Elijah’s grandmother prayed that a mentor would come into her grandson’s life. With both his mom and dad out of the picture, he didn’t know how to deal with the extraordinary loss in his life. Instead, he acted out in school. He was even expelled from kindergarten. His grandmother was at a loss as to what to do next, and then he was matched with Big Brother Jamie.
When Big Sister Ann first volunteered to become a Big, she envisioned being matched with a Little Sister. But the waiting list for Big Brothers is often much longer than the waiting list for Big Sisters, so she was matched through BBBS of Middle Tennessee with Little Brother Darius, a confident and positive 11-year-old who plans to go to Vanderbilt University.
In the middle of last season, Little Brother Aden’s basketball coach quit the team. Without a coach, they wouldn’t be able to play the rest of the season, so Big Brother Kevin stepped up and became the new coach. In the process, he showed his Little Brother what true commitment means.
Little Sister Breyonne’ is a 12-year-old activist and philanthropist. In fifth grade, she saw that her route home from school was dangerous, so she tried to secure a crossing guard. “All my friends walk home from school, and I did not think it was safe,” she says. “Some have to walk over a mile home and cross busy streets.” She didn’t just talk to the principal. With her Big Sister, she took her fight to the City Council.
Kenneth Cole Fragrances, in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, will share the stories of heroic Big Brothers to inspire others and encourage everyone to take action in their community.
That night, Lavonte led BBBS of the Midlands Littles and Littles on the waitlist through a mini football camp called “Football Fun with Lavonte.” In groups, Littles rotated through five stations, some run by local high school football staff and players and one run by Lavonte, who worked with kids individually at his station.
When former NFL tight end Konrad Reuland died at age 29 of a brain aneurysm in December, his family knew right away that he would want them to find a way to help youth, which he cared deeply about his whole life.
A concert can be a unique experience for matches. Big Sister Sharon, who volunteers with BBBS of Monmouth & Middlesex Counties, and Little Sister Melissa attended a concert together in February and had an unforgettable time. The two saw indie pop band Astro Lasso along with We The Kings, Cute Is What We Aim For, and Plaid Brixx.
Cory, an accounting and finance supervisor with Comcast in Pittsburgh, is a Big through Beyond School Walls, a program that matches youth with Comcast NBCUniversal employees who mentor them a couple of times a month at their workplace. He has been a Big for seven years, since the program started in his office.
Jason says he feels a responsibility to help kids in his community, and to help his 15-year-old Little Brother, Yousif, see that he can succeed in America. Jason’s dad modeled hard work for Jason when he was growing up. “He had a degree where he was from, but he worked long, long hours in Detroit, picking up glass bottles outside of the liquor store and recycling them for the owner,” Jason says. Eventually, he became a salesman, and then a manager. Now, he is the general manager of a wine store.
