Carlos Bates shows up Big for his Little.

Our favorite stories to share are about V Teamers making a difference in the community. As V Teamers we take personal accountability for getting things done. This is evident in our work, and for many V Teamers, in our personal efforts to make the world we live in a little better every day. One example of this is Carlos Bates, a senior contract administrator on the Network team, a Verizon Purpose Coin Champion and a mentor or “Big” with the Big Brothers Big Sister Sun Coast in Florida.

Carlos has made it his mission to better the lives of children in his community by raising awareness and fundraising opportunities for the BBBS Sun Coast Chapter. He participates in a number of initiatives as a local spokesperson and Verizon Volunteer Event Champion, sponsoring events that we can all participate in through the Citizen Verizon Volunteers portal.

Carlos shared, “When we help others we grow into the people we need to be. When we choose to help, forgive, or listen to one another it can be profound and life-changing. Those simple acts of kindness can transform someone's life in a way that can only be described as a blessing. Sometimes what appears to be small to us, is big to someone else.”

In his continued efforts to bring a shining light to the program, Carlos worked with the BBBS National chapter to create a video inspiring others to consider mentoring a young person.

Acting as a mentor to a child has a huge and lasting impact on their lives. According to the Big Brother Big Sister organization, more than 70% of the kids waiting for a mentor are young, minority boys. Mentoring.org shares that children with adult mentors are 55% less likely to skip school, 78% more likely to become volunteers themselves and 130% more likely to hold leadership roles in their future. This is why the time and effort Carlos is putting into his goals to help children is so important. Even with the challenges of Covid-19, Carlos continued to look for creative ways to continue fostering his relationship with his “Little Brother”.

There’s still time to get involved. Often what these kids lack is exposure to the possibilities of their potential futures. Carlos is helping to coordinate a "Special Guest Speaker" event through the Beyond School Walls Program. This program runs through April 2022 on the Citizen Verizon Volunteers portal, pairing kids with mentors who discuss their life and work experiences, to give them the benefit of their life lessons learned.

Are you or someone you know doing something in the community that you can share? Tell us about it at good@verizon.com

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