New Program Introduces STEM Careers, Inspiration, to at-Risk Middle School Girls

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Apr 16, 2015, 11:00 ET

SAN DIEGO, April 16, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Millennium Health and Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County announced today the launch of a new program, Beyond School Walls STEM Sister-2-Sister, focused on providing at-risk youth in San Diego with curriculum designed to get them excited about entering the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The program is the first of its kind in San Diego providing one-to-one mentoring, paired with a STEM-based curriculum, to underserved girls from Del Dios Academy of Arts and Science, while helping deter them from gang and drug-related activity.

Big Sister Cosima San (Senior Recruiting Coordinator, Human Resources, Millennium Health) and Little Sister Nakaiya (6th grader at Del Dios Academy of Arts and Science). The pair bond during a one-to-one mentorship session with Millennium Health and Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego's Beyond School Walls STEM program.

"Having daughters of my own, I understand the importance of broadening the girls' exposure to the sciences, helping them explore their talents, and building their sense of confidence and value," said Brock Hardaway, CEO, Millennium Health. "Every child should have the opportunity to reach her full potential, and with the help of our dedicated team of employees who have become Big Sisters, we hope to make a significant, positive impact in these girls' lives."

During the year-long program, the Littles are bussed to Millennium's headquarters in Rancho Bernardo twice a month to meet with their Bigs. The group participates in a 30-minute STEM activity, followed by an hour of one-to-one mentorship.

Millennium's support of the program comes as recent crime statistics point to a disturbing trend in San Diego. According to a 2012 National Gang Intelligence Center report, in San Diego County, juvenile prostitution is the second most profitable gang activity, surpassed only by drug dealing. Gangs prey on vulnerable pre-teen girls who have low self-esteem and a dysfunctional home life. A strong positive female mentor can help improve self-esteem, provide a safe outlet for challenges in the home or at school and motivation to succeed academically.

"Children in middle school are at a crossroads regarding choices about their education," said Deborah Condon, president and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County. "Offering children a glimpse of a fascinating world where they may find a future, while giving them confidence that they are capable of reaching their goals, can change the trajectory of their aspirations and engagement. Caring corporate partners, such as Millennium Health, are conduits for helping children thrive."

In November 2014, Millennium announced the support to launch Beyond School Walls STEM in San Diego. In addition to the program hosted at Millennium's headquarters focused on girls, Millennium intends to partner with five other biotechnology and technology companies throughout the county to help even more boys and girls gain access to STEM-focused curriculum and mentoring. Qualcomm, Cisco and Biocom are the first organizations to join Millennium in the partnership. For more information on how to host a Beyond School Walls STEM site at your organization, please contact Amy Myers ([email protected], 619-807-5814).

Big Brothers Big Sisters helps strengthen communities by helping children realize their potential and build their futures by fostering nurturing, one-to-one relationships between children and mentors. Recent research shows that the program has reaching and lasting impact on the community. After 18 months of spending time with their Bigs, the Little Brothers and Little Sisters, compared to those children not in the program, were 46 percent less likely to begin using illegal drugs; 27 percent less likely to begin using alcohol; 52 percent less likely to skip school; 37 percent less likely to skip a class; and 33 percent less likely to hit someone.

About Big Brothers Big Sister
For more than 50 years, Big Brothers Big Sisters of San Diego County has operated under the belief that every child has the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters helps children achieve measurable positive outcomes, including educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; higher aspirations; greater confidence; and healthier relationships. By partnering with parents and guardians, schools, corporations and other community members, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") to monitor and support one-to-one mentoring matches that build safe, enduring relationships.

Big Brothers Big Sisters provides support for children facing adversity, often from single or low-income households or families where a parent is incarcerated or serving in the military. Locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters serves children ages 7-18 through seven distinct programs: Amachi (a program for children with an incarcerated parent), Bigs in Schools & High School Bigs (after school 1:1 mentoring), Community Mentoring (the traditional 1:1 mentoring program), Operation Bigs (a program serving children whose active military parents are deployable), Beyond School Walls (workplace mentoring) and Sports Bigs (a sports and active lifestyle mentoring program). Learn how you can positively impact a child's life, donate or volunteer today at www.SDBigs.org, or call 858-536-4900.

About Millennium Health
Millennium Health is a leading health solutions company that delivers accurate, timely information to inform the right treatment decisions for each patient at the right time. The company shares a unified belief that everyone has the right to safe and effective treatment and aims to deliver on that idea by providing payers and clinicians with effective tools and information to reach that goal. Millennium Health offers a comprehensive suite of services including The RxAnte System, Millennium PGT^SM and Millennium UDT^SM, that can be used to better tailor patient care. More information can be found at www.millenniumhealth.com.

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SOURCE Millennium Health, LLC