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For over 18 years, Diane was the owner/operator of a hair salon. For years she heard clients talk about their experiences of being a Big, and three years ago, she decided to become one herself. “I took the plunge and contacted Big Brothers Big Sisters of Windham County,” she says.

At the same time, a single mother of four children was signing up her daughter Jaelynn to be a Little. “My mom and I thought I needed someone to hang out with and to go see new places, try new things,” Jaelynn says. Mom and daughter got exactly that when Big Brothers Big Sisters matched Jaelynn with Big Sister Diane.

On their first outing the two bonded almost immediately. “We went out for ice cream and I was comfortable right away,” Jaelynn says.

A lot of their first outings included going out for ice cream, but the match really came to life when they started cooking their own food in the kitchen. Jaelynn loved to learn new things and Diane was happy to teach her. “We have produced dozens and dozens of hand-decorated cookies, chocolate-covered Oreo truffles and even apple pies,” Diane says.

“I want Diane to be a lifetime friend.”

– Little Sister Jaelynn

However, Diane hasn’t been doing all the teaching in the kitchen. Back at home, Jaelynn has taught her siblings how to make truffles as well, telling them all about learning to make them with Diane. “I know the truffle recipe she taught me by heart,” she says.

Last winter, the two took on ice skating, seeing it as a learning opportunity for both of them. They started with ice skating training aids, and made it a challenge to see who would shed them first. “Of course, Jaelynn was quickly skating circles around me as I was hesitant to let go of the training aid,” Diane says. Luckily, Jaelynn did slow down to help Diane get up to speed.

Nowadays, Jaelynn helps out Diane at her hair salon by organizing her shelves. She gets paid for her time, but she doesn’t take the money home right away. Instead, she puts it in special envelopes. “Each envelope is for something different – college, car, nail polish, clothes, and beauty supplies,” Jaelynn says. “My college envelope has the most money in it, because I want to go to college and learn to be a veterinarian.”

The match has been more than anything Jaelynn or her mom expected. “Diane is one of the most loving and caring individuals I have ever had the privilege of knowing,” Jaelynn’s mother says. “She is a great role model for my daughter.”

Jaelynn and her mom are thankful for the role Diane has played in Jaelynn’s life, but Diane says she has gotten even more joy and satisfaction out of the match than Jaelynn.

But all involved owe a thanks to Diane’s hair salon for not only being the place that helps Jaelynn save for college, but for also being the place where Diane was first inspired to become a big.

Nearly every Saturday morning for the last nine years, Big Brother Steve has knocked on Little Brother Cesar’s door to pick him up for an outing. Sometimes they go kayaking or biking, sometimes they work in the yard, and often they go to a sporting event. Consistency is one of the keys to mentorship, Steve says. “So many ‘Littles’ have dealt with so much disappointment in their lives and need someone that is truly dependable, keeps their word, and follows through on their promises,” he says.

Keeping with that consistency, Big Brother Steve has tried to attend as many of Cesar’s games as possible over the years, despite traveling heavily for work. One of his goals is to help Cesar prepare for and deconstruct his performances on the football field and basketball court when he can.

“I feel like he’s one of the few people who believe in me.”

– Little Brother Cesar

One Saturday, Steve knocked on Cesar’s door as usual, and they headed out to a soccer game. “My neighbor’s son, who is autistic, was playing in a soccer match, and Cesar and I were going to be cheering him on,” Steve says. Many of the players had physical challenges, including the goalie, who used a wheelchair. Steve and Cesar spent the morning supporting the players and praising them after the game.

On the way home, Steve told Cesar he was proud of him for enthusiastically supporting all the players. Steve remembers Cesar saying, “Steve, when I hear you cheer for me, it makes me feel famous. So today, I wanted your neighbor and all his friends to feel famous, too.”

“At that moment, I realized the importance of my relationship with Cesar and his relationship with me,” Steve says.

Cesar’s mom says she knows that Steve has had a positive impact on Cesar and guided him to a bigger future. “Steve gives Cesar advice and helps him understand things in life better,” she says. “It’s nice that Cesar has someone else to give him advice other than myself.”

Cesar is happy for that extra advice and guidance, seeing Steve as both a best friend and role model. He says his Big Brother has helped him not only improve with sports but also get better grades and make progress towards his future goals. “His encouragement is one of the things that inspires me to try harder,” Little Brother Cesar says. “I want to make him proud.”

