Young Professionals of Knoxville

YPK and Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee recently launched the pilot program of Impact Three, an innovative, three-tiered mentoring program. The program unites young professionals, community leaders, and area youth in yearlong one-to-one mentoring relationships.

During the launch celebration held at Rita’s Ice on Market Square, children from Big Brothers Big Sisters met their young professional mentors and in turn, these YPK members were introduced to their mentors from the board of directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of East Tennessee. 

The mission of Impact Three is to unite young professionals with community leaders and with area youth to develop relationships that encourage personal and professional growth for all of them.  While this year’s pilot program is a partnership with YPK and Big Brothers Big Sisters, there is potential for growth into other non-profit organizations in the future.

“When YPK members developed the Impact Three program, the vision was to help create a well-connected Knoxville made up of successful and impactful young professionals, community leaders and youth,” said Charley Sexton, president of YPK.  “Impact Three is different from other traditional mentoring programs in that the mentoring partnership is three-tiered.”

Impact Three involves the young professional as a mentor. A select group of YPK members are serving as mentors to children from Big Brothers Big Sisters for a period of one year. The young professional will spend one-to-one time with the child 2-3 times a month.

Impact Three also involves the young professional as the mentored. In turn, the board members of Big Brothers Big Sisters will mentor participating YPK members in a one-to-one setting. Young professionals are placed with a board member who has similar career goals.

In addition to meeting their mentors, participating individuals had a chance to bond over “Ice Olympics.”  Sponsored by Rita’s Ice, the “Ice Olympics” was Knoxville’s own version of the winter Olympics, which replaced ice hockey with ice tasting, speed skating with speed eating, and more. Children from the Big Brothers Big Sisters also receive prize packs including items donated by a variety of companies, including Rita's Ice, Tennessee Smokies, American Museum of Science and Energy, Women's Basketball Hall of Fame, Regal Cinemas, Moe's Southwest Grill, Knoxville Botanical Garden, US Cellular, Dane Bradshaw, and Aeropostale.

For more pictures from the event, visit our Flickr page.

Participating YPK members and their mentors include:

• Christine Bell mentored by Erik Ella, Smokey Mountain Tops/Scott Laboratory
• Samantha DeMange mentored by Dale Akins, The Market Edge
  
• Courtney Jones mentored by Chris VanBeke, Voices Heard Media
  
• Sarah Malak mentored by Courtney Henry, Wackenhut
  
• Robbie Pope mentored by Carr Hagan, Lawler Wood Housing
  
• Cameron Puckett mentored by Al Williams, Bush Brothers
  
• Brewnt Watts mentored by Jack Brunidge, US Cellular