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Make A Difference
April 3, 2007

I am a Big Brother to two brothers ages 9 and 12 whose father is unfortunately not as much a part of their lives as they would like and certainly need. Those of you who know of the Big Brother/Sister program will understand that it matches boys/girls with adult males and females who are willing to spend time with kids, ideally providing guidance that may not come from anyone else in their young lives. I’ve spent the last year taking Aaron and Bailey to movies, museums, batting cages, bowling, state fairs, shooting baskets and recently, miniature golf and dinner afterwards. Anything that takes them away from their problems and provides an opportunity for me to hopefully help them through some of the tougher stuff.

Aaron, left, and Bailey in the driver’s seat.

What we do is not nearly as important as me being a responsible adult “sounding board” for these two kids who are wrestling with the expected variety of issues and challenges, any one of which could send them down the wrong path. Do I have all the right answers? No, not any more than I did with my own now 23- and 20-year-old boys when they were Aaron and Bailey’s age. No one does. All I have to do is make time to be with them and nothing I do is more important nor rewarding for me, and I believe to some degree for them as well.

Take a moment to visit the Big Brother/Sister Web site. You will find out much about the program including how you can get involved. I would tell you more but I’ve got a round of miniature golf to play.

Posted by Bill Matthies on April 3, 2007 | Comments (0)