Written by Big Sister, Laurie from BBBS of Hanover & District
The Smallest Big
I first heard of BBBS when I was about 8 years old. A friend's father volunteered as a Big and I used to see him with his Little. His Little was very active with his family, and even though his Little would be into his 20's now, he still is a part of their lives.
I thought that this was the coolest connection between two people! I didn't feel like I needed to be a Little. What I wanted to be was a Big! The problem? I was only 8 years old! Since I could not be the "World's Smallest Big!" I waited until I was older, and was at a point in my life where I had the time to be a Big. 16 years later I still wanted to be a Big....and now I am!
Our match is going great. I was a lot like her when I was her age, kind of funny to see how I used to be. We share some of the same hardships in our childhood, so it is easy to relate to her and she knows that I understand what she has had to deal with. Mostly we keep things light and fun and just enjoy spending time together. She has 5 siblings so it is very rare that she gets to spend some time with just one person and have the focus on her.
She must thank me 10 times everytime we go out- so grateful! It has been great so far, and I am really excited about continuing this match. We went to the driving range the other day and it was her first time but she was pro! She was so proud. It is nice to give her opportunities to try new things.
June 15, 2009
Meeting Mere
I met Mere when I was 9 years old. I met her in a group called Big Brothers BigSisters. She is a person I go to if I have trouble with my mom or dad. Theyconsider her a big sister but I think of her as a friend to talk and joke around with. We play games like fishoply, payday, dominoes, and lots more. We also cook dinner too! I think I am lucky to have her as my big sister/friend.
To Mere from Syd
Little Brother Alexander wrote his school speech on his Big Brother, Mike Roelofsen.
Do you know what the Barrie Colts, the Belleville Bulls and the Sarnia Sting all have in common? If you were going to say that they are all teams in the OHL then you would be right, but that’s not what I was going to say. The answer is that Mike Roelofsen played on all 3 of those teams.
Mrs. Liesemer and students of grade 5, in case you haven’t already guessed, I am doing my speech about Mike Roelofsen who is also known as Rolly. You must be wondering who Mike Roelofsen is. He is my big brother and he also is a fantastic hockey player. I have known mike since last July. He has become a great friend of mine and I have lots of fun hanging out with him.
Mike is originally from Chatham, but has lived away from home since he was 16. That’s when he moved to Belleville to play for the bulls. He was there for 1 year and then he moved to Barrie to play for the Colts. After 2 years of playing for the Colts he moved to Sarnia to play for the Sarnia Sting. Even though he was busy playing for the OHL he still had to go to high school.
When Mike was done playing for the Sarnia Sting he started his hydro apprenticeship. That means that he is learning how to be a hydro worker while he’s on the job. Since then he hasn’t had as much time for hockey so he no longer plays for the OHL. Since last year he has been playing Jr. C hockey with the Walkerton Hawks. He started playing near the end of last season. This year he is captain of the team. He is number 16.
This will be his last year of playing Jr. C hockey because he will soon be 22 and too old to play in that league. I don’t know what plans Mike has for hockey next year, but I know he will be playing some type of hockey somewhere. As you can tell, I am Mike’s biggest fan. Not just because he is a fantastic hockey player, but because he is the best friend a guy could ever ask for
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Comment from Big Sister Jenny:
"I am glad my friendship with Leah has turned out to be such a positive experience for the both of us. I enjoy my time with her and I know that no matter what happens or where life takes us we will always be friends."
Our agency ran an essay contest asking our Little Brothers and Sisters to tell us what makes their Big Brother or Sister special OR if they didn't have a Big Brothe or Sister, why they would like to have one. These are some of their submissions.
************************************** When I was six, my parents split up and my dad moved away. It was really hard and I missed having my dad around. As much as I love my Mom, there are things she doesn't like to do like fishing that I love to do. She is also really busy because she works two jobs so she can look after us.
My mom thought I would enjoy being in Big Brothers and she put my name into Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Hanover. The waiting list for a Big Brothers is long so I got to be in the Big Bunch and do things with other Littles while I waited for my Big. It was worth the wait because I ended up with the best Big Brother ever, Larry.
