Antwan Phillips believes his life is different today because of the mentors he had growing up. An associate at Wright, Lindsey & Jennings, Phillips didn’t have an official Big Brother through Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arkansas, but he did have two amazing mentors — Virgil Miller and Dean Kumpuris — whom he met through the Arkansas Commitment program. “Both Virgil and Dean had a profound impact on how I decided to pursue my goals and how I interacted in professional settings,” he says. “In fact, I can directly attribute my ability to transition into the corporate culture to Virgil, and I can directly attribute my decision to go to law school to the advice of Dean. They were, and still are, my Big Brothers.” It’s these positive mentor experiences and Debbie Knight’s invitation in 2009 that led Phillips to join the board of BBBSCA in 2010. Now, along with fellow board member Michael Irvin, he is co-chairing the BBBSCA Toast & Roast honoring Downtown Partnership Executive Director Sharon Priest. Below, Antwan shares more about the important role BBBSCA plays in our community.
Soirée: How exactly does the Big Brothers Big Sisters program work?
Antwan Phillips: Our “Bigs” serve as mentors to “Littles” in either the community-based program or school-based program. The community-based program is the traditional mentoring program that most people associate with becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister. The Bigs spend time with their Littles for two or three hours, two or three times a month in the community. The community-based program matches Bigs with Littles who are between the ages of 6 and 14. The school-based program matches a Big with a Little that is in elementary school. The Big and Little meet a few times a month in a one-on-one setting at a school-centered activity, such as lunch or field trips. Our great staff at BBBSCA is there to assist mentors in both the community-based and school-based programs. For more info about volunteering with the organization, visit BBBSCA.org/volunteer. For more info about donating, visit BBBSCA.org/donate.
How can people get involved?
We are always looking for volunteers to serve as Bigs. As one would imagine, the number of families who contact BBBSCA for mentors far outweighs the number of volunteers. So we have a waiting list of children who are in need of a Big. Attending our events or supporting the BBBSCA through donations are also great ways to be involved, as charitable donations and grants are the lifeblood of our match program. With your support, whether financial or as a volunteer, we can reach more children who are in desperate need of positive role models. These kids struggle to find their way through the most influential years of their lives with little or no support system at home. BBBSCA offers a support system that fosters confidence, self-worth and the ability to make smart, life-altering choices.
Tell us more about the upcoming Toast & Roast honoring Sharon Priest.
The Toast & Roast is our largest and most popular annual event, which honors one of our community leaders or local celebrities. It’s a great event with a three-course dinner, silent and live auctions, and of course, the roasting of our honoree. This is a historical year for the Toast & Roast because Mrs. Priest is the first female honoree, and that makes me especially excited to be a co-chair. As co-chairs, Michael and I will serve as liaisons between the honoree, our board, our staff and our donors to ensure this will be the best Toast & Roast to date. All proceeds will directly BBBSCA in our efforts to provide children with strong mentor relationships that will change the trajectory of their lives.
BBBSCA Toast & Roast
When: 6 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 29 | Where: DoubleTree Hotel
Tickets + Info: 374-6661, ADavis@BBBSCA.org