Steve is already nothing short of proud, so much so that’s he confident that Cesar will one day “become a Big Brother, and change the life of his ‘Little.’”

Becoming a Big requires a drive to give back.  Bigs dedicate time and energy to mentor a child who needs a role model. Big Sister Keri had that drive when she signed up to be a Big, and at her first match meeting, she found out her Little Sister Kiana had it too.

Big Sister Keri had been told that Kiana didn’t talk much, so she was a little nervous about that first meeting. Keri wanted to bring her somewhere familiar and comfortable, so they went to McDonald’s. They played on the restaurant’s playground and worked up an appetite, but Kiana ate only a few fries. She divided her meal into sections, naming off each of her six brothers and sisters, saving food to bring home to them. “At her young age, she cared more about others than herself,” Keri says.

Through the 11 years they have been matched, Big Sister Keri has continued to nurture Kiana’s instinct to care for others. Together, they have found ways to give back to their community. They have gardened at a food pantry’s farm, baked cookies for the homeless, and visited with nursing home residents. “Keri and Kiana participate in volunteer activities throughout Lubbock, and they have inspired the rest of our family to give back,” Kiana’s mom says.

“My Big Sister Keri has been a positive influence in my life by molding the person I am today.”

– Little Sister Kiana

Big Sister Keri and Little Sister Kiana have also worked through some struggles Kiana was having with her behavior and her schoolwork. At one point in their match, Kiana was tested and was found to be reading far below her grade level. Big Sister Keri helped her enroll in tutoring and encouraged her to keep at it, even when her tutoring sessions were on Saturday mornings.

“Some Saturdays were harder than others, but she did really well with her studies,” Big Sister Keri says. “She is making better choices and talks about her concerns for her siblings and fellow students.”

Her behavior at school has improved, and now, Kiana reads at grade level.

“Keri has always been there when Kiana needed help, whether it was making better decisions, learning new skills, or exposing her to new opportunities,” Kiana’s mom says.

Kiana says Keri has also changed her perspective and helped her dream bigger. “I am scared of heights, but I want to be in the Air Force,” Kiana says. Keri told her not to let her fear keep her from doing something she is passionate about, and it made all the difference. “Now, I am still a little afraid of heights, but I know I can overcome it when I become a pilot one day.”

With her drive to give back and her belief in herself, the sky is truly the limit for this selfless future pilot.

This summer, Minor League Baseball and Esurance named Little Sister Asma an “Esurance Rising Star Student” and awarded her a $5,000 scholarship for college expenses. She accepted the award during an on-field ceremony before the Salt Lake Bees game, her hometown Minor League Baseball team, on May 12, but her journey to becoming a scholarship winner began long before she even stepped foot in a classroom.

Approximately 18 years ago, Asma’s mother fled Somalia, making her way to the United States, toting three toddlers and pregnant with twins Asma and Anisa. She had to leave her husband behind in Somalia. Two years later, they would all be reunited in America.

“You have little kids, no husband, and you don’t know who to speak to,” Asma’s mom says. “It was very hard.”

Growing up, Asma faced challenges of her own. She always excelled at school, but dealt with bullies who teased her for her skin color, religion, ethnicity, and language skills. A teacher saw how much Asma and her twin sister were being picked on, and she referred both girls to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The twins’ first matches were with Big Sisters who were also twins themselves. They had other School-Based Big Sisters throughout elementary school and then transitioned to the Community-Based program in middle school. Asma says her involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters helped her accept herself.

“Each Big Sister allowed me to embrace my own identity,” Asma says. “Just having the presence of someone who cared about me outside my family was so important.”

Now, with a scholarship in hand, Asma is headed to college this fall to study neuroscience. This summer, she’s participating in an internship program for surgical technology. She wakes up when it’s still dark out in Salt Lake City and heads to the hospital to start her day. The job of a surgical technologist is to label the medications so the patient receives the right one during surgery, sanitize the surgical tools and hand instruments to the surgeon.

“Just being in the operating room makes me happy, it’s amazing. And I’m getting a feel of how being a surgeon is,” Asma says.

