The Siouxland chapter of Big Brothers Big Sisters, which provides mentors to kids in parts of Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, has won a national competition and a large cash grant. The agency’s executive director, Rocky Welker, says he’s thrilled they did so well in the Blue Bunny Helmet of Hope contest, to which hundreds of organizations nationwide applied and the list was narrowed to ten.

Each organization in the top five wins 25-thousand dollars, an ice cream party, and their logo will be placed on NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson’s helmet at a race in June. The competition was only open to non-profit organizations that support K-12 public education.

Welker says the 25-thousand dollars will go directly into the chapter’s Lunch Buddies program.

The Siouxland chapter has more than 50 kids on its waiting list and more than 40 of them are boys. Volunteers are asked to commit one year to spending four hours a month with their match. Welker says those four hours make a world of difference to the children, many of whom are considered at-risk or perhaps they have a parent who is incarcerated or deployed in the military. Learn more at: www.bigbrothersbigsisters.com