Wedgewood Launches Workplace Mentoring with BBBSLA in Redondo Beach
BBBSLA to launch a new Workplace Mentoring Program at Wedgewood in Redondo Beach, CA, bringing in 17 students from Hawthorne High School for life, college, and career mentoring.
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles (BBBSLA) will launch a new Workplace Mentoring Program at Wedgewood Inc. in Redondo Beach, CA.
BBBSLA's Workplace Mentoring Program at Wedgewood will bring 17 students from Hawthorne High School to Wedgewood's headquarters once a month throughout the 2018-2019 school year for two-hour mentoring sessions. Sessions include one hour of guided life/college/career curriculum led by BBBSLA staff, followed by an hour of one-to-one mentoring time between Wedgewood employees ("Bigs") and the students ("Littles"). The one-on-one time can be used in a variety of ways including teaching job skills, talking and learning about each other, helping with school and work projects or giving general life guidance.
David Wehrly, Vice President & COO at Wedgewood, is on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. When asked about the upcoming launch, Mr. Wehrly, who championed the program at his company, said "Wedgewood's culture of developing people through education and mentorship dovetails perfectly with the Big Brothers Big Sisters Workplace Mentoring program. Having been a Big Brother since 1988 and personally seeing the benefits of mentoring my Little Brother, I am very excited to soon see the Little Brothers and Little Sisters here, soaking up the office environment and the wisdom of our employee participants. I am also very proud that Wedgewood is the kind of company that participates in programs that bring the talents of our people to others who can benefit. A special thank you to Mayor Alex Vargas, City Manager Arnie Shadbehr and the entire City Council for their help in connecting us with Hawthorne High School, our source for "Littles". As Greg Geiser, our CEO, said when the matches were finalized: 'A lot of young lives just got better'. Thank you to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles for developing this great program."
The Workplace Mentoring Program aims to cultivate a culture of corporate service that has a lasting impact in the lives of both BBBSLA "Littles" (mentees) and our "Bigs" (mentors). The goal is to maximize impact by: 1) changing the lives of underserved youth through one-to-one mentoring, 2) expanding BBBSLA services to children to support them through career training and college access, 3) developing volunteerism at local businesses to support a culture of "giving back" to the Los Angeles community.
Wedgewood is one of 16 companies who will participate in BBBSLA's Workplace Mentoring Program during the 2018-2019 school year. Other sites include CBS, City National Bank, Disney, FOX, ICM Partners, Miracle Mile Advisors, NBC Universal, NFL Network, OneWest Bank, Paramount Pictures, Risk Management Advisors, Sierra Affinity Entertainment, Snapchat, Sony and Union Bank.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Many of the youth in this program come from extremely challenging circumstances at home, at school or in their neighborhood, yet they have enormous potential. With the support of their mentors, these students are beating the odds in BIG ways – many of them being the first in their family to go to college. 96% of the youth who have a Big Brother or Big Sister are graduating from high school and 94% of them are going on to pursue higher education. In addition, mentorship by caring adults has proven effective in significantly increasing self-esteem and decreasing risky behaviors.
Founded by Walt Disney and Meredith Willson in 1955, BBBSLA is a leading non-profit in the Los Angeles community. To learn more, visit http://www.BBBSLA.org, follow on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/bbbsla, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bbbsla and on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/bbbsla.
About Wedgewood
Wedgewood is a leading real estate investment company, specializing in the acquisition and renovation of distressed properties. Founded in 1985, Wedgewood has grown into a diversified, vertically integrated company, expanding its business footprint to include residential rehabilitation, non-performing loans, property management, private lending, brokerage, escrow, and more. The company has over 650 employees and occupies an 86,400 square foot, state-of-the-art headquarters in Redondo Beach, CA.
Contact:
Marcy Manker, Senior Director of Programs
(213) 213-2439
[email protected]
SOURCE Wedgewood
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