I met my little sister Zoe in August 2016, and we were both excited (and shy) to be part of this new unique relationship. We did a lot of things together over the next 10 months like bowling, roller skating, going to the trampoline park, visiting animal shelter, baking, playing board games, mini-golfing and just walking-and-talking in nature. There was no significant agenda except to get to know each other more and have lots of fun!

As time passed, Zoe started to open up and trust me with her thoughts and feelings. Our talks became deeper and I started to see how kind, compassionate and intelligent she is. When I decided to volunteer, as much as I hoped to be of some help to a child, I didn't realize what the experience had in store for me. The resilience and strength of character that I see in her inspires me!

The Big Brother Big Sister (BBBS) program matching of littles and bigs has been shown to positively impact children's lives (more details at http://www.bbbs.org/research/). I used to wonder if I had the skills to do this. As obvious as it is, some time and company can make a difference, in small or large ways. I will take this opportunity to urge you to consider volunteering!

When I am donating money to various causes, I always wonder if it is put to good use. I assure you that donations to BBBS will make a difference! (Did you know many children wait for months and years to be matched? ) I have been very impressed with volunteers at BBBS here in Albany, who are so committed to making it better for so many children. With all that, I request you to donate $25 (or any part of it, as possible) towards making more big-little stories happen! :)

Thank you so much!! :)