Samantha became a Big Sister in November 2013. She was matched in the site-based program and was a great mentor to her Little Brother Quran throughout three semesters. Even though her Little Brother did not continue with program at The Boys and Girls Club, Sam still wanted to be involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters and was re-matched with her new Little Sister; Willow.
Samantha and her Little Sister Willow have been matched since October 2015 in the Site-Based program. Sam’s Little Sister is a nice, semi-quiet child who told Match Support Specialist Adriana that she wanted someone to help her with school and have someone older to talk to. Sam has made it her mission to support Willow in any way she can, just like her first mentee. When their match started, her Little Sister was having difficulty reading and writing in school and needed someone to motivate her and take the time to provide individual attention. By the end of the school year, Willow had brought her grades up substantially. When Adriana asked Willow what she thought about Sam, she said that she was “fun, nice and smart.”
Not only does Sam visits Willow every week on a consistent basis at the Boys and Girls Club, but she also helps Willow with her reading, spelling and math. Some of the games they enjoy are playing Frozen games, Connect 4 and Bingo.
Since matched, Willow has also had the opportunity to visit her Big Sister at High Point University. Match Support Specialist Adriana has taken a group of kids to visit their Bigs as a reward for improving their grades and improving their behavior in school. Willow was among the students who reached their goals of making better grades.
Samantha is an example of a truly motivated and devoted Big Sister who understands the difference one person can make in a child’s life. Our agency is so thankful for Sam for her time and support!