Ellen & Brianna

Friday, September 8, 2006 was a very special day for Big Sister Ellen Oakes and her Little Sister Brianna; it was the first day they went out together as a new match in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.  The evening's agenda consisted of mini-golf at Fenway Golf and dinner at Friendly's.  Even after three years together, both Ellen and Brianna still remember that first get together right down to the twist soft-serve ice cream!

 

Three years ago, Brianna's mother Carmen enrolled her in the program at the age of seven.  Trying to balance school, employment, and a household with three children, Carmen was concerned that Brianna wasn't getting enough one-to-one attention at home.  Having a Big Sister seemed like a great way to give her a consistent, positive adult to look up to. 

 

Now, Brianna is ten years old and in the fifth grade at Zanetti School in Springfield.  After careful deliberation, she decided that her favorite subject is math.  They're currently working on the GCF and LCM. Fortunately, Brianna was able to explain that those abbreviations refer to the greatest common factor and the least common multiple respectively.  Otherwise, there was all the potential for that conversation to become a moment from Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader? 

 

Talking to Brianna, one can easily feel how important Ellen is to her.  "I get to have fun and get to do stuff I don't normally get to do.  I really have an amazing time.  We go places like shopping and even to other states. I get excited about what we're going to do, and I want to be matched with Ellen forever."  Simply and humbly stated, but Ellen adds, "Brianna is much better at making decisions.  She's more confident than she was at 7 years old and is able to decide what she wants. Brianna is a charming, energetic, and enthusiastic child."

 

Ellen actually got involved in Big Brothers Big Sisters over five years ago.  "I wanted to give back and volunteer.  I have lots of interests and want to share them.  Plus, this gives me a chance to watch lots of movies that I would have to watch alone!  I'm still determined to turn Brianna into a Red Sox fan."  In fact, Ellen is well on her way to accomplishing that goal.  They're latest big get together involved checking out a Red Sox game, thanks to some free tickets from Mass Mentoring Partnership. Although not yet convinced to take on the title of Red Sox fan, Brianna totally loved going to Fenway and seeing her first MLB game and taking a ride on the "T."

 

When not hanging out at Fenway Park, Brianna and Ellen can be found doing lots of different activities.  On their repertoire, you'll find exotic dining experiences (including sushi!), scrapbooking, baking, and building gingerbread houses (during the holiday season).  They've been to Princesses on Ice and Disney on Ice and attended a Martina McBride concert as well.  Even compared to all these exciting trips, one of their favorite memories is still a fall hayride that ended with carving pumpkins.

 

These days, their favorite activities include Sorry, Uno, and the punch buggy game (while driving in the car, of course!).  They basically have every version of Uno one could possibly think of and play to pass the time or while watching movies.  Apparently, Brianna has a better strategy and usually beats her Big, but it's all good.

 

According to Ellen, some of the rewards of being a Big are almost the same as those of being a Little. Ellen says, "You can't find another program that's as rewarding for the volunteer as it is for the child.  It gets you out and experiencing things you wouldn't have seen, and I get to share the things I love, like cooking, baking, and scrapbooking."  So it looks like a two-way street for Ellen and Brianna.  They both help the other to try new things and broaden their horizons, and it doesn't look like their adventures will be coming to an end any time soon.