Match Featured in Observer Reporter Newspaper

Here is the link to an article featured in Observer-Reporter newspaper about one of our Matches. The match and BBBS are featured as part of National Mentoring Month.

http://www.observer-reporter.com/OR/Story/01_27_Big_Brothers

Match With a Boxful of Memories

The first time Branden met his Big Brother Michael in October 2003, he was a little shy. That wasn’t a problem because as Michael remembers, “We were both a little shy.” The two broke the ice when they grabbed a few board games to play, and Branden beat his Big at the game “Battleship!” The competition, and fun, between them have continued to this day.

Branden is a native of Pittsburgh and Michael of the Philadelphia-area. “We always ‘fight’ when we see the Steelers play the Eagles, the Phillies versus the Pirates, or the Flyers against the Penguins,” says Michael. However, the rivalry among the two ends when it comes to their mutual love of music, R&B Oldies to be exact. Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson and the Spinners are some of the classics the pair enjoy.

The two also enjoy making pizza from scratch, laser tag, and visits to Pittsburgh sites. Michael recalls a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo when Branden was climbing the rope-web exhibit. “Branden was acting like he was James Bond. He lost his footing and fell off the net. He was laughing the entire time, and I got it on tape. We still watch it and laugh to this day.”
When asked about what he has learned so far from his Big, Branden replies, “I learned how to take care of a dog.” Michael continues, “He wanted to know how to take care of a dog in case he ever gets one as a pet. I taught him some things with my dog, Sterling. Now Branden has taught her how to jump for treats!”

Michael explains he has also learned something from being a Big. “It helps me to put things in perspective by looking at the world through the eyes of a child. It also has taught me the value of patience.” He goes on to explain, “Sometimes it’s a struggle to get him to call me back. However, I’ve discovered that Branden has a box where he keeps memorabilia from our times together. Just when I think he doesn’t care, he pulls something out from that box and it re-energizes me!” By the sound of it, Branden will have plenty of other things to add to that box throughout the coming years.

This Match Spotlight was originally published in our Big News newsletter.

National Mentoring Month

January is National Mentoring Month! You can get involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters in a variety of different ways. Apply to be a mentor or participate in this year's Bowl for Kids' Sake!

Match Spotlight

Big Brother Onno and Little Brother Jermaine have been matched for almost a year. Already Onno doesn’t consider being a Big to Jermaine as volunteering. “He has become family,” says Onno. Onno was introduced to Big Brothers Big Sisters when a friend, who volunteered as a Big Brother, would always comment on how much fun he had with his Little Brother. Onno thought about the things he could offer to a child. “I’m a very active person, and I imagined all the outdoor activities I could do with my Little. Even simply throwing around a football,” says Onno.It turns out he was right.

When asked to describe his Big Brother, Jermaine says, “Onno’s fun to play with.” He also helped Jermaine to achieve an important milestone. “He taught me how to swim,” says Jermaine proudly. Having a good bond between the two does not mean they cannot enjoy a little competition. A highlight of their match for Jermaine was when he beat his Big Brother in a football video game. “I was happy,” recalled Jermaine, “and he was laughing!”

Sports are not the only things the two do for fun. “Every week that Jermaine and I chill is pure fun and all positive,” says Onno. Together they frequent the Mattress Factory and the Andy Warhol Museum. This past school year, when Jermaine had trouble in math class, Onno would help him go over his homework. Now Jermaine feels more confident when going to class.According to Onno, being a Big Brother is “different than I expected, but in a very positive way.

Throughout our year together, Jermaine and I have had some truly great times.” When speaking about people who have thought about volunteering as a Big but have not made the move, Onno advises, “You have the chance to have a positive effect on someone’s life for just a few hours a week. Those few hours a week, you’d probably be sitting in front of the TV or some other useless activity. The experience, for both sides, is truly life changing.”

This Match Spotlight was originally published in our Fall 2006 Big News newsletter. The match is still going strong to this day.

Little Sister Proves To Be a True Leader

Big Sister Laureen Quinn informed us that her Little Sister Nicole was recently featured in a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article about her unfortunate injury while playing in her high-school basketball game.

Laureen states, "The story and the coach's words about her are amazing, despite her injury."

The article shows that Nicole has grown up to become a true leader. We are proud of Nicole and thank Laureen for sharing the article with us.

Read the article>>

Some Little Moments

Pics of our Bigs and Littles from their recent Match Outings

Big Sister Colleen with Little Sister Cherice

Pic from the November Crosby Suite Match Outing
See more pics in our Photo Album>>

Pic from the recent Carnegie Mellon Big for a Day

See more pics of this event in our Photo Album>>

Pics From the Latest Build a Robot Day

Here are the pics on the BBBS Photo Album>>

100 Robots for 100 Kids is a project started by Mark Palatucci, a PhD student at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University designed to help children develop an appreciation for science and technology while learning valuable life lessons such as problem solving, patience, and teamwork.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh (BBBS) hosts regular Build a Robot Days for mentor/child matches in its program so that they can tackle the assembly of the robot with the assistance of Mark and other CMU students.

Read more about the initiative in a previous post>>

Another Match Radio Interview

Big Brother Dan Gigler & Little Brother Jaymes were interviewed on the Saturday Light Brigade Show.

This is part of a series of interviews the show is having with matches from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Pittsburgh (BBBS) over the next six months. Saturday Light Brigade has created a special section on their website that will archive all the BBBS match interviews taking place once per month over the course of the next 6 months (the 4th Satuday of the month from 10:35-10:50 am).

The interviews are made possible through a sponsorship from SUPERCUTS of Pennsylvania.


You can hear a recording of each interview here http://slbradio.org/community.shtml


View pics from the interviews>>