the national organization this year.
“To rebuild was very difficult for us. Without support from campaigns like this and Copper Shores, we might have had to close our doors. We’ve seen a lot of Big Brothers Big Sisters across the country do that. They’re not bouncing back as quickly. Or the larger agencies in large cities are really struggling right now still to rebuild their programming,” Munch said.
Giving Tuesday also helps Big Brothers Big Sisters run in-school programs that connect elementary students with high school students. The peer-to-peer approach gives mentoring relationships a more relatable feel. Munch said mentoring gives children another caring adult who can help them build confidence.
Munch also pointed to the broader value of mentoring in a time of isolation.
“You know, there’s an epidemic of loneliness in society in this day and age. This is connecting people, building strong, healthy, positive relationships, helping both the volunteer and the child to build those skills that it takes to build a positive, healthy relationship. Those people skills and mentoring, it’s all kind of part of building a stronger social infrastructure for our community. And, you know, we do see results, positive results with that,” Munch said.
Giving Tuesday raised close to $30,000 for the organization in 2025. Munch hopes the program continues to support a wide range of causes that affect families, individuals, seniors and children. Over 10 years, Copper Shores has centralized nonprofit donations and built on the campaign each year.
Readers can learn more about the nonprofits taking part in Giving Tuesday in 2026 here. Find the Copper Shores Giving Tuesday donation portal online.
Comments