Big Sister Sarah & Little Sister Kallie
Meet Big Sister Sarah and Little Sister Kallie who have been matched for almost 10 years now!
Big Sister Sarah and Little Sister Kallie first met in November 2014 through the Community-Based mentoring program and have been going on adventures together ever since.
Big Beginnings
Before Sarah became a Big Sister, she knew she wanted to be a mentor. As a kid, she looked up to her camp counselors and cherished her time at the Boys and Girls Club. Even though she grew up in a stable home, having that additional support was impactful, and she wanted to provide the same for others.
“I am not able to have children naturally, but I wanted to be someone important for a child,” said Sarah.
Once she found Big Brothers Big Sisters, she realized that she had what it took to be a Big Sister. At this time in her life, she had just moved and had a “lost, no friends kind of feeling.” She knew it was the right time in her life, and she had a job and the ability to do more in her community.
Kallie, however, had no idea what was in store for her until Sarah showed up at her doorstep. Her great-grandma signed Kallie up to be a Little Sister, knowing that she needed help from someone who could keep up with a 7-year-old. Kallie was also a bit shy around kids her own age, preferring to “talk up a storm with adults.”
“She was also getting up there in years and didn’t have the energy or the money to be able to take me out and go do stuff, to let me be a child,” said Kallie. Sarah remembers Kallie always doing chores, homework, or helping with her siblings which fueled her desire to get out of the house and go do things.
A Meeting to Remember
Kallie recounts their first meeting as being fun and a little bit chaotic. First, these new Sisters drove to a local restaurant to get to know each other.
“I was nervous, but Kallie put me at ease. Kallie was so excited. I remember one of our icebreaker questions: ‘What is your favorite color?’” said Sarah. “Kallie (age 7) said, ‘All of them!’ It just made me so happy.”
After food and icebreakers, Kallie asked Sarah for change to get a gumball from a gumball machine in the restaurant. However, to her dismay, nothing came out.
This took the pair on another trip to Kallie’s grandmother’s house, who lived nearby. After asking Kallie’s grandmother where she could find gumballs, they were pointed in the direction of a local grocery store which had the machines up front. At last, Kallie finally got her gumball!
This rollercoaster of a first meeting was the first of many times that Sarah and Kallie proved their commitment to riding the crazy waves of life together.
“I really thought at the beginning this was a great match that God orchestrated,” said Sarah.
Arts and Adventures
With so many trips and activities together over the years, it was hard for these two to list everything they’ve done. But there are some common themes in their activities.
It was always clear that Kallie was artistic, with her loving drawing since preschool. Her passion for the arts has developed into a vision for the future. Now, she plans to go to college for animation and photography. Because of this, the pair tend to do a lot of creative activities together. But they also love to go on trips!
Some of their favorite things to do over the years have been bowling, swimming, painting ceramics, arts and crafts, and checking out different parks around Indiana. Recent trips include walking along the beach and trails at Pokagon and visiting Cataract Falls.
One of their trips led them to Williamsport, Indiana, home of the state’s tallest waterfall. However, this trip did not end with a beautiful natural wonder in the way they expected.
“I wanted to show Kallie a natural waterfall, so I picked one in Williamsport because it is the tallest one in Indiana,” said Sarah. “3-hour drive down, and there is no water.”
Although a dry season got in the way of their waterfall viewing, Kallie was still happy to practice her photography on the many scenic rocks and landscapes of the area.
One other adventure came on Kallie’s 16th birthday, when Sarah took her to get her ears pierced at Claire’s.
“I was like scared for years of getting it done cause, it’s gonna hurt, and she’s like ‘I’ll get my ears pierced, too,’” said Kallie.
Pretty soon both had pierced ears, and a great memory to look back on.
Mastering Mentoring
Sarah’s initial experience as a Big Sister provides a lesson that can help other Bigs but also everyone.
How do you deal with somebody that’s different than you and still help them?
This is the question Sarah had to face as she mentored Kallie. Sarah, a vivid reader and school lover since childhood, found it hard to understand Kallie’s dislike of both at first. But knowing that these were important for Kallie to improve in, she knew she had to find a way to help Kallie.
“And so, I had to figure out what would help her do well in school even if she didn’t like it. She didn’t learn the way I did, so I had to teach her the way she learned,” said Sarah. As for how to do this, she has some advice:
“I would say find what makes the Little excited or happy, and then use that to help them with things that they don’t like to try,” she continued.
