ST. CLOUD, Minn. – At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota, the board of directors and advisory council are important parts of the agency, and on Wednesday morning one of the advisory council’s charter members was honored for her work with BBBS.
Dr. Perian Stavrum – who joined the advisory council in its inaugural year in 2016 – was honored Wednesday with a Friend of Youth Award by the St. Cloud Morning Optimist Club. Dr. Stavrum was one of six individuals to receive the award after being nominated by a local agency or nonprofit. The award recognizes outstanding employees or volunteers who have provided assistance to organizations that serve youth in Central Minnesota. As part of her honor, the club will donate $100 to BBBS of Central Minnesota.
“Dr. Perian has been helping and guiding our infrastructure at Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2016, and we are so grateful to have someone with her talent and skillset with our agency,” BBBS of Central Minnesota Executive Director Jackie Johnson said. “Dr. Perian is so deserving of this award, and it was an honor to be with her today as she was honored for her work in helping us find mentors for more local youth.”
Along with being a part of the advisory council since 2016, Dr. Stavrum joined the Strategic Planning Committee in 2019 and she was one of the charter members of the agency’s DEI Committee in 2020. She has been the DEI Committee co-chair since 2021, and uses her voice to help inform best practice in all aspects of DEI work. This spring, she spent 10 hours of her time working with program staff to offer a fresh perspective on the volunteer application process in an effort to help increase the number of volunteer mentors BBBS is able to match with local youth.