SIDNEY – The Community Foundation of Shelby County recently awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County a grant to assist with the purchase of Chromebooks and docking station for its Career Quest program.

Career Quest is a partnership with Sidney High School’s Opportunity School that offers one-to-one mentoring for youth to develop hope, build skills and prepare for future careers in the community.

Career Quest invests in the workforce by creating pathways in manufacturing, construction and health with local partners to assist youth with skills and services necessary to reach their maximum potential. Career Quest provides pathways for success to post-secondary education by partnering with Rhodes State College and Edison State Community College to provide evidence-based curriculum, field experiences, internships, job shadowing and the opportunity to receive a credential and/or college credit.

Career Quest teaches financial well-being for work and life via the Federal Reserve Bank’s “Keys to Financial Success” curriculum. Students learn the knowledge, skills and processes required to make sound financial decisions and manage their own personal finances. Lessons engage students in critical thinking, problem solving and decision-making.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Shelby & Darke County’s mission is to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Its vision is for all children to achieve success in life.

One-to-one mentoring programs provide support, activities, education, and most importantly, a mentor for children who may be considered at-risk thanks to donations like that from The Community Foundation of Shelby County.

Big Brothers Big Sisters is a non-profit United Way partner agency with more than 25 children waiting to be matched with a caring adult. Ten of those children are specific to the Career Quest program and volunteers are needed from 3-7 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Anyone who would like to become an event sponsor, donor, volunteer or learn more about how to make a difference in a child’s life, contact the local agency at 937-492-7611, 937-547-9622 or go to www.bigbrobigsis-shelbydarke.org for more information.