Hofstra Alum "Bigs" Support "Littles" At Big Brothers Big Sisters

Garden City NY

12 April, 2021

8:41 AM

Description

James C. Metzger, founder, chairman and CEO of The Whitmore Agency in Garden City, has shared a total of six figures in financial support during the COVID-19 pandemic among five Long Island organizations, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island (BBBSLI). The donations honor his friend, Colonel E. David Woycik, Jr., (Ret.) United States Army and a senior trial partner concentrating on personal injury, construction, highway design and toxic torts at The Sanders Law Firm in Mineola. Metzger and Woycik are Hofstra University alumni. So is Mark Cox, who is the chief executive officer of BBBSLI. The pandemic has affected nonprofits on Long Island and across the country, causing declines in donations, fewer volunteers and disruption of services. “We need to get back to where we were at the beginning of last year to help the youth of Long Island,” said Cox. “We focus on youth from ages seven to 16. The lockdowns have eliminated our one-on-one meetings at schools, impacting our programs between mentors and our children at a critical stage in their lives.” Metzger and Woycik are connected through Hofstra University alumni organizations. Metzger supports many youth education and athletic programs, along with other community programs, throughout the New York metropolitan area. Woycik has been involved with BBBSLI for more than 30 years, helping grow the organization’s commitment to the Long Island community. He is past-president of BBBSLI and he created an endowment program that has raised substantial funds for children in need. The BBBSLI Nassau headquarters building at 25 Carle Road in Westbury is named in his honor. New Leadership Program The plans for BBBSLI, besides the primary goal to restore its successful one-on-one mentoring programs, include the creation of a leadership initiative that invites speakers to provide the boys and girls of Long Island with encouragement that will help boost their confidence for success in the classroom and in their communities. Woycik, who has developed similar programs for Hoftra University Athletics and the Hofstra University Maurice A. Deane School of Law, is committed to the success of this new BBBSLI initiative. Incorporated during 1977, BBBSLI has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and shine. The organization’s mission is to create and support one-to-one mentoring relationships that ignite the power and promise of youth by fostering meaningful, professionally supported matches between adult volunteers (Bigs) and children (Littles). For more information about the programs offered by BBBSLI, contact 516-731-7880 in Nassau County. BBBSLI’s Suffolk County location is 145 Sycamore Avenue in Islandia and can be reached by calling 631-273-1469.