Expressions of Thanks
January 27, 2021, Lori Dossett
Our mission of igniting the power and promise of youth isn’t possible without the support of our caring and dedicated volunteers. We’re always looking for meaningful and creative ways to thank our Bigs and share the impact they have on their Littles.
We utilize every available opportunity to appreciate our Bigs, but nothing compares to receiving that recognition directly from their Little. Oftentimes it’s difficult for kids to share their feelings with an adult. It’s even harder to encourage them to put those feelings in a letter or email to their Big.
Our creative match engagement team wanted to find an easy and fun way for Littles to thank their Bigs in honor of National Mentoring Month in January. They created a Mad Libs style letter template and helped their Littles fill in the blanks and send to their Bigs. We received many adorable responses, but one letter really tugged at our heartstrings.
Big Brother Grey and Little Brother Brandon have been matched for two years. Brandon visits Cargill headquarters twice a month to meet with their Bigs through our site-based mentoring model that pairs company employees with students from a specific school. Brandon’s BBBS match coordinator helped him complete his letter template and send it to Grey. The heartwarming final product is below:
Not surprisingly, Grey was touched, and quickly penned a response back to Brandon:
“Dear Brandon – thank you for your letter! It made me happy that you think of me as fun, great, and inspirational. I also look forward to seeing you when we are able to. I hope you have still been safe during this COVID-19 pandemic. I have been safe and isolated from most people. It can be tough missing my friends, but I remind myself that I am protecting others and my own health. I have been thinking about you lately. I hope you are doing well, Brandon. I am excited to exchange these letters with you, and I’m always grateful that you are my “Little.” – Your Big, Grey”
The pandemic may have changed the way our Bigs and Littles connect, but it hasn’t changed the impact that a caring adult mentor can have on the life of a child, and vice versa. Learn how you can change the life of a Twin Cities youth for the better by becoming a Big.
