Little Big Chats: The Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee Podcast

No matter who you ask, anyone involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee will tell you that the organization's real magic boils down to two words: Match process. By carefully tailoring each mentoring pair, BBBS staff ensure that every match has the highest chance of success. So in this episode, we speak with Anthony and Adrian, our Recruitment & Outreach Coordinator and our Bilingual Enrollment & Match Support Specialist, respectively. They'll talk about the lengths to which they go to to match Bigs and Littles with similar interests, what the match process looks like for aspiring participants and volunteers, and what BBBS needs to continue to succeed for years to come.

Study after study shows that the one of the best ways to ensure a happy and healthy retirement is to give back and stay active in your community. And this group of seniors wants Baby Boomers to understand that they still have so much to give as mentors to a little brother or sister. John, Anton and Glen all volunteer their time to a Big Brothers Big Sisters organization. And in this episode, they share their inspirational stories as seniors who realized that "retired" doesn't have to mean "disengaged."

It's World Cup time, and the incipient season of soccer has this month's featured match super excited to root for their favorite teams. Big Brother Juan and Little Brother A'Zir matched last fall. And so they're not only talking about soccer with one another. The arrival of warm weather means they get to play the game together as well. And even though it's early in their match, they're already finding other things that they have in common, and discovering the growing value of mentorship in each of their lives.

Even before Little Sister Cat met Big Sister Hailey, she loved to read. But she didn't always have someone with whom to share her passion for books. Now that they're matched, they each have a constant outlet for their literary criticism and a source for new reading recommendations. And this pair is equally at home in the great outdoors as they are in a library, already planning many new adventures for the summer ahead.

With graduation nearing, it's that time of year when high school seniors are starting to think about what comes next. And for Little Brother Shawndell, he enters this period of uncertainty with the extra assurance of having a Big Brother of eight years who's been there and done that. Shawndell says his Big Brother Rafael is a "real man" who's been successful in life, family and his career. And now, Rafael is using that experience to help Shawndell make campus visits and enter the next phase of his life with confidence, setting him up for success no matter what the future holds.