Big Brother Michael has been matched with his Little Brother Jonah for over seven years. At first, Jonah was a very quiet kid and struggled with self-esteem issues. Michael is a Physical Education teacher and helped to instill more confidence in Jonah by involving him in sports – in particular, basketball.  Throughout their match, they have met regularly, at least twice a month, and would go to parks to play sports, go to sporting events, or attend BBBS events.

A few years into their match Jonah was bullied at his school and Michael decided to talk with the principal of the private school where he teaches to see if he could get a scholarship for Jonah to attend.  Michael’s perseverance in making this happen worked and the principal agreed to a scholarship so Jonah could attend the private school. Jonah remained at that school for two years and thrived. During that time Michael drove Jonah to and from school with him on his way to work, while still going on outings with him every other weekend.

At the new school, Jonah’s grades increased and his self-confidence did too.  By eighth grade, Michael and Jonah’s grandmother and aunt encouraged him to apply to an advanced technology magnet program at a local high school and Jonah was accepted!  But things were tough that first year, and though Michael worked on school projects with Jonah, and his grandmother got him tutoring, he was dropped from the magnet program. This was devastating for Jonah, who wants to be an engineer when he grows up, but also a good learning experience.  Michael continued to encourage Jonah to still keep doing his best, and Jonah has remained at the high school where he takes higher-level classes now as a 10^th grader.

Michael and Jonah continue to get out regularly, where their outings usually gravitate to going to the YMCA most Saturdays to work out (Jonah’s choice) and then shoot some hoops afterward.  Michael still continues to help Jonah with school projects periodically, but they do other fun things like the movies. They even attended Jonah’s friend’s Bar mitzvah, when Jonah asked if Michael would take him!  Their Match Support Specialist recently asked Jonah to tell her something that his Big Brother has taught him, and he said: “He’s taught me to always stand up for myself, and if people talk mean, just take it and know that they’re jealous and this makes you stronger as a person.”

Learn how to become a Big at bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big/ 

Big Sister Julia and her Little Sister Madison have been matched for over four years. Madison has been living with her grandmother and brother for most of her life because both her parents have a long history of incarceration. Although Madison did pretty well in school, she was definitely lacking in the self-confidence department and needed a special adult who would spend quality time with her and not let her down.

Then in 2015 along came her new Big Sister and their relationship and Madison’s self-esteem have blossomed ever since.  Julia and Madison have enjoyed doing a wide variety of activities together over the years, ranging from arts and crafts, roller skating, ice skating, fishing, making tie-dye t-shirts, bowling, going on the Screamer boat ride and seeing dolphins, checking out fall festivals and attending several BBBS Christmas parties, including one where Madison got a brand new bike for Christmas.  They even built a skateboard for Madison together at another BBBS event with Boards for Bros, and Julia helped teach Madison how to skateboard!

A few years ago, Julia suggested to Madison that she participate in the BBBS “Bucket List Essay contest.” Julia asked Madison to share something she always wanted to try.  Madison admitted that she admired an Olympic Gymnast she’d seen on TV and wanted to become a gymnast, too.  The only problem was, her grandmother couldn’t afford gymnastics lessons. So, Julia encouraged Madison to write about her wish to become good at gymnastics.  Madison did and even drew pictures of her doing gymnastics to accompany her essay and she won the contest!  Madison was super excited when she was awarded 10 free gymnastic lessons.  To make sure that Madison got to those gymnastic lessons, Julia drove Madison there and back each week for her lessons.  Madison learned a lot during that time, including how to do a split, which she was especially proud of being able to do.

Since then Madison has continued to expand her skills in sports, including cheerleading. But when she attended the annual BBBS Mike Alstott event, Madison preferred to compete in the relay races with the boys, rather than participate in the cheerleading activities, and as with everything else, Julia was there to cheer Madison on. Recently their Match Support Specialist asked Madison to tell her three things that her Big Sister has helped her with, and Madison immediately said that she has helped her with “self-confidence, and to always stay kind.” Madison shared that the thing Julia has taught her that she will never forget is to “never give up, and keep on trying!”  As if it hasn’t been enough to support her Little Sister and watch Madison’s confidence in herself grow these past four years, Julia has been an avid supporter of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay as well. Recently she became an Ambassador for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay where she shares her experiences of being a Big Sister and encourages others at fundraising events to volunteer, too.  Julia also joined the Leadership Council to give back to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tampa Bay in other ways.

Learn how you can become a Big at bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big

Little Sister Asharia and Big Sister Shandra have been matched for over two years. Asharia has diabetes and Shandra has been a positive influence in helping Asharia learn about and manage her diabetes by exposing Asharia to new healthy recipes and teaching her how to cook them, which they often do together. The match also likes to try different exercise classes, such as Zumba, to continue teaching Asharia healthy habits. Asharia says that she enjoys everything the match does together! For one outing the match simply helped paint the office of Shandra’s coworker and Asharia said that she had fun with Shandra, even when they are just painting!

Asharia is currently a freshman in high school this school year and Shandra helped Asharia navigate through middle school and get prepared for high school. When Asharia and Shandra were first matched, Asharia was doing average in school but she wanted to work on getting her grades up so she could earn honor roll. Since they were matched, Asharia has made honor roll on several occasions despite the challenges that have come from switching between online and public schools. The match has been getting together mostly every Sunday to work on schoolwork for half of their time together, and they also get together during the week to have more opportunities for fun outings. When Asharia was asked to share something important her Big Sister has taught her, Asharia said: “To always believe in myself and to try hard and not be afraid to ask for help”.

Shandra loves planning match activities for Bigs and Littes. She has coordinated several BBBS match events with Savory Spice Shop in St. Petersburg and is scheduled to do a presentation on self-esteem for an upcoming Little Sister’s only match activity in early 2020.

Learn how you can become a Big at bbbstampabay.org/be-a-big