Today, we talk with Andrew Johnson who has been a Big Brother to Jalan for the past 5½ years.
How did you decide to become a Big Brother?
Andrew Johnson: One of my good friends was a Big Brother and he told me the reason why he did it. I thought what a great way to help someone else and give back to the community. I was fresh out of college and I had the time, so I said, “Why not?”
Were you nervous about becoming a Big?
Andrew Johnson: Yes, I was definitely nervous because it was something brand new. It wasn’t like babysitting somebody, it was more like being a mentor and a big brother in this person’s eyes.
How long did it take you to feel comfortable with your Little Brother?
Andrew Johnson: Probably less than three months of seeing each other every other week. We pretty much clicked after that.
What are the fun things you’ve liked doing with Jalan?
Andrew Johnson: We are definitely known for going to Sky Zone. We take advantage of the coupon pamphlet that Big Brothers gave us. We’ve done laser tag and gone to the park, but Sky Zone was our go-to.
How long did it take you to know you were doing the right thing?
Andrew Johnson: Once he started communicating to me on a regular basis, that’s when I knew the trust was there as far as him understanding, “This gentleman is in my life” and I was dedicated to spending time with him.
What’s the best thing about being a Big?
Andrew Johnson: At least for me, the thing I really like most about being a Big is it’s like pre-practice to being a father. I became a Big and a father the same year. Now I can see how he relates to anything that is going on in the world, which I feel like is going to help me when my son becomes a teenager to develop him as far as understanding him and what I can do to be a better father and maybe a better listener. There are a lot of pros to being a Big.
Has it ever been challenging?
Andrew Johnson: The only challenging part has been this most recent year due to Covid. That was pretty difficult. It just wasn’t the same doing everything interactively. We both like to play video games and that kind of helped. Other than that, it was an opportunity for me to tell him that when he goes to high school we weren’t going to be as active because he was going to be so busy. I was able to let him how I was OK with it because I knew what was going to happen and he was going to be busy. Now he’s trusting me more because I’m trying to help him with college prep. As long as we get an early jump on the things we can get, there’s no telling what he can do. He’s grasping onto things earlier than I did, and that’s my main goal.
How often do you talk to your friends about becoming Bigs?
Andrew Johnson: Not lately because of Covid, but not that things are opening back up and getting back to normal, I’m definitely going to be bringing it up more in conversation and putting that back into play. There’s definitely a need, and if I had the time, I’d be a Big to 10 more. I think the men in this city need to understand there’s more opportunities to do things now, and last year was a wake-up call because every little moment I spent with him counted. Even though we didn’t see each other in person for the whole year, it counted. We’re important and we definitely have to step up.
Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana has a waiting list of more than 400 children hoping to meet their Big Brother, Big Sister or Big Couple. More than 300 of those are boys, so we’re introducing “Manly Mondays” to ask men throughout the area why they enjoy being a Big Brother. To volunteer for the program or get more information, call 260-456-1600 or go to our website to fill out a volunteer form https://bbbsa.force.com/bbbsforms/s/?type=big
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