Seeing how Big Brothers Big Sisters affected her life has led Asma to want to support other girls in the same way. She won the Miss Africa Utah scholarship pageant in her senior year of high school, and while she could have used the scholarship money for tuition, she chose instead to use it to create a curriculum for girls.

“It’s a six- to eight-week curriculum to encourage minority females to be themselves, unapologetically,” she says. “I want to teach these girls that they can be themselves and they are beautiful.”

The curriculum has been her side project throughout the summer and will continue into her freshman year in college. Part of her motivation to keep her grades up and excel is her mom, who she describes as her best friend. “Part of my way of paying her back for everything she did for us, for bringing us here, is obtaining that education and being successful, so that she knows her struggle and coming to the U.S. was worth it.”

Seeing her children succeed was once only a dream for Asma’s mom. Now, it is a reality as she sees her daughter start college.

To meet our other 12 2017 Esurance Rising Star Students, click here.

At the BBBSA National Awards Gala in June, BBBSA highlighted some of the corporate partners that make our mission possible.

Chairman’s Award – ALEX AND ANI

In 2016, we worked with Alex and Ani to create the Big and Little Dipper Set of Two Charm Bangles. From the sale of those bangles, Big Brothers Big Sisters has received nearly $300,000 in the first year of the partnership. More importantly, this partnership has created a symbol that is worn by so many Bigs and Littles across the country to signify their never-ending friendships.

President’s Award – Jack in the Box

For 19 years, Jack in the Box has supported Big Brothers Big Sisters. This year, Jack in the Box celebrates the 13 years of Operation Bigs, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program for mentoring kids from military families. They were the founding sponsor to launch the program, and they now support Operation Bigs matches across the country, and they not only invest in programs, they also collaborate with the National Office and the network to support Operation Bigs and also the Hispanic Mentoring Initiative, First Meal Programs, and Bowl for Kids’ Sake

Community Impact Award – The 250 Club

For more than 46 years, The 250 Club has hosted an annual dinner in Cleveland to benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters. Over the years, The 250 Club has donated more than $2 million to BBBSA and local agencies.

Enterprise Award – Savers

Savers has helped nearly 40 agencies by turning their community’s used clothing and household items into big donations to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Savers creates thousands of jobs and generates millions of dollars in revenue each year to support local affiliate.

Common Good Award – Hill Impact

The entire network has benefited from the work of Dan Hill and his firm, Hill Impact, which has provided countless hours of pro bono public relations services to the National Office since 2012.

Nerium International has been a strong partner of Big Brothers Big Sisters since 2012. Each year, thousands of Nerium Brand Partners donate a portion of their monthly commissions, raise funds through Bowl for Kids’ Sake, and many have become Bigs.

Debbi-Jo (D.J.) is one of those Brand Partners who, after attending the Nerium Get Real Conference, decided to become a Big Sister. She was inspired by the Nerium Chief Leadership Officer Renee Olson, who spoke at the Conference about being a Big to her Little Sister, Ryan.

“I remember thinking, ‘If Renee Olson, whose life is even crazier than mine, can find the time, I have no excuse,’” D.J. says.

When D.J. got back to her home in Rhode Island, she simply asked the local affiliate, BBBS of the Ocean State, “What do I have to do?”

Not long after, she was matched with Little Sister Caira.

Caira was 16 at the time of their match. It’s around that age that many affiliates stop matching youth. She still had two years to be mentored before graduating high school, though, and  D.J. felt strongly that she could make a difference for Caira.

The two years have been nothing short of amazing, D.J. says. They have enjoyed getting their nails done, gardening, making dream boards, and so much more.

“She is shy, but once she’s been around you, she just, like, comes out of herself,” D.J. says. “She really has blossomed.”

Now, Caira is preparing for college. She hopes to become a social worker and work with children with disabilities. Her “official” match through BBBS with D.J. may be ending, but she knows that she’ll always have her Big Sister in her corner if not by her side.

“We’ve already decided we are going to remain friends forever,” D.J. says.

For the fourth consecutive year, Corner Store is hosting a “down home family fun” event across the nation with their Corner Store Country Run. Proceeds from the race will benefit Big Brothers Big Sisters and local children’s charities in each city.

