NEWS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                        DATE: 4/10/07 CONTACT: LESLIE SCHALER, COMMUNICATION ASST., (413) 545-0162   UMASS AMHERST LIBRARIES HOSTS “Faces of Friendship” An Exhibit in Honor of Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Hampshire County Amherst, MA – The UMass Amherst Libraries hosts “Faces of Friendship,” an exhibit in honor of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County in the Learning Commons on the Lower Level of the Du Bois Library through July 31, 2007.  The exhibit features seventeen of the program's "Big/Little" matches, with text and photographs that illustrate the deep connections between them.   A reception will be held on Monday, April 23, from 3:00-5:00 p.m. on the Lower Level of the Du Bois Library.  The event is open to the public and refreshments will be served.  There will be an opportunity to meet the staff, board, and other community members involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters to learn more about the program. “’Faces of Friendship” was curated by Gigi Kaeser and Peggy Gillespie in 2000 to honor the 25th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Hampshire County. Gigi Kaeser is an early childhood educator and photographer. She is co-founder and co-director of Family Diversity Projects and the photographer for all of their projects. She has had photographs published in Teaching Tolerance Magazine, the NAMI Advocate, Rethinking Schools, The New York Times, and The Boston Globe among others. Peggy Gillespieis the Co-Founder/Director of Family Diversity Projects. She is a certified social worker and co-founder and former Assistant Director of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center’s Stress Reduction Program. A graduate of Smith College with a master’s degree from the University of Oklahoma, Ms. Gillespie has worked as a freelance journalist for the past fifteen years. She has written major feature articles for the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine, Redbook, Yoga Journal, and New Woman.   Gigi Kaeser and Peggy Gillespie collaborated on books including Love Makes a Family, Of Many Colors: Portraits of Multiracial Families, and Nothing to Hide: Mental Illness in the Family. The Big Brothers Big Sisters Mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with mentors that have a measurable impact on youth. The exhibit follows the Library hours. For more information about hours call 545-0414 or visit: www.library.umass.edu/hours.html.  The W.E.B. Du Bois Library is open to the public and handicap accessible. For more information, contact Barbara Stewart at stew@library.umass.edu or 413-577-2634.