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BRIAN HASSETT
PRESIDENT OF BIG BROTHER BIG SISTER OF AZ

Brian Hassett was just a teenager when he first volunteered to be a mentor for Valley Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“Back then I was 18, and it was strongly suggested by my basketball coach that I be a Big Brother,” he says. “Initially, I didn’t really want to do it.”

Through the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization, Hassett was matched with a young boy who was having a difficult life and was in need of a positive role model.

“It was a real eye opener for me…I realized it seemed like I was making a bit of a difference to him through simple stuff,” he says.

Today, Hassett has gone from volunteer to president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Arizona.

There are about 2,500 kids in the Valley with mentors in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and there are about 500 more on a waiting list, most of them boys. Besides running the organization, securing funding and creating new programs, it’s Hassett’s job to help encourage volunteers.

“More often than not the Big Brothers and Sisters say they think they are getting more out of it than they are giving,” Hassett says. “It becomes such an important part of their lives, and it’s such a simple thing to do.”

By Shanna Hogan

1. Guitar painted by a local artist named Michael Levine. In February, Big Brothers Big Sisters will auction off 15 artistic guitars to raise money for the organization. “To me (the guitar) is an image that conveys youthfulness and attracts people to what we are doing. It’s a unique way to get your attention.”
2. Photograph from when Hassett played in the Phoenix Open in 1997.
3. Mini guitar replicas from the 2005 Big Brothers Big Sisters Guitarmania public art project, where 100 10-foot guitars were painted by celebrities and auctioned off to raise nearly a million dollars. “It was really kind of a wild project.”
4. Boy Scouts of America award. “That’s like the highest award they give – the Silver Beaver award. I don’t know why they gave it to me.”
5. Article from when Hassett left his position as head of the United Way in Massachusetts five years ago.
6. A flyer for an upcoming Fleetwood Mac concert. “We’ve done stuff with Stevie Nicks. She’s been real supportive.”

7. Broken guitar neck that was vandalized during the Guitarmania project. “The police That’s why I kept it; it looked cool.”
8. Guitar painted by British cartoonist and caricaturist Ralph Steadman, who is best known for working with famed journalist Hunter S. Thompson. “It’s titled Gonzo, for Hunter S. Thompson. He (Ralph Steadman) doesn’t release original art, so it’s really unique.”
9. Photo of Hassett’s daughter, a former dancer.
10. Original Golden Rule book, published in 1933. The United Way was once known as the Golden Rule Society. “It’s amazing how little has changed. Back then they were trying to do the same things we’re trying to do now.”
11. Coach of the year award from the Boys and Girls Club.
12. Eagle figurine from Niagara University, Hassett’s alma mater.
13. Joke book. “I do a lot of public speaking, so it’s always helpful to know a good joke or two.”
14. Photograph of Hassett’s son, who plays college basketball.