Guiding Youth: Sports and Mentorship
Every child needs a guiding factor in their lives outside of the family to steer them towards their full potential!
For Brandy, the two stable forces in her three sons’ lives have been sports and Big Brothers Big Sisters. Together, competing and training give her boys a structured way to learn discipline and expend energy, while mentorship provides a good example and someone to rely on.
Big Brothers
Before moving to Northeast Indiana, Brandy’s two oldest sons were enrolled in the program in Florida. With their Bigs, they participated in all of the different activities their agency had to offer. They went sea fishing, visited the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and attended countless football, hockey, and baseball games. This was exactly what the high-energy, athletic youngsters needed: an opportunity to try something new and get out of the house.
Wrangling three boys at once can be difficult, so an extra supportive adult to take her kids on a one-on-one adventure was especially helpful as a parent. Her sons also had the opportunity to create a healthy bond with a male role model.
Brandy approached the program as teamwork. Staying open and honest with her sons’ Bigs allowed them to work together to help her sons with whatever situation arose. With a mentor by their side, the two boys in the program raised their grades and improved their behavior in and out of school. Someone to simply check in and care means everything to a child.
“It has helped with their behavior overall. As a single mom of three boys, it can be difficult to give each of them the individual attention they need. Big Brothers Big Sisters has given them the opportunity to have that one-on-one time with someone who is there just for them,” she shared.
After moving to Indiana, Brandy took her first opportunity to sign her boys back up for Bigs. Noah still calls his Big Brother from Florida, who, after moving to Ohio, drove four hours to watch one of his Little’s baseball games!
“It gave them another person in their corner, and that extra support meant so much to them. I saw how much they benefited from the experience before, so I knew I wanted Finn, Noah, and Sammy to have that opportunity again,” Brandy shared.
Since Finn and Noah were the only two who had Big Brothers in Florida, they hoped for their youngest brother, Sammy, to get matched first when they signed up in Indiana. According to them, it wasn’t fair that he never got a chance to have all the fun they did! Now, Finn has been matched for 5 months, and Noah was just matched this month, but Sammy is still waiting for a Big Brother in Steuben County.
Finn and his Big Brother Peter are still getting to know each other, matched for the past 5 months. Roller skating, car museums, basketball games, lunch outings—so far, the duo has gone on many adventures around town. Peter cheered on his Little at his soccer games, too. His new Big also taught Finn more about fishing, which was very exciting for Finn. In fact, when he got home, Finn taught his younger brothers, too!
Having a Big Brother gives Finn an adult to talk to other than Brandy, especially a male role model to share with. The outgoing and bubbly oldest will be able to build trust with his Big and open up about more serious topics when the time comes, especially as he gets older.
“He has brought out a little bit of a different side, which is okay ‘cause he needs to do things other than sports,” said Brandy.
Sports
Along with mentorship, sports have been a consistent part of her sons' lives, providing opportunities to build character and skills. From a young age, the three brothers had been interested in all kinds of sports. In Florida, they played flag football with a travel team, and they still travel back and play with them whenever possible.
The boys go all-in when it comes to training and competing. Brandy and her two oldest sons just made a big trip to Los Angeles for another very special competition: USA Select Bowl.
Finn and Noah were two out of 48 in the country selected for the USA Football Select Bowl 12U division. Noah, still 10 years old, received special permission to try out and was the youngest selected to play. The family traveled to LA for the competitions, and not only was it an incredible experience for Finn and Noah, but it was also one of Brandy’s proudest moments, especially watching the shyer Noah break out of his shell.
“He went up to the players on the national men’s team all on his own and started talking with them. Seeing him have the confidence to do that was just so cool,” Brandy shared.
It was a big moment for Brandy, watching her boys grow up before her eyes as they competed with other top performers from around the country and trained with the national men’s team. After Noah made a safety on his first play of the game, he actually got a shout-out from one of the players!
Be Big!
There are many ways to enrich children’s lives, setting them on a path to fulfill their potential. For Brandy’s family, sports and Big Brothers Big Sisters have been the uniting factors, providing the structure, support, and outlets that every child needs!
Still waiting for the fun and witty youngest, Sammy, to get matched, Brandy knows just how important it is for more people to get involved and volunteer in the program.
“The impact they can have on these children is huge…I just feel like there is so much untapped potential in Steuben County,” said Brandy.
To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters, visit www.bbbsnei.org or call 260-456-1600.
