Asheville professional chosen as North Carolina ‘Big Sister’ of the Year

Press Release

Asheville, NC (March 7, 2014) — Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC has announced that Asheville resident Stacey Gellert has been awarded Big Sister of the Year for North Carolina. Stacey has been a Big Sister to Shybrea for almost nine years. Now in her senior year at Roberson High School, Shybrea has been accepted to several colleges and will soon make her choice on which one she will attend this fall.

“Big Brothers and Big Sisters is an amazing organization that helps young children/ young adults with providing them with bright and inspiring elders. Lucky me, I happened to be one of those young adults who got the opportunity to have a wonderful big sister named Stacey for the past 8 years”, said Shybrea. “We have done plenty of outings together such as making homemade food at her place, exercising activities, and spent countless hours bonding over crafts. Without having Stacey as my big sister for the past few years I truly don’t believe I would have come this far in basically all of the necessary skills to help me succeed in my life as it continues.”

The criteria for selection is based upon the degree of positive impact the Big Sister has had on her “Little Sister”, involvement in recruitment of volunteers, promotion of Big Brothers Big Sisters in the community and/or workplace, and support of fundraising efforts. Each State Association Chairperson is in charge of selecting the Big Sister based on the Little Sister’s improvement in academic performance, relationships with family and peers and an overall confidence in reaching future goals.

Robin Myer, Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC, appreciates Stacey’s many contributions over the years. “Stacey truly deserves this honor as she represents the pinnacle of volunteering. She is an outstanding Big Sister, giving 9 years of friendship and guidance to her Little Sister. And she has always helped the program behind the scenes; serving on the Board of Directors and assisting with all of our recruitment and fundraising efforts.  Stacey is a champion for Big Brothers Big Sisters!”

On March 18 at 5:30 pm there will be a ceremony honoring both Stacey and Shybrea in the United Way conference room at 50 S. French Broad Ave. #213, Asheville.

Stacey is now among the nominees competing at the national level for national Big Sister of the Year. If selected, she and Shybrea will be recognized on June 16 – 19, 2014 at the National Conference in Chicago. In previous years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America has been honored with an invitation to the White House to meet and be recognized by the President of the United States.
Besides her commitment as a Big Sister, Stacey also served on the Board of Directors, the local Advisory Council and is currently the Secretary on the Board of Directors. Stacey is the Regional Director at Eastern Outdoor Reps Association for the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions. She lives in West Asheville with her husband, Matthew Gellert.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC

For more than 100 years nationally and 30 years locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a volunteer-driven organization that makes meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers (“Bigs”) and children (“Littles”). Youth in the program are ages 6 through 18, in eight counties across western North Carolina: Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Haywood, Henderson, Macon (Highlands area), Polk, and Swain. BBBS of WNC develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of WNC
The organization strives to achieve positive youth outcomes, by partnering with parents/guardians, volunteers and others in the community, in the areas of:  higher aspirations, greater confidence, and better relationships; avoidance of risky behaviors; and educational success.