Angels Outfielder Mike Trout Joins Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire in New Partnership

    SANTA, ANA, CA, January 16, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire today announced that Mike Trout, center fielder for the Los Angeles Angels, will become a new ambassador for the local organization. This is a first-time partnership of its kind for Trout, whose primary focus will be educating the community about the impact of Big Brothers Big Sisters' one-to-one youth mentoring programs.

"Mike has talked about positive role models in his life, and this partnership will help us recruit more volunteers for boys who don't currently have a male mentor," said Melissa Beck, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire. "We are eagerly looking forward to a long-term relationship as he helps attract volunteers to match with the hundreds of children on our waiting list."

Trout will lend his support to Big Brothers Big Sisters in several ways to enhance volunteer recruitment efforts, including social media advocacy, marketing and fundraising opportunities.

"The Big Brothers Big Sisters mission works," Trout said. "Their mentors are changing the lives of children in our community every day, and that's why I'm excited to be partnering with them."

"Mike and his family have big hearts. Their passion is obvious," stated Augie Aguilar, Mike Trout's representative. "This partnership allows Mike to team up with a group that shares the same compassion."

As one of the most visible and successful players in Major League Baseball, Trout is a hero and model of success for many kids throughout Southern California. Among his many achievements, Trout was named the American League Most Valuable Player in 2014, is a four-time All-Star and is a two-time All-Star Game MVP since joining the Major League club in 2011. Trout finished the 2015 regular season with a .299 average, 41 home runs, 90 RBIs, 104 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.

This new relationship with Trout marks a major extension of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County's previous activities with the Angels. The nonprofit has been a long-term grant recipient from the Angels Baseball Foundation as well as a two-year Anaheim ACT grantee.

One of the national organization's leading agencies in the country, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire provided more than 3,000 children facing adversity with professionally supported, one-to-one mentoring relationships in 2015. Ninety-eight percent of children in the program graduated high school on time, 90 percent enrolled in college, and 100 percent said their mentors were their biggest influence on pursuing a higher education. For more information, visit ocbigs.org.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County and the Inland Empire
Big Brothers Big Sisters believes that with the support of a caring mentor, every child has the ability to achieve his or her full potential. It is the nation's largest donor- and volunteer-supported mentoring organization, serving a quarter-million children annually. Based in Santa Ana, Calif., the Orange County agency was incorporated in 1958 and works as a local extension of the national effort to make professionally supported, one-to-one matches between mentors ("Bigs") and children ("Littles") facing adversity. Together with the Inland Empire agency, which opened its doors in 2013, the local organization served more than 3,000 children in 2015 through programs that improve the odds of youth performing better in school and avoiding violence and illegal activities. For more information, visit ocbigs.org.

# # #