Big Sister/Little Sister

Friday evening we had our annual Thanksgiving/Volunteer Appreciation Dinner for Big Brothers/Big Sisters. It was held in a local Baptist church that used to be our town Wal-Mart. I'd been wanting to take a tour of it, and though I didn't venture on a full-blown exploration, I was glad to finally see the inside of the massive structure. They definitely did a transformation. It was hard to believe we were eating turkey in the former Lawn and Garden Center. Rumor has it that baptisms are on Aisle 5.

After our dinner, we were entertained by a magician who was just incredible. I'm still trying to figure out how he turned two birds into a rabbit.

Following the performance, awards were given out. I was absolutely astonished when I received the award for Big Sister of the Year. As the director read off information about the recipient, I glanced over at my husband (who is also a Big Brother now) and raised my eyebrows because I could have swore she was talking about me. Then she announced my name and I almost cried. It turns out that my Little Sis found out when I had gone to the bathroom earlier. I wondered why she kept beaming at me.

Being a Big Sister has been an awesome experience. When I was younger, I participated in the high school chapter of BBBS, which meant meeting the kids in the program, tutoring, going to monthly events, etc. I couldn't wait to be an official Big Sis and get matched with a Little Sis of my own as an adult. After I graduated high school, I had filled out an application and everything. But when it came to the home interview (back when I still lived at home), my mother pulled a dirty trick and cancelled my appointment. She had always been picky about people in her house and so she decided she didn't want the director coming to her home. So I was excited when, last year, I was finally able to complete the process.

Ashley and I try to squeeze in activities outside of the scheduled monthly events, but since we're both back to school now, coordinating our agendas has been a challenge. This summer we went swimming together quite a bit, and we went shopping, cruising, had a lot of long phone conversations, etc. We hit it off so well when we get matched up last year--she's been the best.

After an outing at a local campground with all the BBBS kids this summer, my husband decided to join, too. Last week he got matched up with Ashley's brother, so now we get to all do things together. We're really looking forward to the holidays. Tonight Steve's brother came over and he's picking up an application tomorrow to be a Big Brother, too.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, I just have to say I'd highly recommend BBBS to anyone who enjoys spending time with kids. I'm not sure where all the program exists, but I know there's several chapters located across Indiana. It's just amazing.