The event will take place at Agora in Dupont Circle (1527 17th Street NW) from 6:00p.m-9:00pm.  There will be an optional $5 donation at the door and all tips earned by the Bartending 4 Change charity bartenders will go directly to NovaBigs.  In addition, by “Liking” Bartending 4 Change on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/bartending4change) or following @b4cdc on Twitter between now and the event, you’ll have a chance to win a T-shirt or even a free drink on the day of the event.  Agora will also be offering great drink specials to help support the cause, including $3 Efes and $3 Mythos beers, including a host of Turkish food specials until 7pm.  Agora is easy to find at the corner of 17^th & P St., NW, and just blocks away from the Dupont Circle Metro Station.  Agora serves up some of the best Turkish food and drinks in DC!

About NovaBigs

NovaBigs is a mentor-managed, volunteer organization that provides collective and individual support for Big Brother/Big Sister mentoring matches in Northern Virginia.  NovaBigs was the proud recipient of the 2011 Intégrate Volunteer Group Award by Volunteer Fairfax for making a tremendous impact on the local Hispanic community through volunteerism. Forbes annually recognizes Big Brothers Big Sisters as a top ten national charity because of its efficient use of donations (85% fundraising efficiency). In addition, a research study found that, on average, at-risk boys and girls are 46% less likely to use illegal drugs and 53% less likely to skip school when they have a Big Brother/Big Sister mentor.  To learn more about NovaBigs, please visit www.novabigs.com.  Like NovaBigs on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/NovaBigs

About Bartending 4 Change

Bartending 4 Change is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that raises money for DC charities through special events and happy hours. The concept is simple – Bartending 4 Change partners with a local charity to host an event at a local bar or restaurant – and the tips go directly to the partner charity.  Aside from raising money for charities, Bartending 4 Change 1) fosters an environment for networking among charitable-minded groups and individuals in the greater D.C. area, 2) raises awareness and interest in community issues and service, and 3) provides the platform for charities to expand their volunteer base.  To learn more about B4C, please visit www.bartending4change.com, Like B4C on Facebook, and follow along on Twitter.

If you itemize your taxes (mostly if you own a home) your mileage at $0.14 a mile and personal expenses spent on your little are tax deductible. Mileage would include the round-trip miles from your home to your little’s home. Mileage incurred when you went somewhere with your little would need to be prorated as it is a personal expense in part.

For example if it is 10 miles each way from your home to your little’s home and you drive 6 miles round-trip from your little’s home to the movies your mileage deduction would be 23 miles:

-20 miles round-trip from your home to your little’s home
-3 miles to prorate half personal and half for your little to the movies.

Additionally any expenses spent directly on your little would be deductible as an itemized deduction. For example if it costs you $7 each for the movie and you each purchased a $4 popcorn only $11 would be deductible ($7 for your little’s movie and $4 for your little’s popcorn). Your portion of the expenses for when you do something with your little is never deductible.

More information is availalbe at:

http://bbbscapitalregion.org/forbigsonly/index.php

It is appropriate to post general information about your match such as activities you share or highlights of your time together.  Posting a youth’s last name, address or information that might identify them is never appropriate.  For example, an appropriate post would be:  “Today, I am baking cookies with my Little Sister Sam (First Name ONLY) from the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.”

BBBS staff obtain parent/guardian permission to post photos and limited profile information on youth on our website or other agency media outlets such as TV and print.  These are the only acceptable instances for public posting of BBBS program participants.  We do not obtain permission for volunteers to post pictures of their Littles on their personal social media site(s). If you would like to post a picture of your Little on your personal social media page, the agency requests that you respect the privacy of others and obtain your Little’s guardian’s permission before doing so.  In addition, pictures should never be tagged and must display an appropriate activity(s).

Your Little’s Access to Your Social Media Site

Many Littles may want to friend their Big on MySpace or Facebook.  There are two main points to consider before you become friends with a Little or keeping your profile open to the public:

1. You are a role model.  Even though it is perfectly normal adult behavior to go out or attend a party, etc., your Little should not be exposed to pictures or comments that are inappropriate. Keep in mind that people can tag you in pictures and write comments that your Little may see before you can delete them.
2. The BBBS program is designed to develop relationships between Bigs and Littles via one-to-one interaction.  Sharing information with your Little via Social Media can change how your friendship develops.  For example, if your Little’s page/site indicates they are engaged in behavior that puts them in danger such as drinking, doing drugs or cyber bullying, depending on the situation, you may be obligated to take action.  Also, your Little may see personal information that you may not be ready to share with them such as a change in your relationship status or how you feel about school or work.  Sharing this type of personal information could impact the relationship negatively and impede trust from developing.