For Kallie, that meant engaging her creativity and artistic interests to make learning more fun or as leverage to do the not-fun stuff. Although she may not like school like Sarah, Kallie has made progress in her education.
“I’ve been doing pretty good if I say so myself in high school,” said Kallie about how she has grown. “Actually, my last school year was one of the best years that I’ve had grade-wise in school.”
Creating Confidence and Building Bonds
Sarah and Kallie have both become more confident and self-assured during the last 10 years as Big and Little Sister. And they both attribute these changes to each other.
For Sarah, this came from feeling like she meant something to somebody and knowing that someone was looking up to her.
“Seeing yourself through a child’s eyes helped me be more confident in who I was and who I am as a person,” said Sarah. “I got matched with her, and it just seems so perfect. And I finally felt more confidence and more joy in my life.”
“She told me like early on, probably when she was eight years old, ‘You are the only one I know that, if you say we’re gonna do something, we always do it. You always follow through,’” she continued.
Kallie also believes Sarah helped her grow into who she is now, helping her with confidence and learning who she is.
“She’s been like a big confidence boost and helping me discover things about myself,” said Kallie. “Because we talk a lot. About my future and my past, stuff like that.”
Sarah and Kallie’s frequent heart-to-heart chats have helped build Kallie’s mental fortitude, especially as she deals with school, family, and hardships.
“She doesn’t realize how much she’s really helped me emotionally,” said Kallie.
One of Kallie’s most significant hardships occurred recently when her great-grandma passed away. Understandably, she became depressed for a period, becoming less social, eating less, and rarely leaving the house. During this difficult time, her Big Sister was a key figure in her support network.
“She would check up on me pretty often, texting me and asking, ‘Hey, how you doing? Is everything okay? Are there any updates on your situation?’ I was all over the place after she passed away… and it helped a lot,” Kallie shared..
As for what she’d like to say to Sarah: “Definitely just a big fat ‘thank you’—for literally everything.”
Marching Towards Graduation
As Kallie finishes high school and pursues a career in graphic design, animation, and photography, more changes are bound to be thrown their way. Kallie also has other goals she’s been working towards, such as getting her driver’s license (she already got her permit!) and hopefully getting a new car too. But Kallie and Sarah look to the future not with fear, but anticipation, knowing they have each other.
One of Sarah’s proudest moments as Kallie’s Big Sister was listening to her explain her work in the Impact program.
“It just showed that she was growing up and that she was ready for some kind of career. Like she was in her element. It was just beautiful to see,” said Sarah.
As Kallie gets busier preparing for college or trade school, Sarah and Kallie don’t have a set match date anymore and their hangouts are more loosely planned. However, the two are positive they will continue meeting up and stay in each other’s lives way past graduation.
“There’s a lot of things going on, but she has blossomed big-time in school like she’s gone to Impact and found her calling, and it’s helped with all her other schooling,” said Sarah. “But she and I think that we’ll be a part of each other’s life for the rest of our lives.”
“Even after I’m out of the Big Brothers Big Sisters system, I’m still gonna talk to her, and we’re still probably gonna meet up even if it’s just like half an hour for coffee somewhere,” said Kallie. “I’m sure she’s gonna be one of the people that I talk to when I’m planning on getting married. She’s gonna know my kids. She’s gonna know when I get a house, all that stuff.”
Your Turn to Be an Everyday Hero!
Mentoring is about showing up, being dependable, and helping a child go through the things you already did. It doesn’t take a superhuman to be able to do this. Anyone can be a mentor and make a difference in someone’s life.
“I think the Big Brothers Big Sisters program is really cool, especially with the age that I’m getting to be, like the resources that they have to help people like find colleges and scholarships, but I think that, especially for like kids at a young age, it’s a good program because you’ve got somebody to talk to,” Kallie said.
Sarah and Kallie have one last message for each other:
“I’ve always told her she is one of the best things that ever happened to me, being a Big helped with my confidence so much,” said Sarah. “I just know that it was godsent that we were matched because I couldn’t think of anyone better to be matched with.”
“I’m really glad that she’s my Big and that I got to know her because I probably wouldn’t be who I am without her influence and her family,” said Kallie.
Will you take the challenge of becoming an Everyday Hero?
Wanting to make a difference? Learn more about volunteering with Big Brothers Big Sisters here. Wanting to take the next step? Start the application process here.
