I was sitting at my desk at work on one particularly monotonous day, trying to concentrate on my lengthy to-do list, when my phone started to vibrate. As a rule, I don't typically answer numbers I don't recognize (to be fair, I don't like answering my phone in general), so I quickly silenced it.
Wait! I've gotten a call from this number before...it could be Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) calling about my match!
It had been a few weeks since I had gone through the application and interview process for BBBS, and my suspicions were correct, they had found a potential match for me! My match support specialist, Nicole, had about three pages worth of questions filled out by a 4th grader named Samantha. She also had some additional insight from Samantha's mother and teacher to help me learn more about her personality.
There was a wide range of questions from her favorite things to areas she thinks a Big Sister could help her. Some of the things she shared were silly - she wanted a Big with blond hair (which is totally not me.) Some were helpful - the two of us share a love of reading, writing, and being creative. And some were more serious - Samantha was struggling with being bullied.
I learned quite a bit from the extensive information Nicole shared with me, and at the end of the phone call, I made the decision to go ahead with the match and meet Samantha. We coordinated a time at her school for the three of us to meet.
It was strange, I hadn't met her yet, but for some reason I was very upset and worried about the fact that she was being bullied. It is something I had never dealt with, and to be honest, wasn't quite sure how to.
As the meeting loomed closer, I grew more excited and more anxious. What is she going to be like? What are we going to talk about? Will she think I'm cool? Why am I worried about a 9-year-old thinking I'm cool?
But you'll have to wait for the next installment of this series to find those things out. (Although some of those questions will never be answered...)
Interested in being matched with a Little of your own? You can find more info and sign up to volunteer here!
Maybe you don't have time in your schedule to be a Big right now. You can sign up for Big Brothers Big Sisters' Bowl for Kids' Sake fundraiser. Just like the name suggests, you can bowl with a team or as an individual and help raise money for the great work at BBBS! Click the link above to sign up and make sure to check back in three weeks for the next post in my Big Brothers Big Sisters series!
