According to the National Mentoring Partnership, students who meet regularly with mentors are 52 percent less likely than their peers to skip a day of school and 37 percent less likely to skip a class. With a commitment to mentorship in the Milwaukee community, Northwestern Mutual, through its foundation, is partnering with Brewers Community Foundation for its Stolen Bases, Happy Faces campaign benefiting Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee.

Throughout the 2015 major league baseball season, every Milwaukee Brewers stolen base at Miller Park will result in a $1,000 donation to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Proceeds from this campaign directly benefit the organization, which serves more than 1,300 children facing adversity each year.

“This campaign with Brewers Community Foundation highlights our shared commitment to strengthen and improve our community through mentoring children,” said John Kordsmeier, president, Northwestern Mutual Foundation. “Many of our employees give their time and talents to mentoring programs with organizations such as Big Brothers Big Sisters. We believe it helps to foster the growth and development of the youngest members and future leaders of Milwaukee so we are proud to support this organization through this effort.”

“This program is a great example of how business leaders in our community can partner with our hometown team to make a lasting impact in children’s lives,” said Cecelia Gore, executive director, Brewers Community Foundation. “We’re excited for the season to get underway and support a great organization in the process.”

This is the fifth year Northwestern Mutual and Brewers Community Foundation have collaborated on a stolen base program. To date, Northwestern Mutual has donated more than $350,000 through this partnership to focus on youth and their families.

“Big Brothers Big Sisters provides more than friendship. It opens children up to a lifetime of opportunities and experiences they may not have known were available to them,” said Amy Chionchio, president and CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee. “We’re so grateful to Northwestern Mutual and the Brewers Community Foundation for choosing us as their nonprofit partner. We’re excited about the opportunity to expand our mentoring program to more children facing adversity through the funds from this campaign.”

As a company, Northwestern Mutual believes in Milwaukee. This commitment ranges from the construction, development and job growth from the Northwestern Mutual Tower and Commons to investments in education, neighborhoods and cultural organizations and events that significantly improve the quality of life for those living here.