Participants are encouraged to wear their best country attire, with many runners donning their best cowboy hats and rocking their best pigtails. While a lot of racers do wear typical race gear, many do come to the event dressed in flannels and overalls.

When the race starts, runners go through a farm-themed trail, encountering experiences such as hay bales, tractor tires, and farm animals (inflatable ones) throughout the 5K.

When the race is over, everyone is invited to a post-race party with giveaways, food, and more.

The Country Run kicked off in early July in Denver, but will continue in the fall in four other stops. If bringing out your inner cowpoke or cowgirl and running for a good cause interests you, don’t miss it!  If you can’t make it to a race, visit your local Corner Store in the month of September to donate to Big Brothers Big Sisters.

Former NFL tight end Konrad Reuland was always mentoring others, helping younger boys reach their goals. His sudden death of a brain aneurysm at age 29 left his family and friends devastated.

To honor Konrad, his family and friends have established the Konrad A. Reuland “Little” Scholarship through Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. Each year, proceeds from this fund will be awarded to a Little Brother within the network who is interested in playing football and attending college.

This year, the Konrad A. Reuland “Little” Scholarship was awarded to Jonathan “J.J.” Barajas from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Orange County.

Little Brother J.J. has been matched with Big Brother Sean for 10 years. J.J. is a linebacker and was captain of his high school football team. He will be attending Goldenwest College this fall, and he hopes to transfer to University of Nevada, Reno, to study sports medicine and pursue his dreams.

J.J. says he is thankful to have had a mentor like Sean growing up because Sean gave him the motivation needed to tackle the difficult decisions in life, both on and off the field.

Each year, BBBSA will award the Konrad A. Reuland “Little” Scholarship to remind us of Konrad’s extraordinary life.

When Big Brothers Big Sisters of America Board Member Liz Smith completed her two-year term as Board Chair in 2016, the Board wanted to honor her service. Liz is an extraordinary leader and helped the National Office through its most challenging years. The Board came together to endow a scholarship in her name. Every year, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America will award a college scholarship to a Little in the network who demonstrates leadership in high school.

This year, the Elizabeth A. Smith “Little” Leader Scholarship was awarded to Shayna Eshmoili from Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters Association of Los Angeles.

After losing her mother at a young age, Little Sister Shayna was matched with her Big Sister Farnaz in middle school, and their relationship stayed strong throughout her high school years.

When Shayna was in high school, Farnaz often had to remind her to step back and find a balance between school and social life. Among other activities, she was president of her school’s Red Cross chapter and captain of her school’s FIRST Robotics team, which went to the competition’s international championships.  “I grew a lot during that time period. She was there to help me through that,” Shayna says. “She was there to give me advice on classes, social things, getting through those four years alive.”

Shayna now attends the University of California at Los Angeles and is still highly involved with extracurricular activities. She and Farnaz are still close, and Big Sister Farnaz still has to remind Shayna to balance all that she takes on.  

“She has been there for so many milestones and her presence has been such a comfort to me over the years,” Shayna says.

The last question kids hear at the end of the school year is, “What are you doing this summer?” The first they hear once back is, “What did you do?”

For kids, summer is the time to gather with the family and RV to a camping ground, take a trip to the beach, or spend a weekend bouncing between amusement parks. But for many kids, this is not reality.  They end up not only with bad answers for their friend’s questions, but also bouts of loneliness.

This summer, our partner, Benchmark Resorts and Hotels launched a campaign to try to combat that by sending BBBS Littles and their families on trips of a lifetime.

One of those families was the family of Little Brother Bryce. He and his family stayed in the luxurious Doral Arrowwood in the grassy hills of New York.

Benchmark pulled out all the stops for Bryce. As soon as Bryce walked in his family’s hotel room, he was met with balloons, special gifts and a card from the staff.

“Everyone was so welcoming and made Bryce feel like a star,” Bryce’s mom said.

Bryce spent most of his time in the pool with friends he made, but he also enjoyed private tennis lessons, a movie night with s’mores, and a tour of the kitchen with Chef Michael. Benchmark also provided the family with passes to Playland for a day of roller coasters and attractions.

Bryce’s mom says, “(We) had an amazing weekend and made lots of memories to always remember. The experience we had at (the) resort was extremely special.”

Thanks to Benchmark, Littles like Bryce will have quite the story to tell when he gets back to school.