Everyday as Mentoring Coordinators get to hear about the wonderful things that are happening in our matches. I hear inspirational stories all the time, and this one is no exception. Today, I want to share with you a story of fear, courage, and rising to the challenge. It all started on a snowy day in November…..

Burt*, one of the Bigs I have had the privilege to get to know over the last few months is quite an avid skier. In the true spirit of a Big, he wanted to share a cherished activity with his Little Brother John*. Of course, Burt could have had no idea how petrifying the experience would be for John until they got to the top of the first hill. Any of us who have ever tried skiing for the first time when they were over the age of 7 no doubt remembers the first time they stood at the top of a steep hill looking down wondering how on earth they were going to get down from there without hurting themselves. Well, this Little Brother was no different. John managed to get up the courage to try and ski down the hill, but as one might expect, he ended up falling quite a few times. John then decided that he hated skiing and didn’t want to continue. He had had enough and wanted to go home. John’s Big Brother, knowing how much it cost for a lift ticket did not feel quite the same way. Burt and John made a deal where if John skied down the hill three more times, and then decided that he didn’t like it, then they could go home and they wouldn’t go skiing again. This was a deal too good to pass up, so John agreed. He somehow found the courage to push himself over the top of that hill three more times. By the time John got down the hill the third time, he was in love with skiing. Burt and John skied for the rest of the day and a few more times that season. Since that day, John has acquired his own ski gear, a spot in his high school ski club, and a love of skiing. John developed a passion that he never knew he had because he found the courage to try something new and scary. John thanks Burt to this day for pushing him to give skiing a real try.

As you can see, being a Big is about sharing your own interests with a Little. For more information on volunteering, visit our website.

*The names in this story have been changed for confidentiality purposes.