Patient
Wise
Confident
Those are the three that come to mind for me as I consider the mentors who have shaped my life. What are yours?
Today, I have the opportunity to share my story about being a Big Brother to Kiwanis Club of Muncie, IN. I’m grateful for the opportunity, but I want to make sure that the takeaway for the group incites action or at minimum conversation after I walk out. Here is what I would like to inspire:
1. Big Brothers Big Sisters agency is successful, stable, and working in Muncie, IN.
2. If you add more money to the program it will accelerate the amount and quality of the 1:1 relationships the program has matched and will match in our community.
3. We need more mentors, specifically males, in Muncie and nationwide. If you cannot see yourself in that role, can you find me three people that may? (Say “YES” here)
I’ve put together a Prezi to share my story and you can view it here: Personal Value in Being a Mentor on Prezi
Have you presented at a Kiwanis meeting before? If you have, could you comment with a few best practices? At Big Brothers Big Sisters and Leadership Board we are not only making a difference with doing the little things consistently, we are stacking up those little things so fast that they aren’t so little anymore. We’ve witnessed mentors being paired at an accelerated pace with Littles, kids looking for mentors, in our community and we are showing no signs of slowing.
Last point, I’m going to close the meeting today by sharing this page with everyone. It is the instructions and expectations for becoming a Big Brother or Big Sister. It is the start of a journey that will pay the mentor 10 fold for the relationship they build with a little boy or girl here in Muncie.
Our Leadership Board team of Brandon Coppernoll, Kelsey Timmerman, Hannah Meacham, Adrian Arnett-Smith, Kyle Perkins, Imani McClendon, and Caleb Stapleton have worked so hard over the past year supporting the amazing team of Taryn Poti, Joiceann Janes, Chrystal Pearson, Sally Brashear, and Megann Parkinson at Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Delaware County. We’ve been working for just over a year now and because of your “likes,” retweets, and attendance at our events in and around Muncie we have already changed the lives of children in our community. With your continued support and attention we will only continue to accelerate our work.
I’m truly grateful to each of you that has even lent us 5 minutes of your time, and even more so to those who have shared our story with others.
inspiring. charismatic. authentic.