Big Sister Chelsea and Little Sister Kasey’s Adventure of Swan Boats, Writing and Ice Cream
October 9, 2023, Katie Huynh
At Big Brothers Big Sisters, we believe the power of mentorship lies in the moments that spark curiosity, comfort, and fun! Mentorship might sound huge, but really… It takes little to be BIG! Take Big Sister Chelsea and Little Sister Kasey for instance; whose story shows the amazing impact another caring adult can have on a child.
The two of them were matched in 2022, and Kasey had shared she wanted to work on her writing and storytelling skills with Chelsea. This past summer, their match relationship led them to share a new experience together – renting swan boats at Como Park, all made possible through our wonderful partnership with Wheel Fun Rentals. This outing offered the perfect opportunity to work toward Kasey’s goal by writing a review of their swan boat experience. They started by looking up examples of reviews on the Internet and then discussed what makes a good review. Chelsea shared it was a great team effort with Kasey giving most of the ideas, and she helped to organize them.
Read Chelsea and Kasey’s review of their swan boat experience with Wheel Fun Rentals:
“On August 12th, a windy but sunny day, we went out on the swan boats at Como Park. When we got there, we put on our life jackets and the employees took a picture of us before sending us off. The employees were kind, warm, and helpful. After he took our picture, the employee pushed us off and we started to paddle. Of course, Kasey took over the controls and steered us around the lake. We saw lots of seaweed and ducks.”
“We played a game where we had to say a fruit or vegetable or animal that started with every letter of the alphabet. That helped pass the time and before we knew it, it was time to head back to shore. However, as we were paddling back the wind got stronger and tried to push us back. We had to paddle with all our strength and the boat was going sideways. We managed to turn it back around and finally made it back to shore. The employee was helpful again and moved some other swan boats to make a path for us so we could park the boat. He helped us out of the boat and we turned in our life jackets. As we were walking to turn in our life jackets, we noticed our legs didn’t feel so great from all the paddling.”
“We rewarded our hard work with some delicious food and ice cream from the Como Pavilion. Kasey had the Superman ice cream and it had so much flavor. Chelsea got strawberry and it tasted fresh and delicious. We walked around the park and saw some wedding parties taking pictures. Wherever we went, they would be there. We also stopped to enjoy some live music. Overall, we give our experience at Como Park ten out of ten stars. There’s so much to do there, we could’ve stayed all day!”
Mentoring comes in all shapes and sizes, but the essence of a great mentor lies in the willingness to listen, encourage, and amplify their mentee’s voice. We encourage not only fun and memorable outings but also educational experiences that empower our youth to learn and grow. Chelsea and Kasey’s match relationship is a fantastic example of this. A big shout-out to the incredible staff at Wheel Fun Rentals, whose support helped create an unforgettable experience for our match!
Are you inspired by Chelsea and Kasey’s story? You can become part of an impactful relationship like theirs. Get started at our Volunteer page or Enroll a Child page.
