Board Chair Guillermo ‘Willy’ Gomez takes the Outstanding Board Member Award, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward wins a Platinum Award for top-quality programing

 

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County Board Chair Guillermo “Willy” Gomez won the prestigious Clifford P. Norman Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, recognizing his successful efforts as the Broward agency’s top leader.  Gomez was selected out of thousands of board members across Big Brothers Big Sisters agencies nationwide.

“Willy has given his heart and soul to Big Brothers Big Sisters for many years as a dedicated, forward-thinking board member and a Big Brother for more than three decades,” said Malena Mendez, President and CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward.  “His board leadership has enabled our agency to grow and focus on the transformative mentoring relationships that define our agency. We are so proud of Willy. He very much deserves this recognition.”

Gomez became a Big Brother to Aldo when Aldo was just 13.  They are still close 30-plus years later. The impact of his relationship with Aldo prompted him to join the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County in 2021. He stepped into the role of board chair in 2022.

Since then, he has played a pivotal role in the growth and stability of the agency. Working with the CEO and the board of directors, Willy conceived of and launched the Road to 3,000 initiative with the goal of serving 3,000 youth in need of a mentor in the Broward County community. He also led the board through an effective strategic planning process, mapping out the future of the organization. Also, under his watch, the agency launched an upgraded and reimagined Déjà Vu gala fundraiser, which celebrated the 50^th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County. The event brought in more than $400,000 as well as $171,000 in in-kind contributions.

In addition to Gomez’s award, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward received the Platinum Award at the Big Brothers Big Sisters of America national conference.  The Platinum Award recognizes growth and impact of match relationships demonstrating the hard work of agency leadership and staff. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward took this award because of its excellent retention rate of Big/Little matches as well as for its overall growth of active matches and increase in children matched, particularly within the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, people of color) community.

For more than 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County has offered unprecedented access to resources, empowering youth to reach their full potential through meaningful mentoring relationships. These mentoring relationships build self-confidence and emotional well-being, encourage young people to stay on a path to graduation and higher education, and help them establish a plan for a successful future. The mission of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Broward County is to ignite the power and promise of youth.  For more information, visit www.bbbsbroward.org.