When I became a Big Brother through Jewish Big Brothers Big Sisters (JBBBS) I could not have imagined the impact it would have on me, my life and on my family. An early entry from my diary summarizes it well:

“We went apple picking the other day and Dima got to climb his first tree…wow — how awesome was that! He was grinning from ear to ear, beaming with pride as he made it up past the trunk … where he plucked an apple from an outside limb. Wait!?! He was 9 years old and had never climbed a tree before? Suddenly, it hit me – the role of being a Big wasn’t about “wowing” a child with flashy activities but rather it was about focusing on letting him “wow” himself with those little ones…those little things in life that we sometimes take for granted…like climbing a tree.”

My diary goes on for years, with pages of thoughts, feelings, and laughter. But most important, are the memories of an immeasurable bond. When we met, Dima was an inquisitive youngster. He became a driven teenager working three jobs to support his mother. He put himself through college, is now married with children, and runs a successful company with over 150 employees. He embraced each step along the way with the same eagerness and inquisitive nature that I saw when he climbed that first tree.

What started off as a way to give my time, transformed into a friendship between two families that will last a lifetime. My Little changed my life, became a member of my family, and taught me much about myself. It remains an experience that I would not trade for anything.

Mine is just one story amongst the hundreds which JBBBS has inspired.