During National Mentoring Month we want to congratulate Big Brother of the Year Tom and Big Sister of the year Joanie! These exemplary Bigs earned this honor by meeting 3 essential criteria. First, they have Ignited the Potential of their Littles by having a significant impact on their lives and goals. Second, they have Empowered the Potential of their Littles which is evident in the progress their Littles have made towards their goals. Finally, they have Defended the Potential of not only their Littles but every Little on our waitlist, by advocating for Big Brothers Big Sisters in their Communities. Lean more about these extraordinary matches by reading their stories below. 

Meet Ian and Isaiah. A Match whose love for trying new things has already taken them on many exciting adventures. They have both thanked BBBSWC for bringing them together, and can not wait to see what new doors the program will open for them next. 
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In their quest for adventure they have visited the Michigan Folk School, the DSO, and Sky Zone to name a few. Many of these were exciting firsts for Ian and helped to open him up to even more new ideas and experiences. New experiences can not only change how we see the world, but also open us up to new ideas and strategies for navigating it.  For their next adventure, they have their sights set on the Yankee Air Museum, we can’t wait to see what BIG ideas Ian gets from that trip. 

Ian’s mom has joked that Ian and Isaiah are just a big and little version of the same person. Their similarities make it easy for them to relate to each other. Ian greatly benefits from Isaiah’s experience and understanding when life throws him a curveball.  In fact, they both listed, “just chatting” as one of their favorite things to do together. A safe space and trusted sounding board is essential to empowering a Little who’s trying to understand a big world. 
Ian and Isaiah have built a deep trust and support structure. They have both expressed how sharing new experiences and heart to heart chats has made them individually stronger. Ian uses the confidence he has gained, and lessons Isiah has taught him even when he isn’t around. With Isaiah by his side, Ian is learning to defend his own potential. 

RayQueesha’s mom enrolled her and her two sisters shortly after moving to Ann Arbor from Flint.  The family was going through a lot of changes on top of moving – RayQueesha’s father had passed away and her oldest sister moved out of the house, both of whom she was very close with.  Her mom really wanted her to have someone to connect with, look up to and gain insight from.  And that turned out to be Joanie.  Joanie was motivated to become a Big Sister to help support and empower a young girl in our community, and that’s what she’s done for the 3 ½ years!!
 
This match is one that really exemplifies Igniting Potential for a young person!  Joanie and RayQueesha go everywhere and do everything.  When we think of what Igniting Potential means, it’s the new opportunities and experiences that a volunteer Big can expose their Little to.  So many, far too many kids, do not experience life outside of a several block radius – to school, to church, to the neighborhood store, if there is one.  They have little first-hand experience with what all the world has to offer them.  And that is what Joanie does with RayQueesha!
 
They participated this summer in our Where in the World is Bowley contest – and were our winners!  They took Bowley everywhere!  To the Detroit River walk, Belle Isle, riding bikes around town, to get lunch and ice cream….and most importantly to RayQueesha’s 8th grade graduation!!

Congratulations RayQueesha and Joanie!

​DJ is a 13-year old boy who lives in Ann Arbor with his mom and sisters.  He was previously matched with a Big Brother for 3 years – and when that match closed, we all felt that he would continue to benefit from another mentoring relationship as he was in middle school, and 9th grade this upcoming school year, and we know how important these transition periods are for young people. 
 
Andy enrolled in BBBS last year.  He’d been retired for 4 years, and had time and knowledge to share.  Andy said he’d been reflecting on all of the people that had provided him with mentorship in his career and wanted to help a young person better position themselves for success.
 
And these two seem to have been an easy fit.  Both are active and outgoing.  Everything they seem to do involves being out in the community, hiking, having fun and learning together.  We’ve gotten to see them really develop their relationship as they’ve attended several of our group events….giving back during one of our community service days, Ypsi PROUD and taking a trip to the Detroit Symphony Orchestra to take in the “May the 4th Be with You” performance.  So, all you Star Wars fans out there….come join us, we have a young person to match you with to play light sabers with.
 
They’re both busy and traveling this summer for vacations and summer camp, but have been able to stay in contact through phone calls, texts and Andy always sends pictures of his travels to DJ when checking in.
 
We’re excited for school to be back in session and them to be able to see each other more regularly again, as we know what an important transition it is to go into High School and we want to have as many people in supportive roles for DJ so that he can achieve his full potential.

​Makalia is a 14-year-old young lady who first was enrolled in our School Based program, but then transitioned to Community Based when we transitioned out of doing SB.  She was a shy little girl.  During the initial interview, when she was 10, she took quite a bit of coaxing to get her to answer questions and get comfortable with the idea of having a Big Sister. 

Lori is a Video Producer, who worked at Cartoon Network in Atlanta before moving back to Michigan to be closer to family.  She had some experience with kids, but not a lot, and is a self-described introvert.

