Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region today announced its greatest single gift ever, thanks to a donation from philanthropist MacKenzie Scott.
The Harrisburg-based mentorship organization, which recently celebrated its 40th anniversary, said that it will receive $1.1 million from Scott.
“This generous gift will provide opportunities to collaborate and create partnerships so we can expand our services,” said President and CEO Amy Rote. “It’s more than an investment. It is bringing innovation and transformation to mentorship for the youth and families in our region.”
Overall, Scott donated $122.6 million to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, which then allocated a portion of the funds to 38 local agencies, including BBBSCR.
Scott is the former wife of Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos and is regarded as one of the wealthiest individuals in the world with an estimated net worth of $48.3 billion.
Over the past few years, Scott has given away an estimated $12 billion to almost 1,200 groups, including donations to numerous organizations in the greater Harrisburg area.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region now plans to form a constituent committee to determine how best to deploy the funds to support its mission, according to Krystina Shultz, marketing and communications manager.
The need is great. This year, BBBSCR has experienced a significant increase in child applications across their five-county service area–Cumberland, Dauphin, Lancaster, Lebanon and Perry, according to the organization.
“We can’t do this alone, we invite our community to join us and defend the potential of our young people today and for generations to come,” Rote said.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Capital Region, visit their website.
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