Withum is delighted to share that Pete McGuigan, Partner in the Red Bank office, has been honored as Big Brother of the Year by Big Brothers Big Sisters State Association of New Jersey.
Pete was matched with his Little Brother, Daniel, over 12 years ago. Since Daniel was six, he and Pete would adventure locally together, enjoying fun, active activities like playing sports and sledding in the wintertime. It was during these meetings that mentorship happened naturally. Pete would answer questions for Daniel and instill life lessons that stressed the importance of things like education and work ethic. Now a high school graduate, Daniel works two jobs and is looking forward to attending college in the fall.
He and Pete attended the BBBS Association of New Jersey’s Annual Gala on June 3rd in Asbury Park. Pete was honored for his consistent, one-to-one mentorship with Daniel that exceeded expectations since most matches last about three to four years. He was glad to bring several Withum Team Members to the event as well, as part of his goal of exposing more potential mentors to the program.
“I was surprised at how much I got out of it—giving back to the most vulnerable members of our community is fulfilling in ways you might not even expect,” said Pete. “There is a shortage of men who volunteer to be mentors, and I was happy to make such an impact and create a relationship that goes beyond the BBBS program now that Daniel has aged out. To anyone interested, I say: Try it. Give it a shot, and volunteer.” As a board member, he stressed the importance of raising awareness of BBBS among young adults, “I think our folks at Withum would make great Bigs in any of their local agencies.”
BBBS Association of New Jersey’s mission is to ignite potential in local at-risk youth. By designing and executing their unique mentorship program, they make a positive, measurable impact on children’s lives. In the garden state, eight BBBS agencies work on making matches and helping thousands of “Littles” every year. Pete encourages everyone inclined to learn more about being a “Big” or how you can support BBBS. Along with this honor, Pete and Daniel also received a nomination for the 2022 national Big Brother and Little Brother of the Year.