Meet Our 2025 Bigs of the Year!
On July 15th, Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrated all its volunteers with the rock-star themed 2025 Volunteer Recognition Dinner! Igniting the potential of youth and, in turn, making our communities a better place would not be possible without the dedication of these extraordinary people. The seven volunteers—who embraced their roles as mentors, role models, and friends with particular vigor—were announced as the Volunteers of the Year for all of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northeast Indiana.
On Tuesday, BBBS staff and Bigs from all over Northeast Indiana traveled to the Clyde Theater to join in on an evening full of fun, music, and celebration. This year’s Volunteer Recognition Dinner featured a free Casa Ristoranti Italiano dinner for its Bigs, activities, and loads of prizes that made this night unforgettable.
This event also honors the selected 7 people who have gone above and beyond as volunteers, helping BBBS ignite the power and promise of youth. For the first time in several years, BBBS added the categories for Real Men Reader of the Year and Rookie of the Year.
The 7 volunteers who were awarded for their service:
- Big Brother of the Year: Nathan Moore
- Big Sister of the Year: Denise Mills
- Big Couple of the Year: Andrew & Alex Yaney
- School Buddy of the Year: Edward DeWitt
- Real Men Reader of the Year: Morgan Boudler
- Rookie of the Year: Liz Braden
Big Brother of the Year
Big Brother Nathan Moore has been matched with his Little Brother Rovenio 6 years now!
When asked how things have been going in his match, Little Brother Rovenio’s reply was a resounding, “They’re wonderful!” This simple sentence perfectly sums up the 5 and a half years of Rovenio and Nathan’s friendship. Right from the start, it was clear this was a solid match, both big fans of STEM subjects and cars. The two can often be found taking trips to visit Science Central, the Botanical Conservatory, and—of course—many car shows! Together, Nathan and Rovenio have built a healthy and supportive friendship that both supports Rovenio’s current interests and also expands his horizons with new experiences.
“We get to do fun things together that I normally don’t get to do,” said Little Brother Rovenio on why he loves having a Big.
Nathan has modeled how to be a respectful and responsible person, offering guidance and support as Rovenio grows up—whether showing him how to be a caring family member or helping him with homework. His assistance even gave Rovenio a better understanding of math, encouragement to keep trying, and confidence in his schoolwork.
Big Sister of the Year
Big Sister Denise Mills has been matched with her Little Sister Darlene for 9 years now!
“She is like my real sister; we are family,” said Little Sister Darleen.
This quote perfectly describes the way Denise and Darleen’s relationship has evolved throughout the years, from strangers to family. Having a mentor, especially someone as loyal as Denise, allowed this Little to have someone to lean on through any challenges she was going through.
This volunteer’s main goal was to balance teaching life lessons, like prioritizing school, with being a fun relief from the real world. Because of this hands-on mentorship style, Darleen personally feels she has strengthened her critical thinking skills. Having a mentor has also developed her ability to interact with adults and her overall confidence in herself.
Over many years of watching movies, cooking dinners, eating out, painting pottery, and strolling through the park, the two continued to grow closer. Darleen now has someone to confide in, sharing her thoughts and feelings about anything.
Big Couple of the Year
Big Couple Andrew & Alex Yaney have been matched with Little Brother Jesus for almost 8 years!
It didn’t take too long before this trio bonded over their shared faith and a love of sports. Andrew and Alex began incorporating Jesus into the normal, everyday aspects of their life, like cooking homemade meals together or baking cookies. Since they first met in 2017, the three are a lot busier than they once were, especially since Jesus has now graduated high school and has a full-time welding job! But the three don’t let that stop them from scheduling a day to meet up after work, talk about how life’s going, catch up, and eat!
Over the years, this Big Couple has watched their Little grow in work ethic, improve grades, become more outgoing, excel in football, grow professionally, and show more future-oriented goals and questions. Especially as he gets older, Jesus finds himself seeking out his Big Couple’s wisdom and worldly advice. From lessons on saving money to college and career paths, Jesus knew he could ask them anything and they’d always be there to answer.
“Andrew and Alex have played a big role in my life by answering questions, exploring many new things, and just having someone be there for me!” said Jesus.
Read their full match story here.
School Buddy of the Year
Big Brother Edward DeWitt has been matched with his Little Brother Coleton for 2 years now!
When you’ve had a long week, full of work and stress, what better way to relax than a game of Uno? This is how Little Brother Coleton and his School Buddy Edward’s match began, and two years later, it is still the relief from school/work that each looks forward to. Together, they eat their lunches before moving on to board and card games. And if they have the energy (which they frequently do!), they hang out on the court to play sports.
When Coleton and Edward first met, Coleton mostly spoke in one-word answers. The only time he might contribute more to a conversation was if it was about video games, his favorite subject. It was hard to learn much from him due to his reserved personality. However, Edward persisted, and soon the two became good pals. Now, there is never a dull moment between these two, with their chatter and laughter, often at Edward’s hilarious jokes, taking up any silence. This seasoned Site-Based Big has been matched numerous times for 25 years, beginning in 1999!
Real Men Reader of the Year
Real Men Reader Morgan Boudler has been part of our RMR program for the past 10 years, since October 2016, and before that, he had been a School Buddy 6 times. He has been at his current school for the past 8 years and reading for his current teacher’s classroom for the last 3 years.
Morgan’s sincere, kind spirit allows him to get along great with his classes throughout the years. His genuine love for uplifting youth and Real Men Read leaves him as one of the school’s most beloved volunteers, with staff always singing his praises.
Real Men Reader Morgan began his involvement with our agency over 30 years ago, in the 90s, when he served two consecutive terms on the Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters. Throughout the years, he has been a quiet and humble powerhouse for the agency, driving us towards goals and helping us become the nonprofit we are today. And he puts his love for the mission into action with his years and years of volunteering to make a difference in the lives of young people.
Rookie of the Year
School Buddy Liz Braden has been matched with her Little Sister Brielle for 8 months now!
When their Match Support Specialist left their very first meetup, she was worried about this new match. Brielle was so quiet, it seemed as though she wouldn’t talk to Liz. While this was true at first, Brielle just had to get to know her new School Buddy. Week by week, she began opening up to Liz, sharing more about herself and how her life was.
If there is one thing this pair loves to do during their lunches, it’s definitely playing Barbies! Although they sometimes venture into different activities and games, playing pretend with all their dolls never fails to draw them back. Liz likes to let her Little choose what they do together, giving her the freedom to become confident in her choices.
The best example of how far their match has grown started with a day of coloring together. Brielle finished her drawing of herself and her Big and held it up for Liz to see. Across the middle was a simple message: “You’re my best friend.”
Thank You!!!
We’d like to thank each and every one of our volunteers who exemplify a commitment to change, giving back, and being a good friend, and a special BIG “thank you” and congratulations to our Bigs of the Year for Northeast Indiana! To learn more about Big Brothers Big Sisters check out our website: www.bbbsnei.org.