Building a New Friendship, Month #3

The Continuing Adventures of Leslie and Khiryn...

The match introduction is always one of the most exciting, and sometimes stressful, moments of a match. Often times, Bigs and Littles struggle with questions such as, "Will they LIKE me?" "What if we don't have anything to talk about?" and "What if I don't get along with the family?"

But it's what happens AFTER the match introduction that really forms the core of the mentoring relationship. By the third month of the match, Bigs and Littles are more comfortable with each other, but sometimes that means that the newness has worn off. It's easy to get into a rut,

choosing the same type of activity each week.

One of the best ways to keep match activities fresh, fun, AND cost effective is by making use of activities that are sponsored by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwestern Indiana. And Leslie and Khiryn are absolute ROCK STARS when it comes to doing just that!

Most recently, they participated in 2 different agency activities. The both flexed at the Cookies and Canvas event, showing off some serious artistic talent! And even though they each started out with their very own canvas, they ended up switching halfway through the activity and worked on each other's canvas. In the end, their artwork reflected a little bit of Leslie, a little bit of Khiryn, and a LOT of teamwork, fun and conversation.

Leslie and Khiryn also chose to spend part of Earth Day making a difference in their own community by volunteering for the agency sponsored Earth Day Clean-Up. Along with three other matches, they learned a bit about herbs and then worked for a solid hour collecting trash at Wesselman's

Park. The activity leader wasn't sure there would be enough trash to fill a bag at the start of the activity, but Leslie and Khiryn went right to work. In the end, they filled their entire trash bag, AND managed to have fun while doing it. They ALSO found time to shoot some hoops before they left the park. Khiryn earned several bags of cookies and a rosemary plant to take home for all that effort. Before they left, Khiryn was quick to share that he and Leslie "had a DATE with DINNER!"

Join us next month to find out what Leslie and Khiryn have been up to during their 4th month as a Big Brothers Big Sisters match! Join us for a month by month blog: Building a New Friendship with Leslie and Khiryn

If you are interested in becoming a Big Sister Like Leslie visit mentoringkids.org

Click here for Blog #2: Building a New Friendship, Month #2