Big Brother's Big Sister's

Happy Holidays everyone! Now that finals are over and after having a few days to recover from the semester, I finally have some time to sit down and tell you a little bit about my little sister Ashley. Now she isn't my "real" little sister, we were matched together through the Big Brother's Big Sister's (BBBS) of America Organization. We meet together once a week for an hour during school and simply hang out, chat with each other, and play games :-) Ashley and I were matched in September and we clicked immediatley! We couldn't stop talking, we had so much in common. She even has a German Shepard as a pet, which by the way will be my future dog (I LOVE DOGS-I never had one because my mom was allergic)! Ashley is in 5th grade and recieved her first cell phone in October, we have been texting each other almost every day since then!

If you didn't know, "Mentoring with the Big Brother's Big Sister's of America Organization" is my personal platform and I have been involved with promoting this incredible association for over 2 years. Please visit http://www.bbbs.org/ if you want to learn more about the program and how you could get involved in your area. The movement of BBBS has been helping children for over a century and is deemed the most effective youth mentoring program in the United States. Its success is based on an exceedingly effective, yet surprisingly simple concept: a One-to-One friendship between a mature, caring adult volunteer and a child who can benefit from that friendship. The organization reaches out to all children between the ages of 6 and 18, but places a special emphasis on the children who are deemed "at-risk," many of whom reside in a single parent household. One of the most rewarding characteristics of being a big sister myself is forming a strong friendship with someone who really looks up to you. I love getting texts from Ashley saying, "When are we meeting next week?!" when we just met earlier that day. Not only does she get excited to see me, but I get very excited to see her as well :-) I don't consider it volunteering anymore, it's just time out of every week to hang out my good friend.

With Christmas rapidly approaching I wanted to get Ashley something special, but I didn't want to just buy her something from the store, I wanted to get her something that we could do together. So I decided to make a Tie Blanket with her that she could keep as her gift :-) We had a lot of fun making it! It's tye dye on one side and blue on the other. The photo is of Ashley and I showing off our final product :-) She said her other sister at home will be so jealous, I laughed and told her that she should probably share it with her.

I can't tell you enough how this organization has changed my life and how important it is to think about becoming a volunteer yourself. Just within a 10 county radius of the greater twin cities there are over 800 children on the waiting list to get a big brother or sister. Children who simply want someone to rely on, someone they could talk to and possibly get help from. If you have any questions about BBBS, please don't hesitate to ask me!

I hope everyone is getting their Chritmas shopping done and getting their stretchy pants out for all those home cooked meals :-) I can't wait for my Mom's cheesy mashed potatoes, I can honestly eat 4 helpings!!

Always,

Bethany Beniek