Comments/Wall Posts

One of the main advantages of Social Media sites is the ability to interact and communicate with other Bigs, either to ask for advice or share experiences.  We support this type of communication when used appropriately without identifying personal information.  There have even been cases in which a former Big or Little has reached out to the online community to find their Little/Big.  In addition, parents/guardians of Littles can also join the Big Brothers Big Sisters online community to offer past and current experiences.  Please remember to always maintain the privacy of Littles and their families.

Facebook Security Setting Recommendations, if you decide to Friend your Little

Go to Privacy Settings:

Select Hide (LITTLE BROTHER or SISTER NAME) this from view for the following items:

• Photos and Videos of Me. Select “Hide Photos and Videos of Me where I am tagged from view of NAME OF LITTLE”.
• Posts by friends
• Comments on posts
• Photo Albums (case by case basis)

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area

Social Media Guidelines for Bigs

BBBS Facebook Fan Page and YouTube

Visit BBBSNCA at www.BBBSNCA.org, Like Us on Facebook, and

See BBBS matches in action! www.YouTube.com/BBBSVolunteers

For additional information, send an e-mail to novabigs [ at ] ymail.com.

If you have several million dollars just sitting around in your bank account you can buy your own football team and watch them perform each Sunday. Don’t have that kind of cash on you at the present time? Well you can still enjoy the thrill of owning your own football team. How? It’s called Fantasy Football.

In Fantasy Football, a group of people get together and draft a collection of football players. Each week you choose a starting lineup and play against another team. Your players are awarded points based on their performance. 1 point for every ten yards rushing, 6 points if a player in your starting lineup scores a touchdown, 3 points when your kicker makes a field goal, etc. If your starting lineup scores more than your opponent’s starting lineup, you win the game and the admiration of all your fans.

I have been doing Fantasy Football with the same league for about 10 years now. We all know each other (friends, co-workers, neighbors) and get together in one room for the annual draft. I found out that Chris, my Little Brother, was as big a sports nut as I am so I invited him to be my partner in this year’s team.

Chris borrowed all my magazines, studied, and made up draft wish lists. Our league chooses individual defensive players so he had to do a lot of research. Come draft day we were prepared. I even let him go solo on some picks. He did GREAT!

Anyway… its been awesome for both of us. We did an Excel spreadsheet together so we could track how many points our guys got that week and how many our opponent got so we know whether we won or not before they e-mail us the results on Tuesday nights.

On most Sundays now, Christian can be found at my house, both of us watching football. He is often parked in front of the computer checking live game stats from ESPN. It’s been a whole lot of fun and full of laughs. And the best part? Our team is 10-2 – we have clinched home field throughout the playoffs. Our Sundays sure do end with a smile after a win : )

If you share a passion for sports with your Little, consider forming a Fantasy Football team together. Even better, when the next football season rolls around, form a league with other Bigs and Littles.

Kids Corner at Michaels Craft Store

A perfect activity for little girls!

Michaels Craft Store has a Kids Corner that is only $2.00 for kids to make a craft. When I went there it was just the kids doing it, but I am sure the Bigs could join too. It took us about 30 minutes or so, there is no time limit, and you can take as much time as you need.

We got to make a heart shaped picture frame. We painted it and decorated it and got to take it home. It is from 10AM-NOON and you can just drop in during that time period to do the craft.

When we went, there were a lot of younger kids, mostly girls, but there were some boys too. We had a lot of fun and you can’t beat that price for an activity that is fun where the little can also take something home that they have made.

Do you and your Little need a few laughs? Well ComedySportz is the answer.

ComedySportz offers family-friendly comedy improv shows similar to TV’s “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” ComedySportz is competitive improv comedy, played as a team sport. The show itself is a match between two teams of “actletes” (or comedians), who duel each other with wordplay, comedic scenes, musical styles, and other fast-paced action all based on audience suggestions. Shows are performed every week on the 3rd floor of the Ballston Common Mall. Every show is energetic, interactive with the audience, and filled with clean comedy that is appropriate for family audiences.

Free Tickets
ComedySportz donates 50 tickets to Most Valuable Kids (MVK) for the first Saturday show each month. Watch for free tickets via e-mail for the monthly performance.

