Big Brother Jordan and Little Brother Brycan
As an active 21-year-old new to Huntington, Jordan felt he had more to give than just his 40 hours a week as a police officer. Thus began his journey looking for more ways to get involved in his new community. His first foray into community organizations was McKenzie’s Hope Child Advocacy Center, where he is now the Vice President of the Board of Directors.
However, working third shift made it somewhat challenging to work directly with kids. Jordan had limited interactions with youth, and because of the nature of the job, the situations were often upsetting. Then, he learned about the BBBS School Buddies program, where an adult is matched with a 3rd- to 5th-grader and spends lunch with them once a week at their school. This seemed like a perfect time commitment for his busy schedule, also allowing him to interact with kids in a positive environment.
Meanwhile, Brycan’s mom first learned about the program with her oldest son, whom she thought would benefit from a Big Brother and another male influence in his life. When Brycan got the opportunity to sign up for a School Buddy, she didn’t hesitate to enroll him, too! Brycan says he had always wanted to get matched, thinking it sounded so cool to have someone to eat lunch and have fun with.
“It’s a fantastic program. I do not regret my decision of putting my kids in this program ever,” Brycan’s mom said.
Starting as School Buddies
As School Buddies, Brycan and Jordan spent their lunches chatting and snacking in the school library. After finishing lunch, the two would then move on to board games, reading books, or puzzles. It was at these times that Brycan would introduce his friends to his Big, letting Jordan meet more kids in the community. Although he had initially been nervous about being a role model for a child, he soon realized that Brycan was a bright kid who didn’t get into trouble, who was involved in a lot of extracurriculars. Jordan didn’t have to be a teacher, he just had to be a friend—and that part was easy.
“I’m proud of him, like I said, he’s made it the easiest match ever,” said Jordan. “There was never a dull moment from the beginning. He always carried the conversations. There was always something to talk about, and we always had fun, and it’s been that way since.”
Switching to Community-Based Mentoring
They had a wonderful time getting to know each other, but soon COVID-19 restrictions prevented Brycan and Jordan from seeing each other. Later, the two received the opportunity to continue their mentorship through the Community-Based mentoring program. Brycan remembers how strange it was to start doing things outside of school, especially because they had not seen each other in such a long time, but it soon became exciting because of all the possibilities.
5 years matched, Jordan and Brycan are still going fishing, watching movies, and attempting escape rooms! The latter is the pair’s favorite activity, challenging their wits and teamwork. The first time they tried their hand at escaping within the hour, the two were confident going in. A police officer and a smart kid—there was no way they wouldn’t crack the codes and solve the puzzles in time!
But…we can just call this one ‘practice.’
The next time, though, they made it out at 47 minutes, 13 minutes left on the clock! Brycan always has a blast, and he says he’s also learned lessons on problem-solving and patience from his Big during these outings.
“During the escape rooms, I would always try and rush through things and try and get it done as quickly as possible,” explained Brycan. “But he’s always said to just take your time and just work on one thing at a time.”
Big Dreams
But that’s not the only area Brycan has felt mentored in. For as long as he can remember, Brycan has dreamt of being a police officer or part of SWAT. Jordan sees a younger version of himself in his Little—someone who has known what they wanted to do from a young age—and tries to maintain a great source of guidance in this area. He remembers how helpful it was having his own mentors in the field, whether his dad, grandpa, or uncles who are also on the police force back in his hometown, or older cops in the department in Huntington.
“He can ask me any question he wants to about that, and he has all these big ideas,” explained Jordan. “I was always a thinker and kind of a dreamer, and I think that’s kinda how he is, too.”
“I said that I was going to go into the police force, and Jordan was really happy and supportive when I said that,” shared Brycan.
Smart with good grades, active outside of school, and athletic, Jordan believes his Little is already on the right path to fulfilling his dreams. But whenever he needs some encouragement, Jordan is sure to remind him to keep getting good grades and running in cross country/ track because, even though he is only in middle school, it’s groundwork for the future. This Big Brother also shares his personal experiences about being in school and working to get his grades up.
BIG Surprises!
He makes sure to support his Little whenever he can—surprising Brycan by attending his marching band performances and cross country meets. Jordan even surprised Brycan by showing up at Camp Hero, a camp that teaches children about first responders, which Brycan was attending. Brycan’s mom loves that her son has extra supporters in his life.
“[Jordan and his wife] came out and helped cheer him on at cross country, and he was so surprised because he had no idea, because I did not tell him,” recalled Brycan’s mom. “Just having that cheer squad and seeing Jordan and Sarah, he was like ‘Oh my gosh!’ as he was running.”
But Jordan feels he has also gotten a lot out of their mentorship. Learning to interact with kids better helped him as he advanced in his career and started working with youth more often. Not only that, but it let him mature and feel more prepared when he became a dad.
There’s not a thing either would change about their match, and Brycan wants to keep going with the flow with his “kind, smart, and funny” Big Brother. Jordan wishes the same and is excited to see his tenacious and determined Little grow up—even more than he already has. Jordan remembers back when he used to have to put a booster seat in his squad car for Brycan.
“I know he works hard, and I don’t think there’s anything that he wants to do that he’s not going to be able to achieve if he keeps it up,” said Jordan.
BE BIG!
Jordan encourages others in Huntington County to think about School Buddies or the Community-Based program as an easy and fun way to get involved in your community—and make a genuine friend.
“I just think that probably the biggest thing that stops people from really getting involved is because they probably just don’t understand how many kids could really use a Big in their life,” said Jordan.
You can also invite BBBS into your workplace, faith groups, or professional organizations to share the word about mentorship and its programs.
To learn more about our programs and other ways to get involved, talk to one of our staff members by calling 260-456-1600 or visiting our website at www.bbbsnei.org.
