Magic Moments

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. -Winston Churchill I want to tell you more about my job. At Big Brothers Big Sisters our vision and mission is to "help children reach their full potential by providing children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever." We do this through School-Based programs, Site-Based programs, and a Community-Based program. I was a school-based Big Sister in high school and a community-based Big sister while I was in college. Both were amazing, eye-opening experiences. I got a glimpse into a child's life and was able to just walk along side them. Talking with my Little Sister about school, her friends, not liking boys, siblings, and what they want to do when they grow up. We would color and scrapbook, go for walks, play games, work on homework, eat ice cream, and laugh. Very simple things provided wonderful memories and a sense of confidence. What lead me to volunteer and to eventually work for Big Brothers Big Sisters was my own experience as a child. As I look back on my life, my parents have always been supportive and encouraging, but life at home has always been kind of a mess. My parents fought a lot during my childhood, and during my adolescence, we moved to a different state, they divorced, my dad did a tour in Iraq, my oldest brother started a tour in a Iraq soon after my dad came back, and in my college years, my family was dealing with the grief (and still is) of loosing Ryan from a roadside bomb in Iraq (2006, the summer before I left for college). Amongst all of that, I also struggled with friendships, love relationships, my spiritual journey, and my future. A lot of times with my home life being such a mess, and even though I knew my mom and dad were supportive of me and loved me, I simply struggled. A lot of negative messages were getting thrown at me and deciphering them wasn't easy and going against them was even harder. But, I had a couple elementary school teachers, a handful of middle school teachers (especially Big Y), some high school teachers, and Peggy and Sue (as well as several other women) in the church that I joined my Junior year of high school, that invested in me (and continue to do so), walked through life's ups and downs with me, gave me a listening ear, and shared their life experiences with me. They were intentional about loving me. I didn't exactly see it then, especially in elementary school, but I am extremely thankful for it now. It was like they gave me the extra that I needed to be confident and get through, and achieve my dreams. They helped me to process things in my life and think about the decisions I was making. They gave me what I needed to see that I had worth. And they did it by giving me their time. I work with 2 elementary schools and a middle school, as well as a site-based program at a trailor park community in the St. Cloud area. I also have a community-based case load. Each child has a different story, but want the same thing. As I get to know their stories and catch a glimpse of their life at home, I see so much in them that is searching and waiting. They are searching for someone to help them, even if they aren't asking for it and they are waiting for someone to spend time with them. Some of them have supportive parents like I do, but just need that little extra encouragement and guidance from someone outside of their family as they go through the crazy things that life throws at them. Someone that reminds them to have fun and be a kid. Some of the children don't have a mom or a dad, or they do and they don't know who they are, or they haven't seen them for a long time, or they don't have a sibling or have lots of siblings. And they need and want the someone to show them their worth by spending time with them. Time they may not get at home. My heart breaks for each child for one reason or another. I am constantly brought to my knees in prayer for the kids in my site-based program and the other kids on my case load. As much as it may stress me out when things don't go right or I have over 20 match support contacts overdue (I have to have contact with the child and the volunteer each month), I still love it and I love them. My heart leaps, though, when I see them interact with their Bigs or hear about what they have been doing with their Bigs and how they feel about their Bigs. It amazes me to see the change it makes. Of course, there are some children that don't show it, but you know that deep down, the consistency of someone showing up, playing checkers with them, and asking them how their weekend was, is proving something. There are matches in our program that have been together for 7+ years and many have continued their friendships after the child has graduated from high school and the program. It truly is magic. This is why I love my job. I am a firm believer in a smile changing someone's day, an encouraging conversation changing someone's week, and spending time with someone changing a life. Big Brothers Big Sisters is one of the many routes one can take to invest in the children of our communities. It is an amazing organization to be a part of. Last night we hosted our annual fundraiser, the Magic Moments Ball. It went extremely well and was SOLD OUT. I can't tell you how cool it is to see so many people in the community support our mission. I think it might be because they also had someone walk along side them as they went about life, or maybe they didn't and didn't know how to seek that out and see the difference it can make. Maybe it's because they know the importance of a child recognizing their potential and allowing themselves to dream. Maybe, just maybe. :)