Larry and I are so much alike. We have the same type of personalities and enjoy the same things, like golfing, biking and fishing. Larry loves the outdoors and wilderness and so do I. Larry loves sports and so do I. When Sally introduced me to Larry, I found out he had a 4-wheeler and was very excited. Then I found out Larry has a motorcycle and that was even better. I've been able to ride both.
Larry is fun, smart and cool. At first, it was work to get to know each other but now it is easy to talk to Larry about things and I can just pick up the phone and talk to him if I want to. We always have fun together no matter what we do.
The best part of my Big is all the stuff Larry teaches me without ever having to try. He shows me that a guy can be responsible, caring and kind and still really cool. I know there are alot of good Bigs out there (I met a lot when I was in Big Bunch) but none of them come close to how great Larry is. He is my match and my friend.
Jared
I want to thank you for my big brother Steve. I have enjoyed the time we spend together. Having a big brother means a lot to me. I have someone to talk to and teach me things. It’s great to have such a cool role model like Steve. Having Big brother and Big Sister program is the best. I’ve learned that you don’t have to be related to be brothers or sisters and if we all take care and be there for each other we can all be family. Who knows, maybe one day I will be a big brother like Steve and be able to pass on all the cool things he’s done or me. Thank you very much for everything.
Corey
My Big Brother Ken
Ken has been my big brother for one year. Ken is an amazing role model, funny, nice, caring, understanding and fun to be with. These are just some of the things that make Ken so special.
Ken and I have a lot of the same interests, like animals, cars, hockey, games, fishing, hunting and motorcycle rides. I like having Ken as my Big Brother because of all the things that make him special. And besides those T.V. super heros like Superman, Batman, and Spiderman, Ken you are my hero and I am very lucky to have a Big Brother like you.
Justin
I am Nicole. I am in grade 3 at Spruce Ridge Community School in Durham.
I am 9 yrs old. My mentor (Friend's) name is Michele. She is the BEST mentor (friend).
The reason she is the BEST is because she does lots of neat stuff. We do crafts, go to the school library, go for walks in the school. We also go outside to the yard when the weather is nice.
One of the crafts we did together was a pioneer log cabin, which we made with popsicle
sticks. Every one I showed it to liked it. I look forward to the time we spend together, even though it is only an hour a week. I feel sad when our time is cancelled due to weather conditions.
But I know my Friend will be there the next week. These are all the reasons I think I have the BEST in-school mentor (friend).
Nicole
My Big Brother Rick
My big brother Rick.
He’s a real kick.
He takes me fishing.
He takes me golfing.
He’s real funny.
He has me hopping like a bunny.
He makes me laugh.
He makes me giggle.
He makes me wiggle and jiggle.
He’s there for the good times
and he helps me during the bad times.
We both love wrestling.
We both love sports
and one time we even built a snow fort.
He’s a real friend.
He’s a real pal.
He makes me feel like saying WOW!
I’d like to thank Rick for being my big brother
and for finding the time to be with each other
Written by little brother Chris
My Big Sister Sandy
Sandy is special to me because she:
- makes me happy
-is creative
-is full of trust, respect, friendly and honest.
-is amazing person
-is fun
-is unique
Sandy is a great person inside and out.
We play games, Karaoke, bowling, watch movies, pool, have dinner together.
Sometimes when Sandy is sick she will still pick me up. To me, Sandy is energetic.
I hope Sandy will never change because I like the way she is!
Elisha
My Mom and Dad split up awhile ago. It makes me sad that my Dad isn’t
around. I sometimes feel left out because I don’t get to do boy stuff
with another adult male like my Dad. I would like to have a big brother
so we could do things together that we both like. Going to the library,
swimming or skating would be fun. It would be neat if he could teach
me new things like a Dad does with his son, like snow boarding, working
with tools, building stuff, and just hanging out to make me forget
about how I miss my Dad. My sister had a big sister and she seems to
have a lot of fun and that’s all I want too. It would be the best if I
could find a big brother soon.
Branden
My mentor, Seth Hopkins is the best because he plays games with me, he is very nice to me and he gets the toy bucket out to play with me. He is very cool. He helps me with my school work. He gives me some questions on my math work and he sets up games so we can play. Seth is good at math. He comes to play with me on Thursdays. We play chinese checkers and battleships. There's lots of games in the bucket so we can play lots of games. He does crafts with me. Seth likes to play dominoes with me and he is sometimes funny too!
By Lucas