NoVa Bigs

SUBMITTED BY: Chris Tam
LAST UPDATED: February 18, 2005

One of the main reasons I became a Big was because I had people in my life when I was younger who gave me the opportunity to experience different things that I
would not normally have the opportunity to try. One of the prime examples of this was when I would be taken out to experience new foods. In the DC area, there are two particular food experiences I would recommend adventurous Bigs and Littles consider trying. They are Chinese,Dim-Sum and Vietnamese Pho.

Chinese – Dim Sum: China Garden, Rosslyn, VA
Dim sum is the closest thing to what actual chinese people eat, as opposed to “chow mein” and other typical chinese restaurant staples. Dim Sum is a particular type of Chinese lunchtime meal. Also called “yum cha”, which means roughly “drink tea,” dim sum is comprised of a variety of savory pastries — steamed or fried dumplings, filled buns, noodles. There are also sweet pastries, vegetables, meats.

The portions are bite-sized, and they are served in small quantities, usually three or four to a plate, so that the diners can enjoy a variety of foods, whether they eat very little or indulge in a huge feast. Many of the dim sum dishes have shrimp or pork in them.

Instead of ordering what you want and having the food brought to you, typically servers push carts, loaded with a variety of dim sum, through the dining room, past the customers, who keep an eye out for appealing dishes. Once a desired item is in sight, the diner flags down the cart and points out what she wants. The dining room bustles with the activity of carts wending among tables, calls for attention, and the clatter of plates. The idea is to choose things continually throughout the meal, rather than to gather all the food at once before eating.

I have had dim sum everywhere from Canada to San Francisco and found that China Garden offers a solid experience, and is my favorite in the DC area. It is a clean, busy restaurant, which ensures good turnover with dim sum dishes and a comfortable dining experience.

The best time to go, in my opinion, is right at 11:30AM (it is only offered at China Garden on weekends and holidays). You will beat the crowds (which can result in lengthy wait times) and have the freshest dim sum before it runs out. I have found that if a child is relatively open minded, there’s sure to be something that they can eat / will eat.

Vietnamese – Pho: Four Sisters, Falls Church, VA
In contrast to the variety offered by dim sum is pho (roughly pronounced “phuh”). Pho is a traditional vietnamese beef noodle soup dish, which has been around for approximately a century and is a simple delicacy of noodles in a beef-based broth served with beef (brisket, flap, outside flank, tendon, tripe or meatballs) on top along with basil, bean sprouts and limes.

While this sounds simple, you should note that the Vietnamese see making beef stock as a fine art that usually involves the use, not just of meat, but of beef bones (and sometimes chicken bones). And their beef stock will itself be well spiced with salt, pepper, sugar, ginger, anise, and other ingredients. Sacramento restaurateur, chef and cookbook author Mai Pham points out that Vietnamese food offers an
appealing flavor profile to the U.S. palate: “Most of the ingredients are very familiar. It’s fresh and not so spicy. Visually it’s easy to see. It’s not mysterious.”

Four Sisters in Falls Church is located in Eden Center, a large shopping center that features mostly Vietnamese shops. Four Sisters also offers a clean, comfortable dining experience, that will not break the bank.

SUBMITTED BY: Paula Armentrout
LAST UPDATED: May 14, 2006
My little, Alexis, loves to cook. She is very analytical and creative, so cooking is fun for her because we talk about math, chemistry and, although it’s a sensitive topic, I do discuss nutrition and health. She takes great pride in her culinary skills. I now call her the chef and I am her “sous-chef.”

We cook in the winter time, generally, when our choices for outside activities are limited. We share the cost of all the ingredients so we generally decide on the phone what we’ll make, and divide up the shopping list. Then, we go to store and buy the missing ingredients as soon as I pick her up.

Everything we make is from scratch and we make extra so she can take home to her grandmother and sister.

Her Favorite Recipes So Far Are:

Homemade pizza (she loves making the crust)
Homemade popcorn — she had no idea popcorn could be made from scratch vs. microwave bags
Surf & Turf salad — we had to make extra for her neighbor
Homemade low-fat cinnamon rolls

Personalized Cookbook

After we make a dish, if she likes it, then I copy the recipe onto a recipe template I’ve created on my computer for her and decorate it with clipart and fun borders and we put it in the back section of the scrapbook we made together in the designated “Recipe section”. She then has the recipe and can make them for her friends and family, which she has done.