“I have seen phenomenal changes in my sons being able to trust the outside world again” –Lisa 

Calvin, Simon and their mother Lisa joined the Big Brothers Big Sisters family in December of 2006. The staff at BBBS tries diligently to match children with caring adult mentors who share common interests and personality traits. While waiting to meet the “right” Big Brother for each child, the boys participated in the school-based mentoring program and the Bears and Cubs Program where children on the waiting list are matched with Bowdoin College students to take part in fun activities. These opportunities helped the family to feel comfortable with the BBBS staff and the programs offered. Then during the summer of 2007 both boys were matched with there respective “Big Brothers.”  

Simon, the younger of the two brothers, is matched with Eric. Simon was happy to describe Eric as “not very picky. He’s very fun and active. He likes to read like me. He gets excited about sports teams, and he’s just a great guy.” Eric and Simon have enjoyed a number of outings together including a recent motor boat ride on the ocean where they tried out Eric’s new depth finder. They like roller skating at Roller World. They went sledding a few times last winter and Simon giggled slightly when he shared that, “Eric’s sled flipped over every time! So we needed to get him a bigger one.” They have been to the Portland Museum of Art and viewed an exhibit that Simon expressed was, “completely made out of nails!” Simon spent time with Eric’s family at Thanksgiving and helped to bake the turkey and prepare food. One of their favorite activities is to spend time at the Topsham Public Library checking out books and using the computers. At every outing a ball always travels with them, because you never know when a good time to play a game of toss will present itself. 

For Calvin, the older of the two brothers, his match experience has been just as rewarding and enjoyable. Calvin and his Big Brother Shannon, are a fun loving and playful pair who enjoy the outdoors. They like to hike and swim. Shannon helped Calvin pick out his new bike and they often go on bike trips around the Topsham/Brunswick area. On poor, or as Shannon puts it, “cruddy” weather days the friends enjoy video games and movies. Over the fourth of July they had a fun day at Pemaquid Beach. Sometimes they cook fun foods together and have made Halloween cookies and Pigs in a Blanket. Shannon works locally as a truck driver and sometimes Calvin joins him on his runs. The friends easily spend a whole day together just going with the flow and deciding on activities as the time passes. When asked how he feels about Shannon, Calvin said that, “he is fun and we laugh a lot together.” Shannon then cheerfully stated that he and Calvin, “read each others minds,” as they often say the same word out loud or realize that they are thinking the same thought.  

There is no person who can better express the extremely positive experience that these friendships have created for Calvin and Simon than their mother Lisa. She happily reports that, “The matches couldn’t have been more dead-on, and the results of their interactions couldn’t be more dramatic. Both boys have learned to trust their Bigs and themselves, which has had the extra benefit of lowering their global anxiety, improving school performance, and raising their self-esteem. I have watched the boys get excited, laugh hard, and really learn how valuable they are to others – not just their mother.” Both matches share their own unique experiences and approaches in their individual relationship while maintaining an open dialogue with Lisa. Lisa is overwhelmingly pleased with how vested both Eric and Shannon are in working on building trust and meaningful relationships with her sons. She is thrilled to see that by using humor and encouragement Shannon is helping Calvin learn that he can “loosen up and just be himself,” and Eric helps Simon learn that “he can speak up for himself” by asking him to help plan activities that they both will enjoy. 

For Lisa, her children’s Big Brothers are not people who they should strive to be exactly like, but are role models who encourage them to be who they want to be and help them to get there. Are you ready to be matched? Contact the BBBS office today at: 729-7736 and learn about a “Little” friend in our community, school, or site-based programs who is waiting just for you.