PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — Big Brothers Big Sisters has named Jim Roolf America’s Big Citizen 2009.
Roolf, a 57-year-old Joliet, Ill., banker, is the winner of an online contest held in January in recognition of Mentoring Month, where people across the country nominated and voted for big-hearted Americans who are doing extraordinary things to help vulnerable children in their communities.
“Jim’s leadership in our community truly does make a difference for the children and the whole community,” Lisa Morel Las, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties said.
“We always need volunteers to be Big Brother or Big Sister mentors, but we also need philanthropists, community organizers and community leaders like Jim Roolf to assure that we have the financial resources to continue to serve children in Will and Grundy counties.”
One of seven children of a Pittsburgh sheet metal worker, Roolf lost his mother to cancer when he was 14. He won a football scholarship to University of Notre Dame, where he studied sociology.
After graduation, when he became a juvenile case worker with South Bend, Ind., Youth Services Division, Roolf became frustrated and disappointed, unable to solve the problems at the root of his clients’ issues.
Then he met a banker who suggested Roolf’s compassion could be useful in banking.
Today, as president of Joliet’s First Midwest Bank, Roolf uses his time, talent and influence to improve the lives of children and families in his community. Roolf spearheads pivotal economic development initiatives, such as improving low-income housing and transportation.
He currently is working to put together a group of bankers to provide money for bridge loans for small business owners and headed a capital campaign to raise money for a new building for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties.
He has served on countless boards and led numerous philanthropic initiatives. On or off the job, he is constantly reminded of why he works so hard to help others, particularly the children in his community.
“Recently we did a second-half kickoff press conference for our capital campaign for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Will and Grundy Counties on local cable TV. We introduced a 9-year-old boy and kind of put him on the spot on live TV by asking him to tell everyone what he likes about being a ‘Little.’
“He put his head down and for what must have been 25 seconds, there was silence. Then as he lifted his head, a tear streamed down his cheek, and he said, ‘My Big Brother picks me up when I’m down. I love him as if he were my dad.’”
“That’s why I do what I do”, Roolf said.
It’s also why Big Brothers Big Sisters is proud to name him America’s Big Citizen. Jim Roolf will be honored at a Big Celebrity dinner to be held in his honor in Miami in June.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters
Big Brothers Big Sisters helps vulnerable children beat the odds. The organization depends on donations to help recruit volunteers and reach more children.
Funding is used to conduct background checks on volunteers to ensure child safety; and provide ongoing support for children, families and volunteers to build and sustain long-lasting relationships.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is proven to increase children’s odds of succeeding in school, behaving nonviolently, avoiding drugs and alcohol, and breaking negative cycles.
Headquartered in Philadelphia Big Brothers Big Sisters has nearly 400 agencies across the country.
Big Brothers Big Sisters serves more than a quarter million children. Learn how you can change how children grow up in America by going to www.BigBrothersBigSisters.org.