Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire (BBBS OC/IE) held a special ceremony on Wed., May 21, 2025, at the organization’s Santa Ana headquarters to unveil a one-of-a-kind wall mural celebrating the life-changing impact of mentorship.
The vibrant, custom, billboard-sized artwork is positioned prominently with visibility to more than 100,000 people traveling by the building daily as well as those visiting the organization.
“We all take pride in being part of a national organization that’s been making a difference for over 120 years. At the heart of BBBS is a simple but powerful belief that young people have the power to change the world,” said BBBS OC/IE CEO Sloane Keane. “This mural is a call to action. It’s a strong visual reminder of what’s possible when we come together.”
Special certificates of recognition were presented to both mural creator Carla Roque and Keane by the representatives of U.S. Congressman Lou Corea, State Senator Tom Umberg and State Assemblymember Avelino Valencia. The certificates cited the importance of the organization’s mission to ignite the power and promise of the next generation through mentoring.
Also in attendance were representatives of the Orange County Business Council, the Orange County Chamber of Commerce, the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, Hispanic 100 and OneOC.
Under the guidance of local artist and illustrator Roque (based in Fullerton), the mural was created with the help of seven pairs of BBBS OC/IE Bigs and Littles in an engaging opportunity to take part in the creative process.
“When I was first invited to bring this vision to life, I knew I wanted the Littles—our youth—to see themselves in this artwork,” noted Roque. “I wanted them to feel seen, celebrated and empowered every time they looked at it. Because that’s what mentorship does. It tells a young person: you matter.”
There is currently a waiting list of more than 100 Littles eager to be matched with a mentor, and the organization is actively seeking volunteers. Learn more at https://www.ocbigs.org/volunteer and https://www.iebigs.org/volunteer.