The good news is that these ladies are two peas in a pod.  Makalia loves sketching and is a part of the anime club at school, and Lori is such a creative person.  We have been so excited to watch their relationship grow…and have had an amazing front row seat.  They’ve been doing lots of simple low-key activities, as they have gotten to know one another over the last 8 months!  They’ve gone bowling, walked around the mall, out to eat and love to bake and cook….even making their own miso soup.  Yum!

Like I said, we’ve had a front row seat to this match, as they’ve come to several of our group events.  At Rec Night, they had a blast swimming in the pool at the Meri Lou Rec Center....and recently enjoyed a tour of campus at our College Campus Day at Washtenaw Community College.  But I think our favorite time spent with this match was at the Heidelberg Project in Detroit.  We loaded a bus of Bigs and Littles, along with Makalia and Lori, and headed downtown to check out the amazing art that is the Heidelberg.   Trey, the artist, gave the matches a tour and talked about his work and its’ meaning.  Makalia said that going on the tour and talking to Trey encouraged her to be her ‘authentic self’. 

​Mom, Lori and her Mentoring Specialist, Ashley, have all noted that her confidence has blossomed through these activities and her connecting to other Littles in the program.  And Lori loves spending time with Makalia – she says that she’s fun, upbeat and says that her time with Makalia is a nice change of pace from her day-to-day life.  Two lives, both changed, because of their newfound friendship…Oh the Places They’ll Go!!

​Kaleb and Dennis are currently the longest match at BBBS! They have been matched 11 years, and this is a bitter sweet honor for them because their match is officially closing.  Kaleb is now 18 years old and recently completed High School, which means their match graduates the program.  Kaleb has had a lasting friendship with Dennis for 11 years and although Kaleb is graduating from High School and their participation in the program is ending, his friendship with Dennis will continue.
 
Dennis and Kaleb have had an array of experiences together. Dennis has taken Kaleb bowling, to the movies, Tigers games, Red Wings games, bike riding, kayaking, library visits and helped with homework.  Kaleb stated “I have had a lot of fun and good times in the past 11 years with Dennis. We’ve done a lot of amazing things together…. made a lot of memories throughout the years that will stick with me forever.”
 
Kaleb’s mother Jennifer said she signed Kaleb up for a Big in 2008 because this was a rough time in his life, and he was in need of a positive male role model. Upon being enrolled Kaleb was a little apprehensive so she knew it would take time for him to get comfortable in the match. She went on to say Dennis has been able to “show men in a more positive light and helped Kaleb to be more trusting”.  She loves that Dennis was chosen for Kaleb and she couldn't be happier. 
 
Dennis shared that being a Big Brother to Kaleb has been one of an enriching and rewarding experience. He shared that when he first met Kaleb he was “a shy, but engaging boy, but as time went on, they were able to build a strong friendship”.
 
Dennis went on to shared one of the most memorable moments with Kaleb - teaching him how to throw, catch and hit a baseball when he was very young. He also talked about visits to the library, riding bicycles, going fishing, attending BBBS activities, going to movies, Tiger baseball games, EMU football games, Detroit Red Wing hockey and bowling. At each event they would go out for a hamburger at McDonalds after and talk about the various happenings in Kaleb’s life.
 
Kaleb shared a time when he experienced a family death in 2016 and how Dennis helped by taking his mind off of the tough times.  He said it was “great to know I had someone that I’ve grown so close to…and basically think of as family” to be there. Continuing to say, “we’ve grown so close over the past 11 years and I would like for our relationship to keep growing”.

Congratulations Kaleb and Dennis for being our Match of the Month!
 
 

Journee and Danielle have a very special bond.  Despite being matched a little under a year, they have become thick as thieves.  Journee asked her mom for a Big Sister, as some of her older friends had one, and mom felt like it would be good for her, as Journee struggled with her self-confidence and being bullied at school.  And we could not have found a Big better suited to help her learn and grow than Dani. 

They’re first several outings were getting to know each other, exploring their likes and dislikes.  Dani took Journee to her boxing gym, where she is a trainer, and to her church, where she was very involved.  In fact, it was while looking for volunteer experiences for other members, when Dani herself decided to become a Big Sister.  They came to BBBS group events, went out to eat and have had girls’ nights with pizza, movies and nails!!

Journee celebrated a pretty important milestone recently.  After attending church, pretty much weekly, with Dani, Journee asked her if she could be baptized.  Dani and Journee’s family did share a Christian background, although Journee had yet to be baptized.  So last month, after blessing from her mom and surrounded by her new church family and her biological family, Journee was baptized.  A very special day for everyone.  And to top it off, Dani’s church also selected BBBS to be a recipient for one of their collection days.  On Easter Sunday, they raised over $500 to support our work in the community. 

Mom, Journee and Dani all have so much love and respect for one another and their roles in each other’s lives. Mom days that Journee’s self-esteem has improved so much since being matched.  She says, “Journee is happy, so I am happy”.  And Journee says, “I think God brought Dani into my life at the right moment”. Dani talks about her passion for children and volunteering in her community, saying that she “believes that BBBS was a gateway to experience both on a totally different level”.