Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters "Littles" Explore Pharmacy Career Options At UConn.

On a recent Saturday, seven sixth graders from the Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters youth mentoring program at the Windham Middle School took a day-long road trip that was both fun and thought-provoking. The children were accompanied by their UConn student mentors, Allison Holst-Grubbe, Site-Based Supervisor for Nutmeg and Dr. Andrea Hubbard, Dean of the UConn School of Pharmacy.

The first stop was at the pharmacy in the Target store in Lisbon, where the children learned how retail pharmacists utilize a unique blend of medical knowledge and people skills to communicate to and serve customers. Next on the itinerary was a visit to the University of Connecticut's School of Pharmacy in Storrs, where the young visitors were treated to pizza, beverages and cupcakes. Next, the children were given a presentation by UConn Pharmacy students on pharmacy as a career and the role of the pharmacist in quality health care. Later, the children and their mentors participated in a lab experience conducted by UConn Pharmacy students and supervised by UConn Pharmacy faculty.

"All in all, it was a very successful day," said Allison Holst-Grubbe. "The children asked our hosts at Target and also at the School of Pharmacy a number of great questions. An added benefit of the trip was that the children got to see the University of Connecticut - the school their mentors attend - for the very first time. Hopefully, it planted a seed in their heads about possibly attending college themselves and maybe even pursuing a pharmacy career."

"We've been placing more and more emphasis on academic enrichment in our mentoring programs," said Andy Fleischmann, President and CEO of Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters. "This great set of hands-on pharmacy activities was an excellent complement to our efforts. We are very grateful to the Target Foundation, to the University of Connecticut's School of Pharmacy and to the University's Office of Community Outreach for making this educational opportunity available to the children in our Windham Middle School mentoring program."

In addition to Windham Middle School, Nutmeg also manages mentoring programs at Windham Center School, North Windham School, Sweeney Elementary School, Natchaug Elementary School, CREC's Academy of Aerospace & Engineering in Bloomfield, CREC's Public Safety Academy in Enfield and at Comcast's Western New England Regional Office in Berlin. Other site-based mentoring programs are being planned.

Nutmeg Big Brothers Big Sisters is an affiliate of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, the longest established youth mentoring organization in the world - founded in 1904. Help Nutmeg save young lives by volunteering for, donating to or partnering with the organization. Like Nutmeg on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/NBBBS. Follow Nutmeg on Twitter://www.twitter.com/BBBSNutmeg. Visit Nutmeg's website: www.nutmegbigbrothersbigsisters.org.