My experience with Big Brothers Big Sisters
It was a cold, crisp, clear December day when I pulled into the parking lot of Barnes Elementary School to meet my “little” for the first time. I was nervous. Woudl she like me? Would I be able to be everything she needed/expected? Would I embarrass her in front of her peers? The questions were racing through my mind. The school-based coordinator met me at the office , showed me how to sign in, and walked me down to the cafeteria to meet my new “little sister”. There she sat, at the special table designated for Big Brothers Big Sisters to meet with eachother in the school-based part of the program.
This beautiful brown-skinned girl in a wheelchair smiled at me hopefully. In her eyes I saw the need to be a child and be safe doing so. I, with my gold crucifix and she, in her Islamic hijab (headress) began to talk about what we had in common: our passion for music and all things girlie and child-like.
We grew up as differently as two people could ever have. Not one commonality in social, cultural, religious, economic, geographic, nada, zip, zero. Yet, no two people were ever more alike.
At her age, I cried over a pimple. She cried witnessing violence against her loved ones.
I put up with breaking elastics on my ballet slippers. She put up with breaking mechanical parts and pieces of her wheelchair.
I struggled with boys every 6 months. She struggled with invasive back surgery at Shriners hospital every 6 months.
What we had in common was having had to become adults way too soon, and missing our childhood. Although I was 42 years older than she, I was yet to have mine, and she was yet to have hers. So we decided to have our childhoods together. Since that first day, we have put together puzzles, eaten ice cream, gone to movies, laughed, cried, gone shopping, driven in snowstorms, served the homeless, sat in the back of a symphony rehearsal, been to the library, Starbucks, the car wash, the post office, the juvenile court, my house, her house, used book stores, the zoo, the toy store, and eaten sushi, Thai food, and bubble tea. We’ve played Scrabble, shot hoops, and she has beaten me at every kind of card and board game there is. We’ve gone to the lobby of our secret favorite building and sat by the fire and talked girl talk. In a few weeks we are fortunate enough to get to go see the Harlem Globetrotters.
Thanks to Big Brothers Big Sisters, she gets to have a childhood she wouldn’t otherwise have. And so do I.
We need more mentors in the world. Consider being a “big”. Go to www.bbbs.org for more info, or contact me for more information. julia@mentaliron.com If you can’t be a mentor at this time, we always need money to buy games and support more matches. A big thank you to all the “bigs” out there, and the companies who sponsor and help us so generously! We love you.
Tags: BBBSnorthwest, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Charity, Leadership, mentor, mentoring, NGO
