One of the rewarding outcomes of mentoring a child is watching them develop their talents in school and the community. For one Little in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program at Fillmore, these talents can showcase one’s passion in changing the world for the better, locally.

Diego Rodrigues, a Little in our Big Brothers Big Sisters school-based mentoring program in Fillmore was honored for his talents and won 3rd place in the "Get The Green" video and photo competition.

"Get The Green" is national competition that received over 300 entries from teens across the United States. As last year’s winner of the contest, Diego received a $300 cash reward to purchase a Gopro camera, which can be used for under water video production. This year he used his new camera to produce a video entitled, “Get The Green - What this Means To Me". As part of his winnings, Diego was awarded $200 to fund his trip to "VidCon" a video conference where he will be able to learn new and exciting video production techniques.

The competition was made possible by the Hispanic Communications Network which facilitated the contest by providing transportation, adult hiking guidance and supplies for students from the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ventura County mentoring program in Fillmore.

Recently, Diego along with the other contest winners and their families met at the Angeles National Forest Supervisor's Office in Arcadia, California to receive their awards. They also had the chance to meet Woodsy Owl and Smokey the Bear.

Diego who has been in the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program for four years and said he likes making videos that inspire others to participate in nature because spending time in nature is exciting and adventurous.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters
For more than 100 years nationally and 40 locally, Big Brothers Big Sisters has operated under the belief that inherent in every child is the ability to succeed and thrive in life. As the nation’s largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring network, Big Brothers Big Sisters makes meaningful, professionally supported matches between responsible, adult volunteer mentors called Bigs and children called Littles, ages 6 through 18, in communities in Ventura County and across the country. We develop positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. Learn how you can positively impact a child’s life by visiting www.bbsvc.org.