The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Community comes together for annual Holiday Party
An event active with big people, little people, crafts, treats and more, brought the community together for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County’s annual Holiday Party.
The Dec. 9 event, held at Lorain County Community College’s John A. Stocker Center in Elyria, invited all of the organization member’s families and their big brothers or big
sisters provided by the program to celebrate and give back to the community.
According to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, it is the largest donor and volunteer-supported mentoring network across the nation. The organization provides mentors, or “bigs” which would be brothers and sisters, to children, or “littles” that they are matched with in their areas from ages six to 18. The mission of the organization is to have someone like Bigs to provide children who are facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one relationships that change their lives for the better, forever.
Scott Fox, chair on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County said he’s been a big for almost eight years. This year he is getting a new big, but said he is still in contact with his first and only little that he’s had since he started.
Fox became a big because his children had grown up and he knew that there were children all around who may be disadvantaged, needing love, nurturing, support, guidance and mentoring, he said.
“Everything that goes into being the best you can possibly be is what these children need,” he said. “Its almost impossible to be that without that.”
Fox said children who have more of an acute need — from kids coming from all shapes, sizes and races — that mentoring, especially when they don’t have either parent engaged.
“A lot of (time spent) with each other is meant to provide not just a relationship, but an experience for the child, he said. “The experience the child has is as elemental as the relationship that it builds because you’re providing them a window to the world they may not possess otherwise.”
Big Kelly Johnson and her little Madison Norman, 13, of Elyria have been paired together in Big Brothers Big Sisters for over a year now.
Johnson started out as an intern and has been with the organization for a year, while Norman has been a little since she was six-years-old.
Johnson said to become a big, you have to fill out an application then go through background check and interview with board members. After you interview you get matched with a little that one shares interests with. After meeting Norman, they found out they had many similarities with one another like crafting, comic books and The Walking Dead. The two get together whenever they can.
Johnson said she was interested with the organization because she has no children and wants to share her interests with another child.
“I want to make a difference in someone’s life,” she said. “I want them to come back and say, ‘because of you, you helped’.”
Norman said she has had a few bigs over her time but she loves hanging out with
Johnson, especially when they went to comicon. Johnson is her favorite big, she said.
In events like the Holiday Party, Norman loves meeting other littles throughout the Big Brothers Big Sisters program.
According to Fox, Big Brothers Big Sisters has many fund raisers and events every eight weeks for kids.
During the Holiday Party, children were able to play games, work with crafts and enjoy their time with bigs and their families. While enjoying food provided, Lorain County native and WKYC reporter Tiffany Tarpley welcomed families with board members thanking all involved and recognizing bigs of the year.
The pinnacle of the event, normally, is when Santa gives each little a gift that was on their wishlist, Fox said. This year, they were all given another gift donated by Soul to Sole, a non-profit organization from Lorain County created by Lori Campana and Laurie Bove.
Orlando Grant, president of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County, said there were there 139 kids at the event this year and each of them received their gifts from members of the organization, but also received the shoes as a surprise because it was their first year partnering with Soul to Sole.
“We really tried to launch it to the next level,” Grant said. “There’s more to come that’s on the Horizon, that will propel us to premiere the entire organization throughout the world. With our board and member’s support, there’s not much they can’t do.”
Fox said that in a Big Little Community, they need more bigs in it and that anyone can be a big.
“There is a never ending supply of children of need,” said Fox.