At the start of the new year (2026), I decided that one of my goals was to do volunteer work. I have been wanting to do so for the past several years. However, with my health uncertainties and mental health struggles, I was waiting for a better moment. After my past few surgeries and all the work I have done in EMDR, I decided I was ready. As of, this past week, I am officially a “Big” for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
Deciding to Join Big Brothers Big Sisters
Sometimes, there are moments in our lives that divide your life into “before” and “after”. One of those moments for me was June 17, 2022. This was the day that I left everything behind (including my abusive ex) and started new. It was such a difficult and scary time, and I am so appreciative of the things other people did to help give me a second chance. One of the things, I knew for sure, was that I wanted to find ways to give back to others. I wanted to volunteer, but I wasn’t sure where.
I debated between several amazing organizations, and struggled to make a decision. Then, I wrote a recommendation for my coordinator at work for the Big Brothers Big Sisters program. I got to learn a little about their mentor process and the impact that he was getting to make for his little. It was then that I knew I wanted to apply to be a part of this program.
How the Program Works
Once a mentor has been accepted into the program they are considered a “Big”. The organization assesses your personality and interests as well as those of the children accepted into the program. You are then matched with a “Little”. Littles are between the ages of 7-16 years old. You also have a match support specialist who works to ensure that the mentor relationship is beneficial.
You begin the match by meeting with your specialist, little, and their guardian. This way the specialist can get the relationship started amongst everyone and set up the expectations for the program experience. Afterwards you have outings with your little in the community. Every month you meet with them 2-3 times per month. There are also monthly meetings with the match support specialist to stay updated on how things are going.
If you are interested in becoming a big or have children that you think could benefit from having a big, you can find more information at: https://www.bbbsky.org/
My Experience as a Big so Far
So far, I have been matched with my little, who is a 9 year old girl. I got to meet her mom, little sister, and our match support specialist this past week. We got to chat a little bit about what she likes and I also go to start establishing my bond with her mom. It is important to not only bond with my little, but to ensure that I can bond and build trust with her mom. They seem like great people and my little seems like she will be a great match for me.
Our goals for the current moment are to build our connection, get out and have fun in the community, and to build her self-confidence. We will get to have our first outing this coming week when we will be going to the library and playing some of her favorite board games and maybe introduce her to some new ones. This will be a great way to slowly ease into getting to know one another in a safe way/place.
I can’t wait to see where this journey will take us! I know that no matter what, she will impact my life just as much as I will have an impact on hers.
