Seven years
ago, Little Sister, Shannon, met her Big Sister, Sherry. The two were paired together in the School
Based program and began their relationship meeting every week at Lincoln
Elementary. It didn’t take long for
Shannon and Sherry to discover they had more in common than they thought and
soon decided to expand their friendship and transferred into the School Based
Plus program. This decision allowed them to continue meeting during school
hours in addition to meeting outside of school.
Sherry wanted the chance to give Shannon the opportunity to experience
new adventures in life such as going to the ballet and community plays.
As the years
went on, Shannon’s mother, LeAnne, was able to witness the improvement in her
daughter’s development. Shannon felt
confident with her Big Sister and found the confidant she’d been seeking. LeAnne’s decision to enroll her child into
Big Brothers Big Sisters was proven correct day after day during each awaited
visit as she watched Shannon’s face light up when Sherry arrived. Through Shannon’s ups and downs, her Big
Sister has been by her side. Shannon
feels supported, understood and feels comfortable in her own skin with
Sherry. During their time together,
Sherry has allowed Shannon to discover her strengths in creativity and
performing. She has encouraged Shannon to
go after her dreams by working on scrapbooks to hold the memories they’ve made,
and even recording Shannon’s music and plays she has written over the years.
This match
started creating a bond seven years ago that cannot be broken. Together, they have accomplished what Big
Brothers Big Sisters envisions for all mentoring relationships. One such achievement was celebrated this past
month: Shannon’s high school graduation.
Shannon has made great strides in her academic performance and was all
smiles receiving her diploma. From the
crowd, you could see her Big Sister, Sherry, beaming as her Little Sister
walked across the stage.
Today,
Shannon has dreams to become a music therapist and plans to attend Hawkeye
Community College in the near future.
Shannon and Sherry’s involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters has
officially come to an end, an end that Shannon describes as “bittersweet.” Program Director, Katie Klein, agrees, “This
moment is bittersweet but the absolute best way for it to end. We will cherish the achievements of this
relationship and will sit back and watch Little Sister, Shannon, soar.”
