As part of National Mentoring Month, I want to take a second to say how life-changing it has been to be a big brother to my little brother, Jared. For a year-and-a-half now, I have been a part of the program, and I know that I get just as much out of our time together as he does. We work on things such as organizational skills and his school work and try to think about future goals going forward in life.

In turn, he has shown me the not-so-serious side of life and that it’s acceptable to “not always be such an adult”. I have seen the benefits and changes in him as a result of the program and the time spent together and cannot wait to see further changes in the years ahead.

When we hang out, we get together for activities when Big Brothers Big Sisters has monthly gatherings, such as holiday parties, rafting trips and a fall back-to-school picnic where we get to meet other BBBS matches, and we also get together regularly during the week. Sometimes, we take in a movie, swim at the rec center, play basketball or baseball, or hang at a coffee shop and go over homework. All of these activities expose Jared to experiences that help him grow as a person yet allow him to be the great kid that he is.

Mentoring Jared has affected every part of what I do, both personally and professionally. If you would like to mentor a child, contact BBBS today to learn how you can make the same impact. You’ll love it and so will they.

Brian Miller

Durango