Stories from the "Littles", the "Bigs", and the Parents.

Russell and Mario: Little Brother Russell was matched with Big Brother Mario for 7 years. In those 7 years, Russell and Mario developed a close friendship through which Mario was able to influence and develop important assets essential to Russell’s growth and development to adulthood. Russell often speaks of the impact this friendship has had on his life. His 2 older brothers were never in the BBBS program. One has been killed and the other is in jail. . Russell believes if they, too, had a Big Brother in the program they would still be around today.

Justin & Jim: From Little Brother Justin: “It really is great to have a scientist as a big brother. He has been able to teach me so much about geology. That is why one of our most visited places is Enchanted Rock. I have learned a lot from him. Some places Jim and I have gone to are the rodeo, movies, the park, Sea World, and so much more. Jim also goes to some of my school things like my rocket launch and choir performances. We always try to invite Jim to Holidays and celebrations. When I got a call telling me they found a match for me named Jim and what he was interested in, I knew he was a hard one to find. One thing Jim has done for me is help me feel good about myself and it’s nice to have someone who’s just mine, not in the family. Jim is like my safe base no matter what is going on in my life.”

Isaiah & Marcus: From Little Brother Isaiah: My Big Brother is Marcus and he is a great big brother. He has helped me a lot and he has always been there for me. I met him when I was I used to be bad. I used to be bad because my dad treated me wrong. Marcus taught me what’s right and what’s wrong. He taught me that a good person does the right things. They respect people the way they want to be respected.

From Isaiah’s Mom: "One day in the middle of the night I saw Big Brothers Big Sisters on T.V. so I called. I had tried counseling, nothing helped. They called to say there was a match. I prayed that this would help me with him. There are no words I can say but thank you. Isaiah became a different person. He came home one day and told me that he loved me. I got him back and no mom could ask for more. Marcus has helped my son with his self esteem and has shown him how to walk with his head up. He helped my son open up to me. It still hurts because he still remembers the bad days but there are no words to explain how my family and I feel about what Marcus has done to help. Thank you Big Brothers Big Sisters!"

Former Little Brother and Big Brother Justin: “To say that my Big Brother was one of the cornerstones in my life is an understatement.  When I would thank him for all the things he did for me, my Big Brother would say to me, “Someday hopefully you will get the chance to do the same thing for someone else.”  I finally made that commitment and signed up to be a Big Brother.  My Little Brother Chris is one of the greatest little kids I have ever met.  I only hope that I can have a fraction of the impact on his life that my Big Brother had on mine.”

Faviola & Jamie: From Little Sister “Favi:” “My Big Sister is a part of my family and always will be. She saved my life. I would never have made it through high school without her.”